Every Dapper Notes has the same 70lb smooth paper inside, and while it always worked well for my penciling needs, I often get asked about how they perform with fountain pens and other inks. I'm not exactly a fountain pen user, and since heard great things from both Gary Varner and Keith M., I enlisted three Dapper Notes users to test, photograph, and review their paper experiences.

Following are three lovely reviews by Keith M., Demolished Man, and Michelle Crespo (who also took the cover photo for this blog post).

Keith's Review:

"I've just recently discovered Dapper Notes a hand made pocket notebook made in New Jersey. Enon Avital make these books, and I'm really enjoying them.

"The innards are a really nice thick white paper with light grey graph (friendly to everything I've thrown at it so far: fountain pens, markers, gel, and pencil), but it's the outside that's the star. Cloth exteriors backed with book cloth, and a inner leaf of contrasting paper (the two editions I have seen to be a Japanese? Rice paper. They're hand stitched. They're released in limited batches. I have a denim and a cork version, and also managed to snag the last of his craft series. I'm impressed. These are definitely pretty, and more labor intensive than machine made book, and the price reflects that extra work, but they've been quite worth it so far.

Ink and graphite test, closeup. Photo by Keith M.

Demolished Man's Review

"Simply the best paper I've come across. No bleed, no feather and almost no show through. And a little tooth to boot.

"This paper easily handles pencils and gel pens while also accommodating a firehose broad fountain pen. Other brands have their legends and gimmicks. You know who Im talking about. Dapper notes literally erases their relevance.

"Direction agnostic: words to live by, paper to die for.

Michelle's Review

"Browsing through Instagram last December, I came across something neoteric in the genre of pocket notebooks. Dapper Notes. Though I had a mountain of mostly unused pocket notebooks stashed away in my closet, I decided to visit the maker’s website for a quick browse. A cursory glance bespoke of quality goods, but not wanting to add to what I already had, I bookmarked the site, clicked-out and went on with my day. Why add to the stockpile? However, I found myself thinking about these handcrafted gems with its unique covers and--midway through January--I bought my first Dapper Notes Pocket Notebook.

"Oh! What an enjoyable addition Dapper Notes has been to my writing routine! With subsequent purchases and constant use, I’ve found the qualities that make Dapper Notes an exceptional brand are the very things lacking in other well-known pocket notebooks; character, quality and a warmth that handmade items always seem to be imbued with. Its excellence justifies its premium.

"The covers (durable yet fashionably handsome) inspires daily use and carry. The thread bound, 70lb paper is surprisingly smooth and much sturdier than what I’ve encountered in notebooks. And while the paper’s thickness seems to imply feathering, at most, I’ve only experienced a slight blume with very wet fountain pens--nothing noticeable. What's more, day-to-day use has shown that there is no ghosting and absolutely no bleed through, no matter the flow of the fountain pen or wetness of ink.

"Go ahead. Toss it in your backpack. Stuff it in your back or shirt pocket. Throw it in your briefcase or “everyday” purse. There’s absolutely no need to coddle it. The density of individual pages, the sturdy, pliable covers and the overall craftsmanship of Dapper Notes Pocket Notebooks insures that it will hold up over time. Still, for all its toughness, it’s the little details that pulls it all together for me: varied fabrics, the thread binding, a burst of hue behind the cover, the wisp of Onion Skin paper, the stamp and hand markings of its maker. What a delight.

"The novelty of Dapper Notes hooked me, but the make, artistry and practicality turned me into a repeat customer.