Emilio Braga Notebook

This brand caught my eye while I was scrolling instagram. They hit most of the right buttons for me. They’re made in both B5 and A4 sizes. They’re bright and colorful. They have a hardbound cover, and plain cream paper.

BUT, could I used my fountain pens with them? I was crossing my fingers on that point.

Turns out I ended up using the A4 notebook most of all. I took it to work with me. It’s been riding around with me in my work bag for the last month or so and has stood all that wear and tear very well. It looks the same now, as when I received it. The red material is still as bright as it ever was and the textured black faux leather is scratch free.

Already I love how sturdy the notebook really is.

The plain cream paper reminds me most of all like really nice printer paper. I can’t tell one way or another what kind of paper it is, other than to say it’s regular paper. It’s definitely not Tomoe River paper, and it’s definitely not the type of paper you would immediately think is fountain pen friendly. Because it isn’t. I wouldn’t want to do ink drops on this paper. But that doesn’t me I don’t LOVE using this notebook anyway.

Yes, there is feathering, bleed through, and shadowing. The larger the nib, the harsher the feathering. But I noticed, quite accidentally that a lot of that depended on the type of ink I was using. There is less feathering, if not any at all, with Fine and Medium nibs. And of course using a needlepoint nib, like I did below, meant no feathering at all.

Below I used a broad nib with yu-yake ink and the feathering is quite minimal. You would have to press your nose against the paper to see it.

Sailor pens, also like the one below, have worked well because of their naturally small/fine nibs.

The notebook comes with a sheet inside that is both lined on one side, and graphed on the  other side. Placing it beneath the page you’re working with allows you to write in straight lines if you choose to.

I’ve been enjoying this notebook so much that I’m already halfway through it. It just feels like the type of notebook that you need to draw in.

Below I used a zoom nib, which is extra broad, and you can see the feathering on the “e” in sweater, pretty clearly as well as other places.

So is the Emilio Braga notebook fountain pen friendly? Not especially. Is it a great notebook? Absolutely.

Thank You For Reading!