Tried using a fountain pen in my bujo and it was a disaster

I got a Lamy Safari last month and thought it would make my journal look super elegant. I used it on my monthly spread and the ink bled right through the paper, ruining the next three pages. The notebook is a basic dotted one from the craft store, maybe 80 gsm. Learned the hard way that pen and paper pairing matters way more than I thought. Anyone have a go-to notebook that can handle wet ink without ghosting?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim.jake23d ago

Oh man, that's the worst feeling, isn't it? I've totally been there with a new pen wrecking a spread I worked on. That paper weight sounds about right for ghosting problems, honestly. Have you looked into notebooks labeled as "fountain pen friendly"? They usually have thicker, coated paper. My current one handles ink way better, but it took some trial and error to find it. It's a real bummer when you're excited about a new tool and the paper just doesn't cooperate.

the_wendy23d ago

My old Leuchtturm notebook had 80 gsm paper and still bled through with wet inks. Kim.jake is right about coated paper making a difference, but have you checked the actual ink you're using? Some inks are just way wetter than others and will ghost on anything but the best paper. It's a whole other thing to figure out besides the notebook itself.

taylorshah23d ago

Ugh, did the ink feather and spread out like a little blob monster too? I had that exact thing happen with a nice pen on cheap paper and it's so frustrating. You really do need the right paper or it just turns into a mess.