(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)
I often see Pen Addicts across the globe in search of sticky notes and memo pads with fountain pen-friendly paper. Well, hey, here's some good news: Kunisawa has recently released these memo pads, and they're the best I've used to date when it comes to liquid inks. They aren't perfect--if you've got a firehose of a broad nib with lubricated ink, you're still going to get feathering and show-through, maybe some pinpoint bleed-through, but for your typical usage, these work great.
Both pads are A7 size, or roughly 3 x 4 inches. Small enough to fit in a pocket, but large enough for a note of substance. The memo pad features 80 pages of perforated 2.5 mm grid paper. It's a lovely cream color with very fine grey printed grid lines that are not too obtrusive but also work well as writing guides.
The sticky notes are plain cream paper, also 80 pages. The adhesive is strong, so your notes will stay put, but it doesn't leave a gluey residue behind. There is some coating present, of course, so that the notes will stick to each other--so when I wrote with fountain pen along the top edge of a note, it beaded a bit, but it still wrote and the ink didn't smear at all. The sticky note pad also has snazzy copper foiled edges, so the world will know that your note is super important.
Both pads have a sturdy grey cardboard cover with the Kunisawa motto, "i do not seek, i find" debossed inside. The front cover has the Kunisawa brand and three-legged crow, "Yatagarasu" the god of guidance, stamped in copper foil. The whole effect is minimal but elegant and perfectly embodies the upscale business accessories vibe that Kunisawa embraces.
Despite that upscale look, the prices are reasonable. The sticky pad costs 900 yen (about $8) and the memo pad is 350 yen (about $3). It's a lot more than a pack of Post-it notes, sure, but the notes are much bigger and the paper is much, much better. They're certainly not priced for student use, or even frequent willy-nilly-notetaker use, but if you've got a snazzy business office in need of snazzy accessories, these should fit the bill. Or if you just really, really need pen-friendly memo notes. And who doesn't, right?
(Kunisawa provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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!
