Midori MD Notebook - A5 Grid Paper

Product Information

I wasn’t doing anything special. I treated my notebook the exact same as I would any other. But this cover ended up looking far shabbier than I would expect. This is especially annoying since I had to buy it separately. After using ink in my notebook, I went on to try some brush lettering using gouache. Again I found that the paper held up surprisingly well to the paint. I had no problems with the paper warping or becoming soggy when adding paint. In fact, I would say this notebook works great with gouache. It almost makes me want to buy a blank version to try using as a sketchbook. IS THE MD PAPER BETTER THAN THE LEUCHTTURM? I used this notebook for six months as a bullet journal and as I mentioned in other posts, I think the design of this notebook really helped me keep a bullet journal. The minimal design made it something I enjoyed using. I guess I should explain this story a little more. I was browsing a few stationery shops online when I came across the MD Paper notebook. At the time I was looking for a new notebook and thought this could be a contender. The MD Paper range is sold in the London Graphics Center so when I was in the area, I decided to take a trip to have a look at the notebook in person. With the assumption that I would buy one. One of the best things about having such high-quality paper in the MD Paper notebook was when it came time for me to try out art materials in the notebook. As I made my way through the notebook I began using it almost as a sketchbook.

The blank version which I’ve learned works very well as a sketchbook. MD Paper also makes a sketchbook in this range with a slightly different paper but a blank A5 notebook is an option too. Have you ever wanted to try writing with a fountain pen but assumed it would be difficult to use? Worry no more!If you’re looking for a new notebook I really would give the MD Paper notebook a try. I loved the minimal design, the simple cover is very aesthetically pleasing. As I mentioned it was designed for writing and I enjoyed the experience of using it.

You can find my ink collection here and my pen collection here. Is there something you’d like reviewed? Let me know! Lamy 1.5 Stub: this nib is moderately wet to write with (this is used for the brand and ink name title);The outer design of the notebook is very simple with the binding visible on the spine. I think there is something quite pleasing about these design choices. It enhances the simplicity of the notebook rather than adding embellishments to the cover. Midori I remember as the original company that brought us Traveler’s Notebooks (I still have a Midori branded Traveler’s Notebook) but in 2015 Midori spun out their Traveler’s Company brand. Indeed, Midori was the original name with the company starting in 1950 as Midori Shokai Co., Ltd. where it made courier, letter and notebook products (so it hasn't strayed too far from its origin). Today the Midori Brand and the Traveler’s Company brand are subsidiaries of the parent company. The parent company went through many name changes before arriving at Designphil Inc. today and the name is portmanteau of “design” and “philharmony”. Designphil’s other brands are Knox, Plotter, Touch and Flow, Custom Made Letter, Innovator, and Watashi Dayori which all come under it’s “Lifestyle Design Business” (they also have a commercial side to the business where the products are created and branded for specific external companies). Nearly all of these subsidiaries deal with paper stationery products or the leather cases that surround them. In general Designphil’s philosophy seems to be around using traditional techniques and modern techniques of manufacture. Uncap it and you can see it’s not all vintage. The section is long, made from slightly textured clear plastic, with pronounced grippy ridges (and a quite visible casting line). It’s soft! This paper is some of the softest, most luxurious paper I’ve written on! To my knowledge, while there are options to buy loose-leaf cotton paper, this is pretty much the only cotton-based paper notebook around. If you’re used to writing on Japanese papers, you’re probably used to good sheen, longer drying times and super-smooth surfaces. This paper is like no Japanese paper I’ve ever used. Is it luxurious? You bet. Does my fountain pen still glide across its surface? It does! Does it perform like regular Midori MD paper? Not exactly. The book does a really excellent job of laying flat. When opened near the centre it is dead flat; when opened with a bias to one side it is still very flat. These are some of the best notebooks I’ve used for this. Midori credits the simple bookbinding design. Paper

Lamy Crystal Ink: This ink is high saturation wet ink that presents with a moderate amount of sheen; It has a small inner cap to seal the nib. There’s a strong springy clip that looks like it’ll take plenty of punishment in its stride. The section is quite slim, and the barrel step sharp, but I didn’t find that compromised comfort, thanks to the section’s length and texture. And if you find the MD too short or light, the metal cap posts extremely deeply, making a seamless extension to the barrel. It’s one of the few pens I prefer to write with posted. The thing is, you don’t buy this paper because it is a high performer. You buy it to write on and to have a luxurious writing experience. Inks still look fantastic on it. Pens still write great on it. I’m sure that if you write with pencils, they’ll feel great on it as well. Bonus points: if you’re not a fan of the slight green tint that regular Midori MD paper has, the cotton is a regular cream color. ConclusionThe MD Notebooks come in two types of paper. The MD Paper Cream and MD Paper Cotton. When the MD Paper range was originally created the notebooks were only available with white paper. This was the same paper used with the Midori diaries. The nib arrived perfect out of the box and needed no flushing or tuning. Its design is very cool: it’s MD branded, has no breather hole, and is on the small size, but it swoops down like a beak, giving a great feeling of precision and control, a little like a Pilot PO nib. Like the PO, it’s a firm writer. The notebook has a sturdy thread binding that lies flat when open, making it easy to write. It also comes with a ribbon marker to keep your place. The cover is not a typical notebook cover. To feature the charm of the paper itself, the cloth tape used to bind the spine, usually hidden by a cover, is exposed, giving the notebook a unique look. You can even see where the ribbon marker is glued in place.