Posts filed under Clairefontaine

Clairefontaine Triomphe A5 Blank Notebook Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Clairefontaine is a paper brand from France that you'll be hard-pressed to miss if you spend any time at all in the stationery community. Their paper products are top-notch and fairly priced, making them great entry points for trying out exceptional paper that handle all sorts of writing instruments with relative ease.

The Triomphe A5 notebook features the great 90gsm paper on the inside with a stark, classy white and gold-leaf cover. The notebook has 50 sheets of paper inside with zero additional front or end matter. The front inside cover is blank outside of a small logo that is just a shade or two different than the color of the cover, making it blend in. The back inside cover has some information about the brand and notebook specifications, but that's all. No organization blocks or admin folders in this notebook — just glorious, beautiful bright white paper.

The front cover of the notebook is really quite pretty. The Triomphe name is bold, debossed and inlayed with gold-leaf foil, along with a rectangle that outlines the outer edges of the cover. It definitely grabs your attention because it's bold and not something you see on notebooks often. There's also a smaller Clairefontaine logo on the front, but the color is faded so that it takes a distant back-seat to the gold-leaf design. The back cover has a single Clairefontaine logo, debossed and inlayed with gold-leaf foil, along with a standard name and barcode block, which is printed on the notebook directly. This isn't a sticker that you can peel off after you unwrap the notebook.

The notebook is thread-bound and feels great to open and close. I have no doubts that this binding will still be in good shape after spending the time with it to fill all 50 pages. The notebook doesn't like to lay open when it's new, but some gentle breaking-in solves that problem quickly. After using the first few pages, the notebook easily lays flat on its own.

The paper is Clairefontaine's standard fare — 90gsm acid-free bright white paper. The corners are rounded off on both the covers and the pages, making it less likely to get caught on things when taking it in or out of bags or pockets. The version of the notebook I have is a blank paper, which is somewhat rare for Clairefontaine. In most cases, Clairefontaine is only available in lined paper, with only a few blank or grid options in only some of their product lines. The blank paper is a nice change of pace, and I've taken to keeping a sheet of lined paper tucked into the notebook so I have a line guide when writing. Or, if I want to do something more free-form, I can put the guide away and just use the blank page as I see fit.

The paper in this notebook (and any Clairefontaine paper product) is so nice to use. It may not be the best or the favorite paper of everyone, but it's a good, solid option that handles many kinds of writing instruments without any hiccups. For fountain pens, rollerballs, gel pens, ballpoints, and pencils, it's a fantastic experience. The paper is silky smooth with just a small amount of feedback to make handling your writing instrument easier. The paper is also really consistent, meaning there aren't random spots where ink behaves differently. It's just a really good paper, and you should absolutely try some if you haven't had the pleasure.

Being 90gsm, it's a tiny bit thicker than comparable brands, but it doesn't feel any thicker in use. Inks don't show through easily, so using both sides of the sheet is easy unless you're using excessively wet or wide nibs that lay down ink like a wet mop.

Using Clairefontaine paper, and this particular notebook, is a great sensory experience, and it really makes your writing instruments shine. It offers an ideal environment for using the pens and pencils that are so special to us. And, at $12 for a notebook (or cheaper if they're on sale), it doesn't break the bank either.

My only complaint about this notebook applies to Clairefontaine in general: give us more options for the ruling! If Clairefontaine had blank, lined, graph, dot options for all of their most popular notebook lines, they'd be so much more popular. Since they mostly standardize on wide lined ruling, that instantly turns some people away, and that's a shame. I'm hoping some day they'll see the light and add more options to their lineup! Until then, I'll make due with what they already have since lined isn't that bad and blank is also fun to use from time to time.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on October 16, 2024 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Clairefontaine, Notebook Reviews.

Clairefontaine Kenzo Collection Notebook Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Clairefontaine is well-known for having great paper, and I've been a fan for many years. It's not for everyone since they favor lined paper (options are very limited for non-lined paper), but if you don't mind lined paper, then Clairefontaine has you covered. The most recent notebook I've been using from them is the Clairefontaine Kenzo Collection notebook.

This is pretty standard fare in terms of notebooks go. It's a 64 page / 32 sheet thread-bound notebook that has smooth, ivory lined paper inside. And that's it! It's a simple, but great, product. There aren't front matter pages or label areas, and no page numbers or bookmark ribbons. Just a softcover notebook.

What makes this collection different from other Clairefontaine notebooks is the cover, which was designed by Mr. Kenzo Takada. There are three variants of the cover, all of which feature a beautiful abstract design set on a blue color theme. The variant you get is random, which is part of the fun. I'd be happy with any of the three designs, but I'm especially partial to the one I received. The different shades of blue wispy tendrils makes me think of flowers or quiet sea creatures. The only marketing you'll find on the outside of the cover is a gold "K3" symbol. Inside, the only marketing you'll find is on the back cover where the Clairefontaine name is printed along with the specifications of the notebook. Everything in between the two covers is lovely paper ready for you to write.

For the uninitiated, Clairefontaine paper is 90gsm and really smooth to the touch. There's a slight amount of texture and feedback on the nib when writing, but not much. Even though the paper is 90gsm, it feels and acts thicker. I've always loved this paper for how well it does at preventing show-through on the back side of the page. You can easily use both sides of the page even when using fairly wet or broad nibs. And, of course, the paper works beautifully with ballpoints, gel pens, pencils, and even some markers. It's just a really good common paper that is fairly accessible. The only downside is always the fact that it's difficult to get it in anything but lined. Clairefontaine is very opinionated when it comes to how paper should be ruled!

I'm always happy to pick up an extra Clairefontaine notebook because I know that I'll enjoy using the paper inside. The cool cover designs just makes it that much easier to push the purchase button. At $9.00 per notebook, it's a bit on the expensive side for 64 pages, but comparable to other brands that have similar paper quality. And, the three different designs are similar enough that I imagine the majority of folks would be happy with any one (or might want all three!), though I understand if this lack of specificity is a deal-breaker for some. There are plenty of other great Clairefontaine notebook choices in that case!

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Clairefontaine, Notebook Reviews.

Clairefontaine Exacompta Index Cards Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)

I have lately found myself in the position of having to find a new favorite notecard, for REASONS, but I'm happy to say that I think I have done so. I picked up this pack of Clairefontaine Exacompta Notecards with blue grid when I attended Anderson Pens' grand reopening a few months ago, and they've been a permanent part of my day ever since.

Being Clairefontaine, it goes without saying that they are very fountain pen friendly. I have had no bleeding or feathering with any types of ink or nibs, and they do just as well with a variety of pens and pencils. The one paper issue I did notice is that the surface definitely absorbs hand oils, making it more difficult to write across areas that have been handled. That's trickier with a card than with a notebook, as these loose sheets have to be held--there's no cover to grip, and using a hand guide isn't practical on such a small rectangle. The whole purpose of cards is handheld notes. Still, while there was a small effect on the ink's interaction with the paper, it wasn't a deal-breaker.

The cardstock is pure white, so all writing appears very crisp, and the blue grid is faint enough that it doesn't get in the way, but bold enough to provide structure. Blank and lined cards are also available, as are pre-hole-punched versions for use on rings or rolodexes. You can also get different ink colors or multi-colored cards. The cards are obviously printed before they're cut, as the grid pattern is not identical across cards. Some have a full square at the edge, some a partial. I'm trying not to let it bother me. Trying.

Despite this small nitpick, the cards are endlessly useful. I've used them for plotting stories, for making notes for a speech and presentation, For to-do lists or shopping lists, as bookmarks, or for leaving love notes. They're ideal for when you need something that's just a step above scratch paper, but can be tossed when you're done with it.

The standard white grid cards are only $7 for a pack of 100, which is amazingly good value. At that price, I don't feel shy about burning through a pack in a few months. These will continue to feature in my daily use, hopefully for a very long time.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!