Posts filed under Ayush Paper

Currently Inked on Ayush Paper and Sakae TP Iro-ful

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I have been meaning to try Ayush Paper after getting a pad for review from Vanness Pens and then last week I just got a sample of Sakae’s new paper and I thought, it’s a sign! Let’s try them both out! I’m not going to go into the Ayush Paper too much since Susan already wrote an excellent review of it last year. But, just so I wasn’t biased, I deliberately did not read it until I finished using it.

The Ayush Paper I used for this review is from an A5-sized, lined, 100gsm paper that is spiral bound in a landscape orientation. The paper held up well to 32 different pens/inks, ranging from near needlepoint to broad nibs, stubs and even flex. There was no feathering, ghosting or bleedthrough on the other side which means you can definitely use both sides. The paper has a slight toothy texture to it, without any of the nibs catching on the paper. Shimmer from J Herbin Cornaline d’Egypte presented no problems, and both saturated and shading inks looked great on Ayush Paper. I was a little surprised to see some of the subtleties in inks like Robert Oster Bronze, which I had always assumed was “just” an olive green ink, but it actually shows a touch of brown on this paper. Sheen was also not a problem and showed up nicely.

I repeated the same exercise on Sakae TP (Technical Paper, not toilet paper, for those of you who are 12 and had that same initial thought as I did, lol) Iro-ful. Sakae’s Iro-ful webpage doesn’t have a lot of information on it, but says that it will perform well with color, vibrancy and showing off sharp lines. In addition it also has a “softer, gentler texture”, but softer and gentler than what, I have no idea. Iro-ful is 75gsm paper and is available in A4 and A5 loose sheets with a notebook currently in the works.

While writing on the Iro-ful, I couldn’t help but think that the sensation felt familiar. It definitely did not feel like Tomoe River, but rather, it felt slightly squishy, and it instantly reminded me of the Pen Addict Review (P.A.R.) that Brad did recently about Cosmo Air Light from Yamamoto Paper. In it, he said:

“Describing Cosmo Air Light is challenging, because it feels like each single page is made from layers: firm on both sides, squishy in the middle.”

And that is the same sensation I felt when writing on the Iro-ful. It is definitely fountain-pen friendly, produced nice lines and handled sheening, saturated, shading and shimmer inks like a champ with no ghosting or bleedthrough. I hadn’t intended to compare this to Cosmo Air Light 75 gsm but its similarity in feel to Iro-ful compelled me to find how similarly they handled fountain pens.

Sakae TP Iro-ful — *A playful design for the Iro-ful paper.*

*Cosmo Air Light 75 gsm behaving just as well as the Iroful.*

Both feel very similar to the touch in terms of weight and texture/smoothness. I was easily able to use a guidesheet under both papers. The color of the paper is also very similar - slightly off-white. My writing felt and looked the same on both papers. If I didn’t know better, I would have guessed they are the same paper, though CAL is ever so slightly smoother than Iro-ful, but both feel slightly rougher than Tomoe River but less so than the Ayush.

Just for funsies and because I really needed to write some of these pens dry, I also wrote on Rhodia 80gsm Dotpad as well as 68 gsm Tomoe River paper. Here are some comparison photos.

Paper Whiteness — *Rhodia is the whitest paper of the bunch, followed very closely by white TR 68, then Ayush and both the Cosmo Air Light 75 and Iroful being the most off-white without being cream.*

Writing samples — *I just love all this color!*

If you really like Tomoe River, whether 52 or 68 gsm, you may not enjoy the Ayush paper as much because it is (1) a fair bit thicker and (2) has some slight tooth to it. I think it works best for medium and broader nibs as well as those that are more “buttery” because of the toothiness, which can help your nibs feel like they aren’t sliding all over the place. And for different reasons, if you are a TR fan, you may also not enjoy the Sakae TP’s Iro-ful (or Yamamoto’s Cosmo Air Light) because it isn’t as smooth as TR and has a bit of a squishy feel to it. Both Ayush and Iro-ful are great additions if you are more paper-agnostic like me and are happy to discover more options for good, fountain-pen friendly paper that show off ink properties well.

Ayush Paper is available in different sizes, formats and in dot, lined and blank formats, with most prices in the ranging from $7 to $17 USD range. Sakae TP Iro-ful will be available soon (if it isn’t already) on the Vanness website in 100 - A5 looseleaf sheets or 50 - A4 sheets for $14 and $15 respectively

(Thank you to Vanness Pens who provided both the Ayush Paper and Sakae TP Iro-ful at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes. The other papers were purchased by me years ago.)

Posted on June 24, 2022 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Ayush Paper, Sakae, Paper Reviews.

Ayush Paper in A5 and A4 Sizes: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

The past few years have been interesting for fountain pen users who demand a great deal from their paper. The variety and availability of fountain-pen-friendly paper seems to have exploded exponentially. Yet, at the same time, many were dismayed by the fact that Tomoe River Paper (a favorite) was changed. And recently there have been rumors that some or all Tomoe River Paper will be discontinued (see the discussion here, for example).

Consequently, it's reassuring to come across new brands that offer fountain-pen-friendly paper with unique characteristics. One such brand is Ayush Paper from India. Founded in 2012, but only recently made available outside India, Ayush Paper sells various kinds of paper and art products. Today, I'm reviewing two fountain-pen-friendly notebooks in A5 and A4 sizes.

Both notebooks are wire bound at the top which allows you to fold the pages over completely. The pages are perforated at the top so you can tear them out neatly. The A5 notebook has rounded corners but the A4 corners are left square.

The notebooks' card stock covers provide support if you don't have a writing surface. The front cover is adorned with a simple square or scrolled lines and the Ayush Paper logo. The white brush strokes (?) on the letters look like pieces of stray paper to me, and I swipe my hand across the covers trying to remove them every single time. Maybe that's just OCD me, but I find them distracting. Nevertheless, their motto, "Your fountain pen will love this paper" is absolutely true--spoiler alert!

On the back cover, the company offers reasons why you will love the notebook. I'll discuss whether or not I agree with all of the claims in my review.

The notebooks each contain 50 pages (100 front and back) of 100 gsm natural-colored paper. I could not find any information on the website discussing the paper's composition, so it's unclear whether it's made from wood pulp, cotton, hemp, or some other material. Regardless, the paper feels substantive between the fingers. In addition, it has the perfect amount of texture which gives you gentle feedback when you write. Writing on this paper is pure pleasure.

I started with the A5 notebook which has grey lines 9mm apart. I normally prefer narrower lines, but I found myself enjoying the 9mm spacing, especially with broader nibs.

The first pen I used is my brand new Santini Italia Libra with a flexy stub nib (review coming soon) inked with Robert Oster Tranquility. I started writing, and the nib and ink created an alchemy with the paper that is hard to explain. Writing is smooth, but the texture helps you sense where the nib is. I felt completely in control of each stroke. The ink displayed both shading and sheen. Although there's a little bit of show through (compared to Tomoe, it's virtually invisible), there was no feathering or bleed through. I was thoroughly impressed.

I also tested the paper with a variety of fountain pens and inks. It handled every single one beautifully. The ink colors are vibrant. Both wide nibs and fine nibs write smoothly. That texture works well with all the nibs I tested. Once again, I experienced no feathering and no bleed through. Show through was minimal.

Next I conducted a swab test with eight different inks, using mostly vibrant colors. Shading, sheen, and shimmer were all visible in the swabs, and none of the inks bled through.

I wrote a page using my Aurora 88 Anniversario Flex with Waterman Serenity Blue ink. Once again, the combination of the nib, ink, and paper texture made the experience pleasurable. There's just something about this paper that gives me more control over the nib. The show through was so minimal that I decided not to include a photo.

Next I worked with the A4 notebook, which has blank pages. I began with a calligraphy dip pen because calligraphy nibs tend to have sharp, delicate points. I wanted to see if the paper would catch on the nib. Nope. Not at all. In fact, I think I've discovered my favorite calligraphy paper. Once again, nib, ink, and paper worked flawlessly together. Granted, I'm a pretty terrible calligrapher, but this paper handled the wet ink and delicate nib perfectly. As before, there was no feathering or bleed through and just a shadow of show through even with ultra-saturated, wet Montblanc Corn Poppy ink.

I experimented with two inks using my ultra wide ruling pen. First, I used Troublemaker Milky Ocean. The paper took the wet, wide nib with grace, resulting in beautiful shading and pooling. Because the ink was wet, the paper buckled slightly, but there was no bleed through. Show through was a bit more obvious.

Last, I used my ruling pen and Lamy Dark Lilac. This ink is like liquid velvet. It came out vibrant and beautiful, with tons of sheen. However, the ink feathered and bled through the paper. Even so, none of the bleed through affected the paper beneath.

So, do I love Ayush Notebooks? You bet I do. I am completely thrilled with the paper. I agree with the reasons Ayush lists on the back of the notebooks. The natural shade of the paper is easy on the eyes but allows the vibrance and colors of the inks to display accurately. I did not experience any feathering or bleeding (except with Lamy Dark Lilac). The paper worked well with my Santini flexy stub and with my calligraphy dip pen (also a flex nib). Although some of the wetter inks in wide nibs took time to dry, overall the drying time was negligible--there's not one smear in any of my tests. Show through was indeed minimal and I could easily use both sides of the paper (with the exception of the page with Lamy Dark Lilac).

The A4 notebook costs ₹300.00 (=$4.13) and the A5 costs ₹180.00 (=$2.48). That's a steal, for sure! Be aware, however, that shipping is expensive. I put one A4 and one A5 notebook in my cart, and shipping to Texas via FedEx was ₹1870.00 (=$25.72). Still, when you consider that one Tomoe River Paper notebook can cost you between $20 and $25 without shipping, you're still getting a great deal.

I hope Ayush Paper keeps selling notebooks forever, because I am a huge fan. I did not expect to be won over by these notebooks at all. In fact, I was much more excited about the Cosmo Air Light notebook that Brad sent me (review coming soon). But I will definitely buy Ayush Notebooks in the future, especially for calligraphy.

(Ayush Paper sent these notebooks free of charge to Pen Addict for review.)

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!