Months ago, I came across a display of KOKUYO’s new PERPANEP line of notebooks at Tokyu Hands. “PERPANEP” is an anagram of “pen paper”. Clever perhaps, but I do wish they could have chosen an easier name to remember. I first heard about the notebooks on The Stationery Cafe podcast but I didn’t expect them to see them in Singapore so soon.
There are three types of paper in the PERPANEP line: Tsuru Tsuru, Sara Sara and Zara Zara. The Stationery Cafe podcast mentioned that the sounds of writing on those papers really sounds like “tsuru tsuru” or “sara sara” or “zara zara”. Here’s the link to a video so you can listen and judge for yourself.
The notebooks have a simple and understated look. They are A5 size, contains 60 sheets and cost S$15.30. All the three papers are available in:
- 3mm grid
- 4mm grid
- 5mm grid
- 4mm dot grid
- 6mm steno (basically lined with a vertical line in the center)
Tsuru Tsuru
Tsuru Tsuru is a 96gsm ultra smooth paper which was recommended for fineliners and fountain pens.
On this paper, Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki has shading, slight sheen, no feathering and no bleedthrough.
Below are a couple of photos showing what it looks like when written on both sides.
Sara Sara
Sara Sara is a 75gsm smooth paper recommended for ball pens, pencils and gel pens. Although this was not officially recommended for fountain pens, I find that it holds up fairly well to fountain pen ink.
On the Sara Sara paper, Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki has shading, no sheen, no feathering and no bleedthrough.
Below are a couple of photos showing what it looks like when written on both sides.
Zara Zara
Zara Zara is a 90gsm textured paper recommended for fineliners and fountain pens. This paper is noticeably thicker than the other two.
On this paper, Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-Peki has shading, slight sheen, no feathering and no bleedthrough.
Below are a couple of photos showing what it looks like when written on both sides.
Disclaimer: The notebooks were purchased by me and all opinions/photos are my own. This post was not sponsored.
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Comments
2 responses to “KOKUYO PERPANEP notebooks”
Thanks for the review! I was very curious about these notebooks. Your close-up photos do a great job of showing the important details of how the ink interacts with the paper.
The fact that the Zara Zara paper is so thick and textured made me skeptical of how well it would work with fountain pens, but your photos tell a different story. It looks like a quite lovely combination.
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Thank you! I’m glad that you found the close-ups useful.
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