Seven Seas
Tomoe River Paper Pad
-Handwritten Review-
Specs:
- 6.5″ x 9.8″ (B5)
- Blank Ruling
- 52gsm, ultra light, cream colored paper
- 100 sheets
- Red, heavy cardstock cover, bound with glue.
- Easily removable pages
- $12.99 USD from Nanami Paper (no affiliation, but fast shipping and nicely packaged!)
Review Supplies:
- Pilot Vanishing Point, Gun Metal/Matte Black, Fine Nib
- De Atramentis Silver Grey
- Various other ink / nib tests
Notes: Well…this paper is really, really great. Like, may be my new favorite paper great. This review is going to be more focused on the paper inside rather than how it’s put together. The pad is simply 100 sheets of this great paper, glued to some cardboard with some unmarked red cardstock protecting it. Ultimately, it gets the job done and protects the delicate paper inside. I hope you enjoy the review as much as I’m enjoying this paper, it’s just that great. It’s been a while since I’ve tried any new paper that was this good, and now I need more. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!
Appearance and Construction:
Like I mentioned above, this review is not really about the appearance and construction, because they could both use some work. It’s a notepad in it’s most basic form, and I have absolutely no problem with that because of what’s inside. I’m fairly confident that the binding will hold up for the life of the paper, but it’s a bit fragile and I would be careful about willy-nilly throwing it into a bag. I like the blank red cover, and it has a nice texture to it too. Other than what I’ve mentioned, it’s a simple looking pad that’s very unassuming until you try out what’s inside.
Performance and Feel:
Here is what sets this pad apart…the paper. The Seven Seas notepad is filled with Tomoe River paper that is absolutely great. Tomoe River nailed it in terms of smoothness and fountain pen friendliness. This 52gsm (very light, Rhodia is 80gsm, Clairefontaine, 90gsm) paper is really a fountain pen’s best friend. The paper is so thin and light, yet nothing feathers or bleeds through. Yes, there is quite a bit of show through, but it doesn’t even matter to me. The smoothness of the paper is remarkable too. It has the perfect amount of texture that allows you to feel the nuances of the nib when you are writing. This paper is a MUST try. It reminds me of a lighter weight cross between Leuchtturm, Maruman, and Rhodia. The only thing about using the paper that is worth mentioning is that it is fragile. I would recommend placing a thicker sheet of paper under the one you’re writing on, as to not damage the paper underneath. For this review, I cut a piece of Rhodia graph paper to fit the notepad, and used the lines as a writing guide.
Color & Ruling:
The Tomoe River paper is a nice light cream color with no ruling. The color of the paper nicely compliments all of the inks I’ve tried, but it may not be the case for others. Since the paper is so thin, it’s very transparent. This makes it very easy to print out a guide sheet, use some graph paper, or even regular lined paper. Since the transparency of the paper allows for the use of guidelines, you can print one out that’s custom to your liking. Boom. Instant customizable ruling. This paper keeps getting better. It’s not common that you come by a paper that has transparent qualities that plays nice with a fountain pen.
Overall Thoughts and Recommendation:
I really appreciate that you’ve made it to the end of the review without leaving to go buy some of this paper. It’s really that good, and I can’t stress that enough. It’s an absolute joy to write on. This is a paper that I’m going to always have to have on hand, and it will have a permanent spot on my desk. Since this paper isn’t just tied down to one brand, I hope it makes its way out there into other formats and notebooks. I can’t wait to see what notebook companies do with it and I’m excited to hopefully see different rulings, other formats, and notebooks this great paper shows up in.
Thanks for reading!
Related Reading:
- Brad Dowdy (The Pen Addict) reviews Tomoe River Paper
- Azizah Asgarali (FP Geek / Gourmet Pens / Feline Enthusiast) reviews Tomoe River Paper
edjelley.com - Fountain Pen, Ink, and Stationery Reviews 
Oh man. I’m so glad you tried and liked this stuff!! I almost had a hard time describing it properly. I mean, it’s just something people have to experience, isn’t it? But not too much because I want it all… lovely review though. *sighs* I wish it was morning so I could pull out my pile and write letters on it all day. That’s the effect it has on me! What a wonderful feeling!
Thank you for the mention, by the way 🙂 (I’m also a cat herder. A terrible one though, because cats just do not… herd.)
It’s definitely different. But different in a good way, not the “oh, well…it’s difffffferent” kind of way.
I’ll keep the cat herder title in mind for the next mention!
Thank you so much for your review of this paper. I had heard others’ opinions of it and it sounded so egalitarian, and fragile, and specialized that an average guy like me couldn’t really use it, so I was afraid to try it. After reading and seeing your review, i ordered a pad, and quite simply, It is glorious! I will never be without it again!
Not a problem, really glad someone else was able to appreciate it! I’m in the same boat, I think I’m always going to have to keep some of this one on hand.
Now that looks like something I should try…but I’ll wait until I’m back in the UK, got enough paper to finish over here atm 🙂
Definitely do! It’s really, really nice to write on.
I am a recent subscriber to your blog posts, and I greatly appreciate your careful, thorough reviews. I came across this review via your year in review email/post.
I was wondering, since the time of this original review, if you were aware of any notebooks or journals produced that use this paper. I would like to try this product, but would prefer to do so in a journal format.
Thanks for subscribing!
Unfortunately I’m not sure of anything like that. I know the Hobonichi Techno planner uses the paper. Check out http://www.nanamipaper.com for other Tomoe products.