I’ve been using Graphillo pretty exclusively for pen pal letters for years now. It is far and away my favorite paper. It just feels amazing to write on and shows shading gorgeously.
I also felt that the inks were brighter, and the shading better on the Graphilo! That's fascinating. I love that it's softer cover, and A5 slim. A5 slim is my favorite size! That fills a gap in size options, for sure. I don't think I'll be trying it anytime soon, if you say it's BETTER than my beloved TRP. For that price, I won't be able to justify it 🫣 I find value in ALL your reviews, and appreciate your honesty and thoroughness. So I would love for you to continue to do notebook reviews. Thank you for sharing with us!
Hi @menm_91 Thank you so much for the feedback! I was so shocked that the shading and brightness of the inks was so enhanced on this paper. I never thought 68 gsm Tomoe River paper could be beat ... I will see if I can compare to a few more brands of 68 TRP too going forward. :)
Anytime to play with a new notebook and review it is worth it to me... I kind of wish there were more people out there that reviewed notebooks instead of inks or pens cause yes the pens and inks are pretty to look at but if you dont have the paper that is going to show off those properties its not worth it currently I'm working with an Archer and Olive notebook and it doesnt show off the properties that I like to see And it ha like super thick rediculously thick and I'm having to do weird things when I get to the bottom of the page cause my arm is hanging off and whatnot so its important to have a book thats not so thick your arm hangs off its not so expensive it breaks the bank and its available enough that everyone who wants one can get one to try out :) Thanks so much for all you do
@@wildwolf3343 same I have to use a separate archer and olive notebook to rest my arm on so I can write never had that problem with tomoe river hobonichi or glp creations the author
A fantastic video Chris. It's always good to get feedback on notebooks. There are lots of references to notebooks and paper but this is the first detailed review of a notebook that I've seen. Thank you.
I love notebook reviews! I've been addicted to notebooks long before I got pulled into fountain pens. I haven't tried Graphilo yet but now I will at some point. Thanks for the info!
Hi Terri you are very welcome! I am so happy I now know about this wonderful paper! It's not to be missed if we can find it in stock and if it's in budget!
Totally worthwhile for you to share your thoughts on papers/notebooks. Esp when it turns out to be such a big win! I hadn’t really heard about this brand so good to have it on my radar now.
Hi @elainenabors9832 You are very welcome. Yes, I agree ... ! We just need to enjoy life ... that sense of waiting or holding off seems less and less sensible as I get older.
Yes Chris it seems to me the inks are indeed more vibrant on the graphilo paper - gorgeous! I really enjoyed this I’ll need to try the paper sometime myself.
Hi @ramonafirehorse - yeah! It actually feels better putting the good things into use than having them sit waiting - I'm happy as long as I have ready a new bullet journal and extra long form notebook for regular journaling!
This was wonderful Chris!! I'm still such a paper novice it's not even funny. I finally finished my Exceed A5, and have since started to write in an Endless A5 Lined. One thing I noticed about it was the amount of dried glue at the spine/gutter that has a weird effect when you go to write on it. Other than that, it's okay, but at least I have your videos to give me ideas on what's available.
Hi @zeus52452 those Exceed notebooks are amazing for the price! Our Walmart recently restocked after not having any for quite awhile and I picked up a lined one. The paper reminds me a lot of what they use in the Leuchtturm 120 gsm notebooks so I want to re-compare those 2 papers. Paper also confounds me ... I "landed" on Tomoe River 68 gsm paper as my favorite because it performs best with the most pen/ink options for me ... where other papers I run into more not great combinations. :)
I've noticed that Barnes & Noble is carrying more fountain pen friendly journals. That's a very dangerous aisle for my wallet. 😃 Like you, I have so many journals that I always think I should save for something special. I am finally getting passed that and have started using my very nice journals. I bought them to enjoy using them, not just looking at them sitting on a shelf. :) When I buy a brand of journal I have not used before, I always use the last 2 - 3 pages for pen and ink writing samples. That really helps me know which pan/ink combinations work the best for the particular paper. As always, thanks for a useful and informative video.
Hi @barbarah-p8661 -- Here lately I have finally started pre-testing my pens in the back regularly in a "pen test" too ... I used to just leave one page but it's not enough ... and I didn't always check each pen first but it avoids a real mess and failures if I do!!!! I guess I'm not the only one who "saves" good journals. This year I am definitely working on the goal of using the good journals! With my bullet journal and long form journal as long as I have the next one for when I run out of pages ... I'm good. :)
Great review, Chris!!! I got this paper because of your review and I absolutely love it. Everything you said was true and correct. You really covered all the bases. I, too, wish it came in a regular A5 because i am more accustomed to that size and I have a large handwriting. But this paper is superb. I may be addicted to it, and my wallet is not going to like that. Also, I have the InkPressions swatch book and it holds a tremendous amount of ink with no bleed through and seems to show shimmer and shading really well, so I am looking forward to your next video on their journal. Thanks again for another terrific video. You rock!!! 😘
This paper has been on my radar, but yes, it’s so expensive. Maybe someday I’ll splurge. Right now, I downsized to a B6 sterling ink notebook, one of the thick ones with 520 pages. I miss the old Tomoe paper, but I guess we all have to move on. I have some plain sheets stashed that I use for ink samples, and a couple older notebooks from Hobonichi but I guess I’m hoarding them. Hahaha.
Hi @dtmama I don't blame you for hoarding the old TR sheets -- it's not the same now! I'm glad to be learning about different papers because having a big paper change of a type of paper I use ALL the time is tough to deal with at first!!!!
Hello Chris! I am definitely going to try this paper, I love trying new notebooks. This paper looks so appealling! It looks nice and smooth, and thick enough but not so thick that you feel like you're turning a piece of cardboard when you're turning the page, haha. I wonder, have you tried the iroful notebooks? I just got an A5 one recently. I am VERY impressed with those, too! I just checked Amazon and they're currently about 10$ USD for an A5 notebook.
I’ve been using Graphillo pretty exclusively for pen pal letters for years now. It is far and away my favorite paper. It just feels amazing to write on and shows shading gorgeously.
Hi Brenda! It's such beautiful paper ... my inks never looked better!!!!! I think after I finish the writing paper I have I may do the same thing!
I also felt that the inks were brighter, and the shading better on the Graphilo! That's fascinating.
I love that it's softer cover, and A5 slim. A5 slim is my favorite size! That fills a gap in size options, for sure.
I don't think I'll be trying it anytime soon, if you say it's BETTER than my beloved TRP. For that price, I won't be able to justify it 🫣
I find value in ALL your reviews, and appreciate your honesty and thoroughness. So I would love for you to continue to do notebook reviews. Thank you for sharing with us!
Hi @menm_91 Thank you so much for the feedback! I was so shocked that the shading and brightness of the inks was so enhanced on this paper. I never thought 68 gsm Tomoe River paper could be beat ... I will see if I can compare to a few more brands of 68 TRP too going forward. :)
Anytime to play with a new notebook and review it is worth it to me... I kind of wish there were more people out there that reviewed notebooks instead of inks or pens cause yes the pens and inks are pretty to look at but if you dont have the paper that is going to show off those properties its not worth it currently I'm working with an Archer and Olive notebook and it doesnt show off the properties that I like to see And it ha like super thick rediculously thick and I'm having to do weird things when I get to the bottom of the page cause my arm is hanging off and whatnot so its important to have a book thats not so thick your arm hangs off its not so expensive it breaks the bank and its available enough that everyone who wants one can get one to try out :) Thanks so much for all you do
I love this! I hate the bottom of the page too - I use another notebook to rest my arm on if I have room.
Yes!! All of this! Beautifully said 💙
@@wildwolf3343 same I have to use a separate archer and olive notebook to rest my arm on so I can write never had that problem with tomoe river hobonichi or glp creations the author
Hi Marilyn -- oh that's such a good point about the bottom of the page! It's like falling off a cliff or something! :)
A fantastic video Chris. It's always good to get feedback on notebooks. There are lots of references to notebooks and paper but this is the first detailed review of a notebook that I've seen. Thank you.
Hi @raybuck thank you -- I'm making it a point to save pages specifically for review purposes on the new notebooks I have! :)
I love notebook reviews! I've been addicted to notebooks long before I got pulled into fountain pens. I haven't tried Graphilo yet but now I will at some point. Thanks for the info!
Hi Terri you are very welcome! I am so happy I now know about this wonderful paper! It's not to be missed if we can find it in stock and if it's in budget!
Totally worthwhile for you to share your thoughts on papers/notebooks. Esp when it turns out to be such a big win! I hadn’t really heard about this brand so good to have it on my radar now.
Hi@MamaTomasu - I had never heard of it either and I'm very glad to know of it!!! :) It really is a big winner!
I enjoyed this!! I’m going to check out that notebook!! Thank you, you are so fun! Sometimes we just have to enjoy life!!
Hi @elainenabors9832 You are very welcome. Yes, I agree ... ! We just need to enjoy life ... that sense of waiting or holding off seems less and less sensible as I get older.
I have some lined 96 page Graphilo notebooks and I use them exclusively for journalling when I'm on holiday. 😊
Hi @breakyegg that's a really great idea as they are nice and slim too to carry on vacation!!!!
Yes Chris it seems to me the inks are indeed more vibrant on the graphilo paper - gorgeous! I really enjoyed this I’ll need to try the paper sometime myself.
Hi@wildwolf3343 I'm glad to see it wasn't just me ... lol ... sometimes with my reading glasses and everything it's hard to be sure.
@@ChrisSaenz13 - I know how you feel, believe me 😂 - I'm badly in need of another visit to the optician myself.
Love the notebook reviews! And I love that it’s encouraging you to use the good stuff. I am also trying to use the good stuff this year.
Hi @ramonafirehorse - yeah! It actually feels better putting the good things into use than having them sit waiting - I'm happy as long as I have ready a new bullet journal and extra long form notebook for regular journaling!
This was wonderful Chris!! I'm still such a paper novice it's not even funny. I finally finished my Exceed A5, and have since started to write in an Endless A5 Lined. One thing I noticed about it was the amount of dried glue at the spine/gutter that has a weird effect when you go to write on it. Other than that, it's okay, but at least I have your videos to give me ideas on what's available.
Hi @zeus52452 those Exceed notebooks are amazing for the price! Our Walmart recently restocked after not having any for quite awhile and I picked up a lined one. The paper reminds me a lot of what they use in the Leuchtturm 120 gsm notebooks so I want to re-compare those 2 papers. Paper also confounds me ... I "landed" on Tomoe River 68 gsm paper as my favorite because it performs best with the most pen/ink options for me ... where other papers I run into more not great combinations. :)
I've noticed that Barnes & Noble is carrying more fountain pen friendly journals. That's a very dangerous aisle for my wallet. 😃 Like you, I have so many journals that I always think I should save for something special. I am finally getting passed that and have started using my very nice journals. I bought them to enjoy using them, not just looking at them sitting on a shelf. :)
When I buy a brand of journal I have not used before, I always use the last 2 - 3 pages for pen and ink writing samples. That really helps me know which pan/ink combinations work the best for the particular paper.
As always, thanks for a useful and informative video.
Hi @barbarah-p8661 -- Here lately I have finally started pre-testing my pens in the back regularly in a "pen test" too ... I used to just leave one page but it's not enough ... and I didn't always check each pen first but it avoids a real mess and failures if I do!!!!
I guess I'm not the only one who "saves" good journals. This year I am definitely working on the goal of using the good journals! With my bullet journal and long form journal as long as I have the next one for when I run out of pages ... I'm good. :)
Great review, Chris!!! I got this paper because of your review and I absolutely love it. Everything you said was true and correct. You really covered all the bases. I, too, wish it came in a regular A5 because i am more accustomed to that size and I have a large handwriting. But this paper is superb. I may be addicted to it, and my wallet is not going to like that. Also, I have the InkPressions swatch book and it holds a tremendous amount of ink with no bleed through and seems to show shimmer and shading really well, so I am looking forward to your next video on their journal. Thanks again for another terrific video. You rock!!! 😘
This paper has been on my radar, but yes, it’s so expensive. Maybe someday I’ll splurge. Right now, I downsized to a B6 sterling ink notebook, one of the thick ones with 520 pages. I miss the old Tomoe paper, but I guess we all have to move on. I have some plain sheets stashed that I use for ink samples, and a couple older notebooks from Hobonichi but I guess I’m hoarding them. Hahaha.
Hi @dtmama I don't blame you for hoarding the old TR sheets -- it's not the same now! I'm glad to be learning about different papers because having a big paper change of a type of paper I use ALL the time is tough to deal with at first!!!!
Hello Chris! I am definitely going to try this paper, I love trying new notebooks. This paper looks so appealling! It looks nice and smooth, and thick enough but not so thick that you feel like you're turning a piece of cardboard when you're turning the page, haha. I wonder, have you tried the iroful notebooks? I just got an A5 one recently. I am VERY impressed with those, too! I just checked Amazon and they're currently about 10$ USD for an A5 notebook.
Hi @DaisyDoodles -- I have not tried the Iroful notebooks, however, I'm currently trying out their A5 writing paper and I really love it!