(Link to Pen Boutique product, because Wix wouldn't let me add it at the bottom! https://www.penboutique.com/products/yamamoto-paper-kamiterior-b7-size?variant=31798989815926))
Want to try multiple types of paper, but don't want to purchase lots of notebooks? What you need is a notepad that gives you a selection in one pocket-sized package.
In this notepad, you get five different papers to try - OK Fools Foolscap, Bank Paper, Tomoe River, Spicabond, and Eastly CoC. These are split into five different sections by way of a black sheet of thin cardstock.
The pad is a lovely size, 9cm by 13cm, and it fits perfectly in my hand. There's just something about the size of it that makes me happy - maybe I just like small stationery items? Think back to the adorable Anderillium Inks bottles...
Anyway, that's enough about the size! The notepad comes with a handy slip of paper telling you all about the notepad, which is in Japanese. I, unfortunately, cannot read or speak Japanese, so it's lucky for me that Bixby Vision (a useful smartphone app) could translate it for me! Laura, the Sender of Eye-Scorching Ink, also got in touch with translations.
See, she's really a lovely person, she just has a neon green streak a mile wide.
As a result, I was able to provide the names of the papers. I'll be reviewing them in the order that I listed them in, so we'll start with OK Fools Foolscap!
It's a pleasantly thick and smooth paper, and as such it takes ink very well. Smooth papers are my favourite because they work with so many different inks, showing off good colour characteristics and sheen. More textured papers tend to be a bit more troublesome.
Every fountain pen ink behaved well without feathering or bleeding, except for one. The dark blue ink feathered very slightly, and also bled through in places.
If you hold a sheet up to the light, you can see a watermark.
All the others were just fine! All the fineliners remained crisp, as did felt tip and highlighter. Despite its smoothness, pencil pigment sticks nicely to the paper and shows up well.
Next, Bank Paper. This is a bit more textured than the last paper, but is still quite smooth. It also performed similarly to the Foolscap, but one ink inexplicably refused to dry, even after several minutes! The others dried just fine, but as you can see from the smudges, this one didn't. I don't keep track of my inked pens very well, so I'm not sure what ink it is. I don't think it's the paper's fault that it refused to dry.
Pencil is vivid, the felt tip is crisp as is the highlighter, and fineliners are good too. The light blue fineliner feathered a little but didn't bleed at all. In fact, none of them did! Also, sheen shows up brightly.
After that, it's Tomoe River (the original one). It has the same great performance that I've come to expect from Tomoe River, and there was no feathering or bleeding of any of the inks. (just a clumsy smudge from my finger). It takes pencil well, and sheen is very bright. Because the paper is so thin there is showthrough, but if you use a dry pen you should be able to use both sides of the page.
The next paper, Spicabond, feels extremely similar to bank paper exceot Spicabond is just a tiny bit rougher. This may be the reason why all the fountain pen inks feathered at least a bit, and all but one bled. Not catastrophcally, but you will probably want to avoid using wetter inks. Sheen is visible, but not as strongly as the others.
It's good for pencil though, with both samples clearly visible.
The fineliners did not feather, and oddly enough, neither did felt tip and highligter. I'm at a loss to explain why they didn't feather when fountain pen ink did!
This too is watermarked. Hold a sheet up to a bright window and you'll see that it is clearly marked 'Spicabond'.
Lastly, the Eastly CoC paper, which also feels very similar to Bank Paper. The Eastly CoC is a tad thicker and a creamier colour, but apart from this I can't tell the difference.
However, they're worlds apart when it comes to performance. Every ink except the red fountain pen ink, highlighter and bronze fineliner, feathered. Not badly, as all my writing is still legible, but I can spot fuzzy edges on most of my writing. It bled a bit in places, but still shows sheen.
Pencil shines on Eastly CoC. I like the way it looks, though hard to spot in a picture, it has a lovely textured appearance. I think that Eastly CoC is best for use by sketchers who use pencils to create artwork.
I have really enjoyed sampling different types of paper and the Kamiterior pad is so adorable and handy. It's a must-have for any paper afficianado and I hope that more companies begin to produce notepads in this great size!
Disclaimer: Pen Boutique provided this product for review purposes. All opinions expressed in this article are my own.