Maruman Loose Leaf Mini Paper Review

JetPens describes the Maruman Loose Leaf Mini Paper as “index cards for your binder” and that is completely accurate. Don’t go into your purchase thinking they are the thickness of an index card though - they are essentially a standard sheet of paper.

What sets the Mini Paper apart thought is the quality. Maruman is one of my favorite papers to write on due to the ultra smooth feel. This makes it great for the fine tipped gel ink pens that I love so much, and perfect as a quick note taking option in your binder.

While the Maruman Mnemosyne Inspiration fits my workflow better, the Mini Paper should come in handy for anyone who takes large amounts of notes, especially in a binder format. Has anyone put these to good use yet?

Maruman Eco Spiral Notebook Review

I am a big fan of all things Maruman. In fact, when I am not using my favorite Doane Paper product at my desk, I usually have the Maruman Inspiration or Imagination in use. Great care has gone into the design of these products and the paper quality is second to none. The Maruman Eco Spiral Notebook is a much different product than either the Inspiration or Imagination. Can it live up to its big brothers in the Maruman product line?

The selling point of the Eco Spiral is right there in the name. It is designed as an eco-friendly notebook alternative. Maruman doesn’t just phone it in with recycled paper either. The paper is FSC certified, which means it comes from responsibly harvested and managed forests. Maruman also uses eco-friendly ink to print the lines on the page and even the coating on the spiral binding is biodegradable.

What concerns me when I see eco-friendly products is the possibility of the quality suffering. That is not the case at all with the Eco Spiral. The paper is very smooth and handled every ink I threw at it with ease. There was no bleed or feathering with the exception of the TUL Permanent Marker, which is to be expected. An impressive performance for a very thin page.

Each Eco Spiral contains just 30 sheets, so that is somewhat of a downside. Students will enjoy the size and portability, and they make great project notebooks, but for any large scale or long term needs you might want a bigger notebook. But, if you are looking for a high quality eco-friendly notebook, I haven’t used any better.