The question we hear most often at the shop, right after “how much for embossing?”, is which pen to use with our diaries. Because our paper is a little different from what most notebooks ship with, the honest answer takes a paragraph — and then a page of test lines.
The paper we bind with
Every Retkatha diary uses a cotton-rich, acid-free sheet, sized around 100 gsm in a warm ivory tone. It is calendered — meaning the surface has been pressed smooth — but not coated. That matters, because coated paper repels ink and uncoated cotton absorbs it. Ours sits in the middle: a paper that grabs the ink just enough to feel written on, without soaking through.
Here is what happens on that paper with the four ink categories you are most likely to reach for.
1. Fountain pens
The paper is designed for fountain pens first. On a fine nib with a well-behaved ink — think Iroshizuku, Diamine, Waterman, or Sailor Jentle — you should see:
- Zero feathering in the body of the letter.
- Faint ghosting on the reverse (visible in raking light, invisible in normal reading).
- No bleed-through in normal writing weight.
Broad and italic nibs with saturated blue-blacks are the sweet spot. Ultra-wet stub nibs may show minor ghosting; if you swap to a “dry” pen (like a Lamy Safari with a fine steel nib), you will not see any.
2. Rollerballs and gel pens
Gel ink (Uni-ball Signo, Pentel EnerGel, Muji gel) sits on top of the paper because our sheet is calendered. Dry time is short — under two seconds for most gel pens — and colour saturation is excellent. Ghosting is rarely visible on 100 gsm cotton.
Rollerballs with liquid ink cartridges (Uni-ball Vision, Pilot V5) behave more like fountain pens and, on the wet end, may take slightly longer to dry. Blot with a soft sheet of paper if you tend to write left-to-right, right-to-left in the same session.
3. Ballpoints
Ballpoints are the safest choice on any paper. On ours, they leave a crisp, dark line with no ghosting or bleed under any circumstance. The only trade-off is the mechanical feel — some people love the drag of a ballpoint, others prefer the glide of a fountain nib.
If your work involves flipping between pages several times a minute (meeting notes, court sketches, medical rounds) a ballpoint is what you want.
4. Fibre-tip and brush pens
This is where you need to slow down. Fibre-tip pens (Sharpie fine, Copic multiliners) work well on the writing side, but the pigment and solvent load is heavier than a fountain pen. Expect some show-through on the reverse if you are pressing hard.
Brush pens with alcohol-based ink (Copic markers, Tombow N) will bleed all the way through. Do not use them for double-sided pages. Water-based brush pens (Tombow ABT, Kuretake Fudebiyori) are fine at normal pressure.
Quick reference: what to reach for
| Use case | Recommended | Also good | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily journaling | Fountain pen (F/M) | Gel 0.5, ballpoint | Alcohol markers |
| Meeting notes | Ballpoint | Gel 0.5 | Wet fountain broads |
| Sketching | Fine fibre-tip | Fountain pen with waterproof ink | Alcohol brush markers |
| Calligraphy | Broad fountain nib, brush pen (water) | Fude nib | Copics |
Two habits that fix 90% of paper problems
- Let the first line dry. Cotton paper is thirstier than laser paper for the first four to five seconds. Give it that pause before you close the book.
- Rest the diary flat. Because our books are sewn to lay flat, do not fold pages the wrong way to “help” them. The spine will do its work on its own.
If you carry a favourite ink you are worried about, bring it into the shop on Lal Ghat — we keep a stack of loose signatures at the bench specifically for testing. A cover you love and a pen that flows are worth the trip.
