5 ms·
I love paper writing, I think it represents one of the very best things of humanity - tool use, abstract thought. But I really cant disagree with the use of mo
by ryanobjc 13y ago
I love paper writing, I think it represents one of the very best things of humanity - tool use, abstract thought.
But I really cant disagree with the use of moleskine more. It's paper quality has really gone downhill lately.
So I recommend http://www.leuchtturm1917.com/en http://www.leuchtturm1917.com/en - the features are the ones you want (similar to moleskine) and the paper quality is top notch.
Once you have switched to a quality paper, consider using a fountain pen. Aside from the style issues, the pen and writing quality is so awesome. The feel is out of this world, and sends a major signal to other people.
- runjake 13y agoConversely, I can recommend those generic lab books* with gridded pages. You can find them at any grocery store. They're $3 max, and more durable that recent Moleskines. I also recommend Pilot pens that are <$3 a pop, because they just work, and you'll end up losing it anyway. And they won't leak on you. I'm not sure what kind of signal it sends to other people, though. I can't find myself to care about that when it comes to what pens and paper I use. * http://www.phy.ohiou.edu/~rieth/lab_book/cover.jpg http://www.phy.ohiou.edu/~rieth/lab_book/cover.jpg
- ryanobjc 13y agoModern fountain pens don't leak anymore. Plus it adds a bit of fun and drama to writing. Personally I found that it encouraged me to write more.
- brewdad 13y agoCan a lefty safely use a modern fountain pen? I've always stuck to the higher end "mass-market" pens since I end up wearing/smearing the ink of better pens.
- bane 13y agoYou can, but you have to write in that weird lefty trying to be a righty technique like President Obama does. http://centerforplainlanguage.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Obama-signs-Act1.jpeg http://centerforplainlanguage.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10...
- keithpeter 13y ago"Can a lefty safely use a modern fountain pen?" The Lamy Safari is pretty Social Democratic. A few of my students actually buy them. I prefer Uniball Signo 0.7mm myself, can be bought in most high street stationary shops in the UK.
- mbrock 13y ago"The Lamy Safari is pretty Social Democratic." Beautiful, man.
- carterschonwald 13y agoI'm a lefty who uses a lamy safari. I'm pretty darn happy with it and use it every day. Also use noodlers heart of darkness ink which is both a lovely vibrant black, and also adheres to the paper but not my hand!
- y2bd 13y agoTo add to what the others have said, besides writing overhand (so your hand doesn't drag across what you just wrote), look for smaller nibs, drier inks, as well as more absorbent paper. Anything that will make the ink set faster instead of staying on top of the paper.
- neonkiwi 13y agoTry a quick-drying ink from Noodler's, such as Bernake Blue or Bernake Black. I'm a big fan of the Platinum Preppy with an o-ring to seal the whole body allowing you to fill it with ink—it's dirt cheap and writes very well. I recently picked up a Pilot Metropolitan, slightly more money but again, impressive value and it comes with a converter (which is like a cartridge that lets you refill with your own ink).
- leviathan 13y agoI'm not sure what the exact problem is with writing left-handed. I have been switching between writing right-handed arabic and english all my life with every kind of pen available, it has never been a problem. I never even noticed there's a difference.
- tjr 13y agoCould you recommend a particular fountain pen?
- gtani 13y agocan you go to a stationary store or art supplies that deals in Waterman, Cross, Mont Blanc etc and try a bunch. Mostly they have gold nibs which make the ink flow really nicely, but they all balance and fit your hand differently, and after a while, the nib softens to how you write
- canthonytucci 13y agojetpens.com, pick up a lamy safari and a couple different nibs of different thicknesses to see what you like best.
- gknoy 13y agoThere are whole networks of fountain pen afficionatos with reviews, writing samples, etc for pens, paper, and inks. It's amazing. However, if you're starting out, I recommend getting a cheap pen and then move up if you feel the need. The cheap Pilot Varsity disposable ones are a fantastic starter FP, as they cost about $3, a tenth (or less) of the price of a Good Fountain Pen. Ink isn't changeable, but the leaking is minimal. (They aren't waterproof, though.) The advantage is, if you decide you don't like it, you aren't stuck with it, and if you lose it or loan it out, no big deal. I also like that Staples tends to sell them in a pack of three colors. I've also used the Bic one [1]. It's also OK, and is partially waterproof, but its cap drives me bonkers. It's been a long time since I used one, though, as the pads at current employer bleed a bit when I used my fountain pens. I liked writing on the sugarcane spiral bound pads from Staples because they were so smooth. 1: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/206440-bic-disposable-fountain-pen-a-picture-review/ http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/2064...
- canthonytucci 13y agohttp://5by5.tv/penaddict http://5by5.tv/penaddict has a few episodes discussing this. highly recommended if you like to hear people talk about pens for 40 minutes at a time.
- zeckalpha 13y agoPilot pens don't leak, except when you go on airplanes. Be careful.
- derekp7 13y agoIf you fill a fountain pen completely before air travel, it shouldn't leak (no air inside to act as a pressure differential). Also keep the pen pointing tip up.
- ryanobjc 13y agoYup this, I havent ever had a fountain pen leak during air travel.
- manku_timma 13y agoI've had this happen to me with a parker fountain pen. It never ever leaks under any circumstance other than air travel.
- zeckalpha 13y agoI'm talking about Pilot brand pens. http://www.staples.com/Pilot-Precise-V5-Needle-Rollerball-Pen-Extra-Fine-Point-Black-Dozen/product_205112?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:205112&KPID=205112 http://www.staples.com/Pilot-Precise-V5-Needle-Rollerball-Pe...
- jonesetc 13y agoI've spent the past 8 years (just finished 6 years at university), trying to convince others to hop on grided paper. Probably the single most important part of my note taking strategy. Still can't get myself to move to pens though.
- toomuchtodo 13y agoWhich Pilot pens would you recommend? I find the gel pens bleed across the paper unless I blow on my writing for a few minutes on Moleskin paper.
- wnewman 13y agoI like the Pilot "Precise V5" rollerball pens, and I use them a lot, and they hardly ever leak --- except they do seem to leak with significant probability if I carry them on an airplane. Possibly that's the source of your disagreement about leaks.
- elehack 13y agoI'm not a fan of the lab books — they don't lie flat enough for me — but I do like my gridded notebook (high-quality company swag notebook courtesy of ipHouse). When that notebook fills, I'm not sure what I'll use to replace it. I also really like Zebra F-301 (and compatible) pens. Inexpensive enough to justify easily buying (and buying again when I lose them), good enough to be worth buying refills for. I keep at least a black one, and often blue, everywhere I am likely to need a pen (home desk, work desk, bag). And the F-301 Compact is often in my pocket when I don't have my bag with me.
- keithpeter 13y agoI was a little unimpressed with Moleskine paper when I bought one of their notebooks a few years ago. Now I use artists' sketch books (Rowney, Daler, Bright White of Brighton in the UK). Paper around 100 g/m^2 is a good balance between taking any form of ink/pencil and getting a reasonable number of pages in a book. I'm not very systematic though...
- christiangenco 13y agoPicadilly notebooks are about half the price of Moleskines, and none of my friends can tell the difference: http://www.amazon.com/Piccadilly-Essential-Notebook-Medium-Black/dp/1571338187 http://www.amazon.com/Piccadilly-Essential-Notebook-Medium-B...
- normloman 13y agoNotes are supposed to be short. If you're writing so much that it would actually make sense to use a fountain pen, you're better off typing it. And what is this "major signal" that it sends to others? That you're out of touch? That your pens cost more money? That you're pretentious?
- nja 13y agoI dunno, I recently bought a fountain pen and have been using it everywhere. It's just nicer and easier to write with. Short notes, long notes, journals, books, whatever.
- kaitai 13y agoTyping and writing long-hand produce different kinds of prose for me. I like to alternate. My typed prose is a bit jerkier, with a higher density of facts or points, while my long-hand prose has a more conversational flow. And my hands start to ache if I use a ballpoint too long. Ever tried taking 5 hours of notes at a math conference with a crappy ballpoint? And live-texing is fine until you've got more pictures than text...
- ryanobjc 13y agoSo that's another thing, a larger, heavier pen actually reduces hand pain.
- anaphor 13y agoDid you know that Neal Stephenson wrote Cryptonomicon mostly with a fountain pen? Seems to work well for some people.
- bscottmay 13y agoreminds me of this: http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2009/02/24/122-moleskine-notebooks/ http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2009/02/24/122-moleskine-not...
- a8da6b0c91d 13y agoThe bound notebook thing is totally a silly hipster retro fetish. Ringed binders make so much more sense for notes and planning. Insert, remove, and rearrange pages as needed. Bind in irregular bits of paper with those plastic sheet protectors. Add labeled dividers as needed. Add computer printouts! The only thing to use a bound notebook for is a chronological journal.
- Terretta 13y agoI don't like having to hold a notebook open with two hands during a meeting. So I skip the Moleskine that doesn't fold over on itself (though I appreciate the Evernote edition), and go with a Japanese graph paper notebook that has a spiral binding, micro perf pages you can tear out and hand someone, tiny faint graph lines, and exquisite writing feel: * Maruman Mnemosyne Inspiration Notebook, 5mm Squared * Read a review here, covering how the paper interacts with pens, with an example of using the notebook for wireframe mockups: http://penaddict.com/blog/2009/5/13/review-maruman-mnemosyne-inspiration-notebook.html http://penaddict.com/blog/2009/5/13/review-maruman-mnemosyne... Amazon in USA charges way too much: http://www.amazon.com/Maruman-Mnemosyne-Inspiration-Grid-6-3/dp/B001A1VB74 http://www.amazon.com/Maruman-Mnemosyne-Inspiration-Grid-6-3... There also JetPens, also way too much: http://www.jetpens.com/Maruman-Mnemosyne-Inspiration-Notebook-A5-5.8-X-8.3-5-mm-X-5-mm-Graph-70-Sheets/pd/4078 http://www.jetpens.com/Maruman-Mnemosyne-Inspiration-Noteboo... I find these at a local Jerry's Artarama. They carry Maruman paper pads for speciality art media, and don't mind stocking the graph pads as well. By having it a regular stock item, it ends up under $5 a pad.
- Supermighty 13y agoI couldn't agree more. Moleskine paper quality is poor. I prefer Field Notes Brand for my pocket notebooks. Also Jet Pens for a large selection of high-quality pens to write with.
- infinityetc 13y agoI use Muji notebooks. They're cheap and the perfect size for me. They have a store in SoMa SF. http://www.muji.us/store/stationery/notebooks/recycled-paper-ring-note-beige-b5-ruled-48.html http://www.muji.us/store/stationery/notebooks/recycled-paper...
- agentultra 13y agoThe Leuchtturm1917 is a very quality book. I switched from Moleskine myself and can't go back. The pre-numbered pages and table of contents is a life-saver. And the paper quality is somewhere in the realm of where Moleskine likely started at (I remember them being quite good at one point). The way I use note-taking on pen-and-paper is not so much to stay organized as it is to train my thinking. I tend to be a lateral thinker and taking notes is a way of capturing thoughts as they come to me so that I can refine them and learn to organize them. I have found that in the >5-6 years I've been following the practice that I tend to collect my thoughts in streams now compared to when I started when my thoughts were much more sporadic.
- stevejb 13y agoGenuinely curious, what signal do you think it sends? I typically put a lot thought into my physical stuff, but I do not have any connotation, positive or negative, regarding fountain pen usage. If I saw a person using a fountain pen, I would probably think, "That person must like pens. Cool." and that would be about the extent of it.
- dbpatterson 13y agoThe best notebooks I've found yet I stumbled upon in stationary stores in Greece. They are A5, 50 sheets, with flexible covers and small grids. And cost ~1.5 euro each (I bought 10 of them). They are school notebooks, similar to the composition notebooks we have, except a little thiner, with soft covers, and slightly smaller. I don't know where to get them elsewhere (this looks similar, but no guarantee: http://www.kapsis.gr/product.php?products_id=4127 http://www.kapsis.gr/product.php?products_id=4127), but I wish I could - the size, page count, flexibility (they'll lie flat, can have the covers folded back) is better than anything I've used, and they don't cost $10 each (or $20+ for some of the ridiculous ones). Cheap enough that I use them for everything, but nice enough that numerous people have asked where they can get them. I just wish someone would import them / make a similar product here :)