Fountain pen friendly notebooks under £10
Paper that reviewers rated low for bleed-through and feathering, with at least one UK shop listing at £10 or less.
How this list works
I don’t rate paper myself. Every rating here comes from an independent reviewer’s published test, and each notebook below shows its sources. Shop and brand marketing copy doesn’t count.
The rule: Bleed-through and feathering both rated Very Low or Low, and at least one UK shop listing priced £10.00 or less. Prices were checked on the shops’ own sites on 20 October 2026.
8 of the 116 notebooks in the database qualify. They’re listed by how many independent sources we cite (most first), then by the ratings in the rule, then alphabetically. That order isn’t a verdict on which is better.
Prices were checked on 20 October 2026 and will change. The cheapest listing is sometimes a small size (an A7 notebook or a pad), so the size is shown next to each price. Ratings use one five-step scale, from Very Low to Very High. Here’s how we label them.
- 1
Midori · ~68 gsm
Midori MD Notebook
- Bleed-throughVery Low
- FeatheringVery Low
- GhostingMedium
- Dry timeMedium
- SheenHigh
Why it’s here: bleed-through Very Low, feathering Very Low.
UK price, checked 20 October 2026: Cult Pens: £8.50 for “Midori MD Notebook A7”
Sources: Fountain Pen Love, The Pen Archive, Time & Ink, The Journal Shop
Full ratings, verdict & shops → - 2
Rhodia · 80 gsm
Rhodia Dot Pad
- Bleed-throughVery Low
- FeatheringVery Low
- GhostingLow
- Dry timeLow
- SheenMedium
Why it’s here: bleed-through Very Low, feathering Very Low.
UK price, checked 20 October 2026: Cult Pens: £2.20 for “Rhodia dotPad 85 x 120 Black”
Sources: Fountain Pen Love, The Pen Archive, Time & Ink, Left Hook Pens
Full ratings, verdict & shops → - 3
Clairefontaine · 90 gsm
Clairefontaine Triomphe Writing Paper
- Bleed-throughVery Low
- FeatheringVery Low
- GhostingLow
- Dry timeHigh
- SheenMedium
Why it’s here: bleed-through Very Low, feathering Very Low.
UK price, checked 20 October 2026: Cult Pens: £4.60 for “Clairefontaine Triomphe Writing Paper A5”
Sources: Fountain Pen Love, Time & Ink, The Pen Archive
Full ratings, verdict & shops → - 4
Maruman · 80 gsm
Maruman Mnemosyne Notebook
- Bleed-throughVery Low
- FeatheringVery Low
- GhostingLow
- Dry timeHigh
- SheenMedium
Why it’s here: bleed-through Very Low, feathering Very Low.
UK price, checked 20 October 2026: Cult Pens: £6.50 for “Mnemosyne 195 Basic Notebook Ruled A5”; The Journal Shop: £5.99 for “Mnemosyne A5 Dot Grid Notebook” (out of stock when checked)
Sources: Fountain Pen Love, The Pen Archive, Left Hook Pens
Full ratings, verdict & shops → -
- Bleed-throughVery Low
- FeatheringVery Low
- GhostingMedium
- Dry timeLow
- SheenMedium
Why it’s here: bleed-through Very Low, feathering Very Low.
UK price, checked 20 October 2026: Cult Pens: £8.50 for “Midori MD Letter Pad Horizontal Ruled Lines”
Sources: Fountain Pen Love, The Pen Addict, loopedsquare.ink
Full ratings, verdict & shops → - 6
Tsubame · 81.4 gsm
Tsubame Note Notebook
- Bleed-throughVery Low
- FeatheringVery Low
- GhostingMedium
- Dry timeMedium
- SheenHigh
Why it’s here: bleed-through Very Low, feathering Very Low.
UK price, checked 20 October 2026: The Journal Shop: £6.99 for “Tsubame Notebook A5”
Sources: Fountain Pen Love, The Journal Shop, The Pen Addict
Full ratings, verdict & shops → - 7
Traveler's Company · 80 gsm
Traveler's Company Traveler's Notebook refill (MD paper)
- Bleed-throughVery Low
- FeatheringVery Low
- GhostingLow
- Dry timeHigh
- Sheennot rated
Why it’s here: bleed-through Very Low, feathering Very Low.
UK price, checked 20 October 2026: Cult Pens: £5.25 for “TRAVELER'S COMPANY Traveler's Notebook Refill”
Sources: The Useful Journal, The Gentleman Stationer
Full ratings, verdict & shops → - 8
Traveler's Company
Traveler's Company Traveler's Notebook refill 013 (Lightweight Paper)
- Bleed-throughLow
- FeatheringLow
- GhostingHigh
- Dry timeMedium
- Sheennot rated
Why it’s here: bleed-through Low, feathering Low.
UK price, checked 20 October 2026: Cult Pens: £7.25 for “TRAVELER'S COMPANY Notebook Refill Light Paper”
Sources: A Better Desk
Full ratings, verdict & shops →
Data as of 20 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell me.