Midori MD Note Horizontal Ruled line

Beautiful feel to the book and paper. Just what I was searching for to make writing a bit more enjoyable.

I'm on my second Midori MD Notebook (lined) and it's likely not going to be my last. I've gotten heavily into daily journaling, fountain pens and dip pens this year, and I've learned the hard way that not all papers are suitable for fountain pen inks. Midori's paper handles wet ink like a champ, with no feathering or bleed through. Some ghosting, but that's going to happen with darker inks, and I'll gladly accept that anomaly over ink bleeding through. After completing my previous MD Notebook, I became quite fond of the subtle gray line that divides each page. I use it frequently as a guide to more effectively lay out my thoughts on each page. The cream color is easy on the eyes, and doesn't alter the ink colors drastically. I often use a Rhodia dot grid pad for practice and nonsense writing, there isn't much difference in ink color between the bright white Rhodia paper and the Midori cream colored paper. One thing to note, is whatever coating Midori uses in their paper, while great at stopping bleed through, may make certain pen nibs and inks write and lay differently on the paper, for example, both inks I have from Pelikan seem far more light on this paper than my Rhodia. My deduction is that the coating resists the formula Pelikan uses more than other papers. Diamine inks perform beautifully on this paper, as such, I've been purchasing most of my ink choices from the Diamine brand. Hongdian brand ink also performs beautifully on this paper, nice and vibrant with no writing issues. For the price, which is generously low, you're getting a fine notebook for the serious writer. Marty McFly was right ...all the best stuff is made in Japan!

The paper quality is amazing—no bleeding even with ink pens. It’s become my go-to journal for everyday writing. Simple, durable, and worth it.

Excellent paper quality. No bleed through.

The size is perfect to carry around and for notes! The paper quality is amazing. However, it does have minor bleed through. Nothing too noticable.

I love the texture of the paper. Perfect product for me…

Apica MD notebook lined A5. Size: I have been writing in a journal for a long time. My last - almost filled journal was about the size of a Moleskine Classic about 7.6” x 10” and that sucker was too big. I would be intimidated by the size of the pages: all those empty lines, you know? Sometimes I would just say the hell with it and do something else. I wanted something smaller and after looking around I decided on A5. The Apica fit the bill, and it as a great feature for me. Each page is divided horizontally in the middle by a slightly heavier line. Half an A5 page is not intimidating at all. It is inviting. Binding: I’m cheap so most of my older journals didn’t have the greatest binding. The binding on the Apica is perfect for me. Very, very plain, with just card stock for the covers. The only thing on the cover is embossing about the size of a small postage stamp that says MD Paper Made in Japan. It is not colored and I didn’t see it until the light caught it just right. Inside the cover is a lighter card stock with two blank lines to write whatever you want. The notebook is constructed with a good many signatures. Something that looks like cheese cloth is glued to the covers by about half an inch on one and wraps around the spine. Then it is about the same on the back. It seems very solid. This sucker will stay open on the first page! I think it is a minimalist, clean design. Besides, I had rather they put money into the construction of the notebook rather than PU Leather (smell that?) and fancy lettering on the cover. Besides, I’m going to put it into a cover, like this one. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BBNNYF8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 There is no pocket in the back. The pockets and cover will be taken care of the notebook cover just mentioned. Paper: The paper is not smooth like a Rhodia notebook or Tomoe River paper. It has some small amount of resistance. On the plus side it does not bleed through at all, and only has a slight show through with some inks. AND if you have touched it somewhere, your pen will still write on the page. The paper has a slight cream colored tint, and the lines are 7mm and faint. As I mentioned, the center line is bolder, but not bold as such. It really isn’t bold, just slightly darker in color. I love this feature. Writing: I tested a number of fountain pens, some with very wet inks and there is absolutely no bleed through with the inks and pens I tested. I also tested five or six different gel pens, and they all wrote very well with no skipping. Even the skip prone G2 I tried wrote like a champ. One thing thogh. The lines I wrote with a fountain pen are thinner than on any other paper I use. Your medium point becomes finer. The ink is a bit slow to dry, but I can live with that. Over all, I think it is a great notebook for the price. The money went into the binding and paper. I plan to keep buying these.

This is good paper for fountain pens. Takes the ink well without spreading or feathering, with all the pens and inks I’ve tried. 7mm ruling is perfect for me, better than the 6mm on some notebooks. Comes with card stock covers and very basic binding, but it’s durable and pages lay flat. Excellent for use in an A5 size journal cover. I like this better than Rhodia, Tomoe River, or leVent paper.