(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. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)
Leuchtturm1917 has long since made their reputation as a fantastic notebook company with quality construction and excellent paper, so I always have high expectations for any variation on their recipe that they introduce. My expectations are in good hands. While their recipes may be a bit bland in the sense that there is very little aesthetic variation, so far I have always been delighted with even the smallest adjustments to features and functionality.
This new Softcover Composition Book has all of the important legacy Leuchtturm features, like an index, numbered pages, and the expanding back envelope, but it also comes in this B6 size, similar to American composition books, which makes them ideal for fitting into bags and briefcases while still providing enough page surface for substantial note-taking.
With 121 numbered pages, I think these are the perfect classroom notebooks. The soft cover also adds to the portability. It's lighter and easier to carry and fit in pockets than the hardcover notebooks, but still has enough structure to act as a writing surface when necessary. The last eight pages are also perforated, so they can be easily torn out if you need to write something to turn in or share with a colleague or classmate.
The notebook also has the elastic closure band, lay-flat sewn binding, and two ribbon bookmarks that add to the convenience and usability of the book.
Of course, the most essential feature is the quality of the paper. This notebook has 80 gsm acid-free paper that is labeled "ink-proof" because of how well it stands up to liquid inks of all kinds. I used this notebook for a work conference and took copious notes all with fountain pens. While there is some show-through with darker inks, it's not enough to interfere with writing on both sides of the page, and there was never a hint of feathering or bleeding. I even wrote a bit with the wettest pen I own, with a broad nib, freshly filled--and it still handled it like a dream.
The softcover notebooks are available in other sizes as well, in lined, plain, or dot grid pages, and in a multitude of fun colors. I think this notebook is easily my number one recommendation for a notebook for students and I'll definitely be stocking up when it's my own turn to return to the classroom.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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