Quick Look – Ajoto N2 Pocket Paper Notebook

Ajoto is a boutique stationery shop, perhaps best known for their twist-action rollerball pen. Recently they ran a successful Kickstarter campaign for a series of notebooks and accessories. Well I backed it, and now I have another notebook. Let’s take a quick look and go through some basic paper tests.

The Basics

The Ajoto Pocket Paper notebook features a lightweight black cardstock cover with subtle branding on the front and back. Inside we find a debossed cover page atop the exposed section-bound spine. This binding style is said to “showcase the skill and detail of the binding,” and enables the book to lay flat when in use. Inside there are 126 pages of 100 GSM acid-free white paper. Measuring in at 105 mm by 172 mm, the Pocket Paper notebook is (roughly) B6 slim sized making it great for sticking in a back pocket or dropping into a bag.

The N2 notebook uses an Italian paper that is designed to be fountain pen friendly. From Ajoto’s website:

Our Nº2 edition uses a fountain pen-friendly Italian writing stock with a silky smooth bright white surface that encourages pen nibs to glide across the page. This paper is made for ink, it’s bleed and feather resistant and quick drying. The lightweight sheet is thick enough to allow for two-sided use and minimize [sic] show-through without compromising on page count

Ajoto.com

Ink Testing

Fountain pen ink testing is incredibly subjective. One type of ink can take on completely different characteristics depending on the pen nib its flowing through. Tipping size changes things too, as does the positioning of the tines and volume of ink flow through the feed. What follows is an ink test in the loosest of terms, featuring an assortment of stock, tuned, and customized nibs in both gold and stainless steel materials. Basically it’s just my currently inked list and that old classic pangram about the fox and the dog.

The Verdict

The B6 Slim size is my current favorite format, so the Pocket Paper had a leg up from the jump. I’m a fan of the all-paper construction, no synthetic leather cover or glossy finish to weigh it down or distract from the core aspects of the product. The glue-backed binding is a nice touch, though there are one or two spots on the interior where the glue seeped through. Overall, the Pocket Paper notebook has a great look and feel.

When it comes to function, I’m a little disappointed. The Italian paper’s fountain pen friendliness is more on the level of an acquaintance. Throughout my basic testing I noticed several instances of feathering and bleed-through from pretty much all of my pens. The paper also falls flat when it comes to showing off the full depth of color characteristics, with pretty much no sheen to be seen. If a paper only performs well with the narrowest nibs and the lightest flows, it isn’t really “fountain pen friendly” in my semi-professional opinion. However, it does handle gel, ballpoint, and rollerball ink fairly well.

Overall the N2 Pocket Paper Notebook by Ajoto isn’t quite up to my standards for daily use. I appreciate the design of the product, I love the size and format. Unfortunately there are some very minor construction issues, and it severely misses the mark on fountain pen functionality. Only the narrowest, most low-flowing fountain pens have a chance at leaving a clean line. I’ll sort this one in the “Gel & Ballpoint” section of my notebook collection for now.

Check out the N2 Pocket Paper Notebook as well as Ajoto’s other products here.

Disclaimer: This product was backed and purchased through Kickstarter at a lower introductory price. All opinions stated are my own.