4 ms·

I agree with you about #1; it bothers me, too. I have a suggestion which you may not like: switch away from Moleskines. I have a stack of used Moleskines. For

I agree with you about #1; it bothers me, too. I have a suggestion which you may not like: switch away from Moleskines. I have a stack of used Moleskines. For years I used them exclusively, buying them in bulk. Honestly, I gritted my teeth a little each time I picked one up. I love the ergonomics and the size, but the paper is awful. I'm not alone in this opinion[0]; an unopinionated Google search turns up plenty of similar criticism. The surface is too slick and hard to absorb ink well, so nearly everything smears. It's also oddly prone to ghosting through to the other side, especially with felt tip pens. It's hard to win. [0] https://www.google.com/search?q=moleskine+paper+quality https://www.google.com/search?q=moleskine+paper+quality I tried everything with them: fountain pens, gel ink, liquid rollerballs, fat and fine felt tips, space pens. What worked best were cheap-ass Bics, but only because the ink is basically colored glue, and they're punishing to write with. I've since switched to artist sketch books, like Pentalic Nature Sketch[1]. I don't care about the brand. I just go to my local art supply store and buy something in the right size with good-feeling paper. There are some ergonomic compromises (e.g., maybe you don't like spirals), but the paper is first-class, and that's become my priority. I get my Hi-Tec-C refills from JetPens, and they have some good notebook advice[2]. [1] https://www.pentalic.com/nature-sketch/ https://www.pentalic.com/nature-sketch/ [2] https://www.jetpens.com/blog/the-best-notebooks-for-every-use/pt/647 https://www.jetpens.com/blog/the-best-notebooks-for-every-us...

ghaff 6y ago
>The surface is too slick I was complaining in another comment about the ink refill that came with a Waterman pen I was given not working well. And, yes, it was specifically on the Moleskins I use that I was having a problem. I'd have to get the pen "started" on another piece of paper to write reliably. (The Uni-ball gel pens are fine.)
- wglb 6y ago
  I gave up on the Waterman pens as the skipping was everywhere and just too annoying
- sonofhans 6y ago
  I've had that experience, too. I couldn't write reliably on Moleskine paper with my Waterman, regardless of what ink I used.
foobarian 6y ago
One thing I don't get is, why this obsession with roller/fountain/gel pens when ballpoints have none of the issues and arguably have better ink properties?
- CarVac 6y ago
  The writing experience and the line quality is better. Ballpoints feel rough, take a decent amount of force, and have fairly weak and uneven-looking lines.
- sonofhans 6y ago
  If by "ballpoint" you mean something like a Bic pen or a Fisher Space Pen, it's an easy answer for me. In a typical day I cover several pages with text and sketches. I want a pen that works well for both. I don't believe that ballpoints have better ink properties. Quite the reverse. I believe they make more predictable marks on low-quality paper, but that's one of only a few benefits. Ballpoints tend to have large balls and produce a fat line. I like finer lines with more detail. Ballpoints tend to have thick ink. It doesn't dry quickly on the page. Ballpoint ink tends to accumulate on the edge of the ball, and leave periodic ink turds on the paper. Ballpoints tend to require a lot of pressure to produce a line. I want to use as little pressure as possible. Put another way, I want a pen that with little pressure produces a fine line that is easy to modulate (thick or thin, dark or light) and dries fast. I've yet to find a ball point that comes close to those properties.
  - foobarian 6y ago
    It is what I mean, but I am fascinated that I find that ballpoint works better for me for those purposes. To be fair the ballpoint I use took me a while to find - Parker Jotter case with refills they now call "QuinkFlow." They write smoothly without requiring much pressure, with quite a thin line. The only pen I found that can produce a thinner line is a Pentel Needle Tip with a 0.3mm ball. The thing I love about any ballpoints though is that they are pressure-sensitive - they produce a lighter line with less pressure, which is great for sketches and shading. I find that rollers are either on or off. I never experienced the ballpoint ink not drying, in fact the opposite - ballpoint is usually dry instantly, while with rollers I have to be mindful and wait a few seconds or more with pooled ink. The only issue I found ballpoint has that roller doesn't is the "ink turds" you mention. These happen especially when I try to draw long straight lines (maybe even with a ruler). At the end of the line if I'm not careful I can end up with a giant drop of ink that can turn into an unsightly smudge. But, I found a way around it - I need to keep rotating the pen so that different sides of the ball enclosure collect the ink, letting the collected ink get pulled into the paper.
Youden 6y ago
If you're looking for a Moleskine kind of size but want paper that isn't terrible, I like Leuchtturm1917 [0]. It's reasonably easy to get a hold of in all of the parts of the world I've lived in so far. [0]: https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/ https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/
- sonofhans 6y ago
  Thank you for the recommendation. I'm ordering some now!
- iamacyborg 6y ago
  I second this, the paper they use is much better.
nix23 6y ago
>switch away from Moleskines. My dad developed a proto-paper for Moleskine, it was perfect but way too expensive for them, 4$ for a A5 Notebook :(
egypturnash 6y ago
God moleskines have the shittiest paper. They have a nice form factor with the size, elastic band, and rear pocket, but they are garbage to write on with every pencil and pen I’ve tried - and I’m an artist, I had a lot of different tools to try the last time I tried them. Currently I have multiple Pentalic Traveller Pocket Journals lying around (https://www.pentalic.com/traveler-pocket-journal/ https://www.pentalic.com/traveler-pocket-journal/), they are basically “Moleskine except the paper isn’t waxy trash that your ink slides off of”. No spiral binding, either, they’re perfect bound.

ghaff 6y ago

>The surface is too slick I was complaining in another comment about the ink refill that came with a Waterman pen I was given not working well. And, yes, it was specifically on the Moleskins I use that I was having a problem. I'd have to get the pen "started" on another piece of paper to write reliably. (The Uni-ball gel pens are fine.)

wglb 6y ago
I gave up on the Waterman pens as the skipping was everywhere and just too annoying
sonofhans 6y ago
I've had that experience, too. I couldn't write reliably on Moleskine paper with my Waterman, regardless of what ink I used.

foobarian 6y ago

One thing I don't get is, why this obsession with roller/fountain/gel pens when ballpoints have none of the issues and arguably have better ink properties?

CarVac 6y ago
The writing experience and the line quality is better. Ballpoints feel rough, take a decent amount of force, and have fairly weak and uneven-looking lines.
sonofhans 6y ago
If by "ballpoint" you mean something like a Bic pen or a Fisher Space Pen, it's an easy answer for me. In a typical day I cover several pages with text and sketches. I want a pen that works well for both. I don't believe that ballpoints have better ink properties. Quite the reverse. I believe they make more predictable marks on low-quality paper, but that's one of only a few benefits. Ballpoints tend to have large balls and produce a fat line. I like finer lines with more detail. Ballpoints tend to have thick ink. It doesn't dry quickly on the page. Ballpoint ink tends to accumulate on the edge of the ball, and leave periodic ink turds on the paper. Ballpoints tend to require a lot of pressure to produce a line. I want to use as little pressure as possible. Put another way, I want a pen that with little pressure produces a fine line that is easy to modulate (thick or thin, dark or light) and dries fast. I've yet to find a ball point that comes close to those properties.
- foobarian 6y ago
  It is what I mean, but I am fascinated that I find that ballpoint works better for me for those purposes. To be fair the ballpoint I use took me a while to find - Parker Jotter case with refills they now call "QuinkFlow." They write smoothly without requiring much pressure, with quite a thin line. The only pen I found that can produce a thinner line is a Pentel Needle Tip with a 0.3mm ball. The thing I love about any ballpoints though is that they are pressure-sensitive - they produce a lighter line with less pressure, which is great for sketches and shading. I find that rollers are either on or off. I never experienced the ballpoint ink not drying, in fact the opposite - ballpoint is usually dry instantly, while with rollers I have to be mindful and wait a few seconds or more with pooled ink. The only issue I found ballpoint has that roller doesn't is the "ink turds" you mention. These happen especially when I try to draw long straight lines (maybe even with a ruler). At the end of the line if I'm not careful I can end up with a giant drop of ink that can turn into an unsightly smudge. But, I found a way around it - I need to keep rotating the pen so that different sides of the ball enclosure collect the ink, letting the collected ink get pulled into the paper.

Youden 6y ago

If you're looking for a Moleskine kind of size but want paper that isn't terrible, I like Leuchtturm1917 [0]. It's reasonably easy to get a hold of in all of the parts of the world I've lived in so far. [0]: https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/ https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/

sonofhans 6y ago
Thank you for the recommendation. I'm ordering some now!
iamacyborg 6y ago
I second this, the paper they use is much better.

nix23 6y ago

>switch away from Moleskines. My dad developed a proto-paper for Moleskine, it was perfect but way too expensive for them, 4$ for a A5 Notebook :(

egypturnash 6y ago

God moleskines have the shittiest paper. They have a nice form factor with the size, elastic band, and rear pocket, but they are garbage to write on with every pencil and pen I’ve tried - and I’m an artist, I had a lot of different tools to try the last time I tried them. Currently I have multiple Pentalic Traveller Pocket Journals lying around (https://www.pentalic.com/traveler-pocket-journal/ https://www.pentalic.com/traveler-pocket-journal/), they are basically “Moleskine except the paper isn’t waxy trash that your ink slides off of”. No spiral binding, either, they’re perfect bound.