👉👉 For anyone new here, I want to clarify that I still enjoy using the Moleskine EXPANDED 400-page notebooks, even though they're not the best for fountain pen inks. As I often mention in my Moleskine videos, my creative practice mainly involves ballpoint and gel pens, which work great on this paper. I keep buying these notebooks (usually snagging them on sale from Amazon for $15-$20 instead of the $38 retail price) because I genuinely enjoy using them. This mini-series came about unexpectedly when I noticed that my latest Moleskine order performed differently from what I'd experienced in recent years. While I'm aware of other popular options like Tomoe River paper, it's just not my personal preference. For those curious about alternatives, check out my 'Better Than a Moleskine' video here, ruclips.net/video/aZJJzng7ZZ0/видео.html , where I share the other notebooks I love using alongside my Moleskines.
"FSC paper from responsible sources" refers to paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which means the wood pulp used to make it comes from forests managed sustainably, while "FSC supporting responsible forestry" indicates that the product, even if it contains a mix of materials, is part of a company committed to the broader principles of responsible forestry through FSC certification, essentially signifying their support for sustainable practices even if not all materials are 100% FSC-certified; both labels essentially mean the product is linked to responsible forestry practices, but the "supporting responsible forestry" label may include a mix of materials that aren't fully FSC certified, while "responsible sources" implies all the wood pulp is from FSC-certified forests.
Yes, and the responsible forestry label is new. The new label was released in 2022 with a transition period of 2 years. In 2024, all FSC mix products will have the new new 'responsible forestry' wording.
@@jaimelynn3520 I've noticed that the address is different. On the notebook with the new label - "supporting responsible forestry" is a different address, Bergognone 34, 20144 Milano. Maybe the company has new management, and they improved the paper quality.
I have to admit, I hate Moleskine notebooks. But, your videos on this Moleskine paper rabbit hole are very entertaining. I think I'm a paper snob, because all I use is Midori or Tomoe River with my fountain pens. You go girl!
Hi Michelle. I’ve bought a few Moleskines over the years and they all bled through long before I started using fountain pens. Today I bought one with the “responsible forestry” label and it’s perfect. My very first Moleskine that doesn’t even ghost much. It worked for me here. Great job. Thanks 😉
Yes! "Supporting responsible forestry" in my 18 months daily diary, made in Turkey. I write with juicy inks and paint with watercolour without any issues. Beautiful detective work, lady!
Ok so I was just at the mall. Passed by the bookstore and went in. I wasn't planning on buying another moleskine buuuuut.... there was one lonely moleskine expanded on the shelf. The only one! I checked the back and it said "responsible forestry". I found a mini ruler in the stationery section and measured... it was 2cm exactly. Even though it was full price I just had to get it. It felt like fate😂😂. The only one on the shelf! I am going to test it as soon as I get home and fingers crossed it is a Unicorn!
U r hilarious. The passion, the obsession...the utter willingness to bankrupt urself in the search for ur Holy Grail Notebook🤣😂 I applaud ur dogged determination to solve this mystery. I only wish sanzen and hobonichi were this obsessed with investigating why the new tomoe river paper is not performing consistently😅
Moleskine detective! Lol. Im sure Moleskine knows which has the good paper and why, just wish they would stick with that kind of paper. Great video. Thanks for sharing!
If you’re familiar with Tomoe River paper, I’ve learned that there’s so much that can lead to differences in paper! Even something as simple as the the water used to process 😅
@@cassiespaz1oh!! Very interesting! It’s odd as even some Moleskines with same country of origin, same notebook model can still have diff paper quality. 😅
@@SeaweedKisses that would explain it I guess as if they have 2 different mills or paper plants in one country 🤷🏻♀️ like I’m in a rural area and my water is very different from city water. But who even knows haha
I love watching the drama unfold 😅 I recently bought my first Moleskine expanded soft cover because of your channel! So far I’m thrilled with it! I can see myself really settling into it and getting so much use out of it. Looks like I got one with good paper quality too, so that’s exciting! I put an Amazon order in for Moleskine friendly pens too 😂🤓🖊️📓🫶🏻
You are a genius and I so admire your commitment! And I am so invested in this! I will be anxiously waiting for the ultimate outcome! And yes, they should hire you to help them “fix” their paper! Thanks so much for doing this! 💕
I’m not even into journaling and somehow I was recommended your videos a few days ago when the saga began and now I’m all invested in your investigation. I appreciate your commitment to solving the mystery. 🕵🏼♀️Now I want to buy a notebook just to see which one I get. 😊
I have a Moleskine notebook (amongst several that I have bought lately), that has "responsible sources" on the lable, is made in China and has a dark yellow QC sticker. I found that on the first couple of pages my fountain pen ink test had quite a bit of bleed through, but further into the notebook the same pens and ink that caused bleed through on the front pages now seem to do much better and there isn't even much ghosting and almost no bleed through, unless I put down a ton of ink in one spot. Has anyone else had that? This would indicate that the paper quality isn't even constistent thoughout an entire notebook.
I’ve just checked my moleskine and one of them actually has that “forestry” wording! I haven’t tested it yet, but the possibility of getting a unicorn got me all excited. And I don’t even care about the paper quality that much 😂
This is the kind of content I've been looking for my whole life ! I didn't crack the code but Noodler's bulletproof black is okay even with bad paper Moleskine. I will check my stash !
I like Noodler’s no feather it is more forgiving on cheap or bad paper. It is a nice dark black, flows well and doesn’t seem to clog or dry up in a pen if not used frequently.
I like no feather too. I’ve tried it also and for some reason in the most misbehaving Moleskine paper it bled through like the others while bulletproof did not or very little.
This whole video series was “The Moleskine Paper Detective “ by Seaweed Kisses ❤ Thanks for all your investigations of their paper. I have used their notebooks for years and not sure why just like them 😮
I checked my old moleskine notebooks. They had “responsible sources” on the tag and were also NOT fountain pen friendly. Thank you for all these vids I’m enjoying this journey with you Hahaa!
When I was in art school we would use cold press (textured) for sketching for more details and hot press (smooth) for writing, sketching too less absorbent, colors more vibrant since it sits on the surface. I hope I’m making sense. And paper weight is very important too. I’m hooked on your comparison videos 😁 tip to remember: think of laundry Cold-wrinkled (textured) Hot-Ironed (smooth)
I found a site that says "FSC-certified paper is different from recycled paper, as it's typically composed of virgin tree fibers rather than pre- or post-consumer recycled materials (although recycled paper is sometimes also FSC-certified). But when the wood pulp used to make this paper is sourced from a well-managed forest, it can be just as eco-friendly." So it looks like both recycled paper and wood pulp paper can have the FSC label, but they are different. You have probably cracked the code!
I think the label itself means something specific but it could mean when they changed the label design or wording a certain batch has good paper. 😂 loving this moleskine mystery! Thanks for sharing with fellow stationery nerds!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately I was able to find a few in my collection that this hypothesis didnt work for. :/ I opened my 2025 page a day planner that had the forestry verbiage and got one with the low quality paper this time. My last 2 years I have gotten the ‘unicorn paper’ in my page a day Moleskines. Whomp whomp 😢 (for the record, it had a green sticker) I also found one plain softcover that had a blue sticker and the ‘responsible sources’ verbiage that DID have the good paper. The rest of mine that I still had the tags for seemed to follow the pattern though? There were 2 different limited editions with gray tags that didn’t have the ‘unicorn’ paper, but I would still say they were in the ‘acceptable’ range. They bled a little, but not the tissue paper level bleeding that you can sometimes get from Moleskine paper. I work at a store that sells them though AND we have a package scale for sending out our mail. I'll try to see if I can test the weight differences to see if that one is consistent.
Same!!! I took a stroll to the bookstore since the 2024-25 daily planner was on sale, and I checked that it had the forestry wording, but unfortunately, it is in the mid range. It's not terrible but not great. It is a real chunker, so definitely going to enjoy it 😂
This has been the coolest investigation ever. I haven’t found expanded, plain, classic and soft cover. I’m in Canada and can’t find anything online so far. What I don’t get is doesn’t anyone make notebooks with the correct kind of paper in all the sizes we want and need?🤷♀️🤷♀️
The reality is that paper is an incredibly turbulent industry,. Moleskine will source paper from a huge amount of places of varying degrees of quality depending on availability and price which goes up and down all the time, and the difference in the forestry ratings is more about the harvesting of the wood than the quality of the paper that comes out the other side. There may be ways to give yourself the best chance of getting the best paper, and you might well be onto something, but the supply chain around paper products is huge and erratic, and the reality is that moleskine have, for a long time, been lowering their paper standards in order to maximise production speed and profit, and paper in varying degrees of quality will end up in all the factories that make them with very little rhyme or reason. I hope this works out for you though! If you can work out a way to increase the chances of getting the best moleskine paper every time you buy one, your investigations won't have been wasted, and in the long run you might be getting one up on capitalism. Good job!
The Moleskin Saga! ❤. I’m loving all your Moleskin videos. I purchased a few of the 2024 pocket size during the Amazon sale and the paper is very good. Thanks for sharing all this with us. I’d also love to see where you store your notebooks. I have a shelf in my closet and I do have a collection of several brands. We all share the excitement and the passion you have for journaling and purchasing things that make us happy. ❤❤❤
I love this investigation and I totally get why you're so excited about this! That being said it's just sad that with notebooks that expensive we have to investigate and be careful what we buy to not end up with total garbage. I've had a Moleskine that hat such bad paper quality that I ended up using only one side of the pages because it bled like crazy. Since then I only ever bought Leuchtturm notebooks and they never let me down.
That was AWESOME Michelle‼️ I love all of your videos and you’re so funny and sweet 🎉 Those Benu fountain pens are just beautiful!! I’m going to try and get one for Christmas 🎄 Also, so glad you figured out about the Moleskins and “ the code” ‼️ I’ll be paying more attention when I shop for one. Keep up the good work ❤
I'm so invested in this 😂I have a few fountain pens but lately I just haven't been drawn to them I like to write fast and furious so I'm back to my ballpoints and gel pens for the majority of my writing so I feel like I'm watching from the sidelines.
Love these videos ! I bought several Moleskine notebooks and I have four that are good with a Medium nib fountain pen, I don't have the really dark inks that you have. All of them are the 2024 Daily planners, two are hardcover and two are softcover. They are the classic size. All four have the blue sticker and are made in China. Unfortunately , I didn't save the the paper that went around them.
I’m enjoying this saga. I think it’s something like this. That’s the case with Pen and Gear steno pads (bad paper with recycled content) and their other products (good, fountain pen friendly paper)
Or it could be related to that particular 'batch' of paper that was used to produce the different books. I'm picking the labels were changed at a particular point in time and you have a mixture of old and new labels. Eventually the majority of the old labels will disappear as they get sold and replaced with the new.
I think they should put the quality control stickers somewhere outside, visible to the consumers. Or they can just grade their paper themselves and put the information out in the open. They should also price the different quality notebooks accordingly. There are ballpoint pens users out there who don’t care about the paper quality that much. They will be happy having something functional at a much lower price. But at the $30-50 price range, I would expect good paper without any inconsistencies.
I am a new subscriber and this has been very fascinating to watch. I also got inspired by you to get a discounted daily moleskine 23-24 for art journaling and excited to use this notebook again!
I got two Soft Cover plain notebooks from Amazon (not expanded). Made in China. Blue QC Label. "Responsible Sources". Tested Writers Blood, a bold nib with Pilot Tsutsuji, and several highlighters. All perfect. So now I want to conduct my own experimenting. I was upset to move away from Moleskine, I prefer the slimmer design...so I'm happy I found these. I'm testing my luck with another Amazon order. Fingers crossed! Love your channel. The Great Moleskine Experiment has been so interesting.
Hi, Michelle! I am following this saga on Moleskine paper with great interest. I wanted to let you know the wrapping paper that comes with all the journal books are called “belly bands”. Since they wrap around the belly of the notebooks no matter the brand. Thought I’d pass that on.
I found your video with the Jot notebook, and now I feel like I've discovered a gem! Recently, I wrote in my son's Oxford wide-ruled notebook using my fountain pens, and I was surprised to find it's better than mid-range Moleskine paper! Some inks don’t bleed through, and there's barely any ghosting. Curious if people living in America were aware of this (There are two Oxford companies, one from American and the other from England), I searched and came across your notebook review. I’ve just learned about Moleskine, and now I feel like I should go grab one!
I'm currently in my first "bad" Moleskine and it is frustrating. Sigh. Now I am on a mission to find the good paper again because I'm not ready to give up on Moleskine yet.
Like someone else said, the difference in wording is the old vs the new label. Both labels could be used in a transition period. All books made after July 2024 will have the new label. I can’t link the FSC info page, but you can google ‘fsc changes mix label text’.
I went to see what my local staples had for moleskein this weekend and the only expandeds they had were in lined 😩 I'll have to check book stores to see if they have grid versions...
cool ...learned something new tonite.. What Is FSC-Certified Paper? When the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies that a paper is made of responsibly sourced wood fiber, that paper earns the FSC label. FSC certification is an important standard for our industry. It's too bad that AMAZON doesn't show the difference between Bad Quality paper "FSC Mix Paper from responsible *SOURCES* " older make from vietnam.. VS Good Quality paper "FSC Mix Supporting Responsible *FORESTRY* " Vietnam and China
You're a genius! 😮 My good Moleskine is made in Turkey, it has a orange label and, yes there is "forestry". 😊 Thank you very much for sharing your experiments and discoveries. ❤ PS: I'm almost disappointed, why I bought it for the porous paper because I thought it will be better for pencils! 😅
Ok, let me throw a potential spanner in the works. I bought an 18 month 2023-24 planner. 2023 had bad paper. 2024 had good paper. Someone in one of my classes in a different country, had the same thing.
This has been fun to watch and I wish there was a way to tell,but I don't think the FSC label is going to be consistent enough to use as an indicator across the board sadly
I love your videos - especially the Moleskine ones 🤩. And I like and use Moleskine notebooks for decades by now. Maybe it is only a thing in Germany, but I got three Moleskine notebooks, plain pages, hardcover, large, 240 pages in the Amazon sale this month: All of them are from Turkey, all of them with darker orange stickers. Two books have the forestry, one the sources. The sources of course has bad paper, but sadly one of the forestry has also the bad paper. I don't get what's Moleskine doing with the paper. I am not too sad, because I will use them anyway. And I still got one of the 2024 daily planners with the good paper from the planner-sale. 😇
I'm so glad you found your code for good Moleskine notebooks, and I love that you love your Moleskines. But I can't get behind buying one for myself. As a company, Moleskine shouldn't be marketing and pricing all of these notebooks as equal. It's just not an honest business practice.
I'm a bit annoyed at myself for skipping to the end of this whole saga. What an adventure! I love the feel of a softcover moleskine but have been looking elsewhere lately as I have been using fountain pens and darker inks more lately and it was affecting readability once both sides of a page ghosted onto one another. I saw this and ran out to my local officeworks (Australian here) and got a set of three with a green cover as they were the only ones with this "forestry" wording. Seems you are correct, these are much better! Although I see @jessicasblack comment below and it is a shame to get the "better" paper we are looking for something that is (maybe) slightly less ethical... Still at least it is good to have this mystery solved!
I wonder where moleskine sources their paper. They must source it from different companies because of how inconsistent it is. Either way I’m here for this 😊
went to TJ Max and bought a $9.99 Moleskin that said "Forestry", Came straight home to test it out with my fountain pen. Major feathering and bleed through. UGH! It was the Weekly Notebook Diary/Planner 2024-2025. Shucks!
I bought one of those expanded edition Moleskins from the link in your video because of all these videos hahahah. Now I wanna buy another one and learn to crack the code 😂😂😂
Based on comments, this theory doesn't seem to be holding up. It also seems unlikely. As someone pointed out, the two FSC labels have slightly different meanings, but the "forestry" label seems more general in meaning and it's possible that one type of label verbiage is newer, while the other is older. In any case, Moleskin should really be listening to customers and trying for more consistently in their paper.
Thank you for your research! I just purchased an 18-month daily with a great discount, but it bleeds through... And yes, it says "responsibly resourced"
Love the sharing, thank you! Do you find the faux leather cover flaking off after a year or so? I’ve been getting that sometime back and got really frustrated 😢
Sorry, I have to tell you. I bought two Plain ,which state "Paper | Supporting responsible forestry". They are bleeding very very bad and I can not return them as I wrote them .
I wonder if the company is seeing the trp hype and trying to up the quality on newer batches? It'll be interesting to see if the paper quality is better and more consistent as old batches get bought out... At the very least, if i find expandeds with desired paper I'll be looking for the foresty label and crossing my fingers.
One thing I think people understand is that Moleskine has never claimed to fountain pen friendly, so I don’t understand why fountain pen users are so upset with the quality of the paper. I use fountain pens, gel pens and ballpoint pens and I choose my notebook depending upon what writing instrument I’m using. As far as I’m concerned Moleskine paper performs just as advertised.
👉👉 For anyone new here, I want to clarify that I still enjoy using the Moleskine EXPANDED 400-page notebooks, even though they're not the best for fountain pen inks. As I often mention in my Moleskine videos, my creative practice mainly involves ballpoint and gel pens, which work great on this paper. I keep buying these notebooks (usually snagging them on sale from Amazon for $15-$20 instead of the $38 retail price) because I genuinely enjoy using them.
This mini-series came about unexpectedly when I noticed that my latest Moleskine order performed differently from what I'd experienced in recent years. While I'm aware of other popular options like Tomoe River paper, it's just not my personal preference. For those curious about alternatives, check out my 'Better Than a Moleskine' video here, ruclips.net/video/aZJJzng7ZZ0/видео.html , where I share the other notebooks I love using alongside my Moleskines.
"FSC paper from responsible sources" refers to paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) which means the wood pulp used to make it comes from forests managed sustainably, while "FSC supporting responsible forestry" indicates that the product, even if it contains a mix of materials, is part of a company committed to the broader principles of responsible forestry through FSC certification, essentially signifying their support for sustainable practices even if not all materials are 100% FSC-certified; both labels essentially mean the product is linked to responsible forestry practices, but the "supporting responsible forestry" label may include a mix of materials that aren't fully FSC certified, while "responsible sources" implies all the wood pulp is from FSC-certified forests.
Yes, and the responsible forestry label is new. The new label was released in 2022 with a transition period of 2 years. In 2024, all FSC mix products will have the new new 'responsible forestry' wording.
@@jaimelynn3520 I've noticed that the address is different. On the notebook with the new label - "supporting responsible forestry" is a different address, Bergognone 34, 20144 Milano. Maybe the company has new management, and they improved the paper quality.
This moleskin saga is RIVETING!! 😂
😂 Happy to entertain!
😅😂
Watching this, I was thinking the same thing.
😂😂😂😂
I have to admit, I hate Moleskine notebooks. But, your videos on this Moleskine paper rabbit hole are very entertaining. I think I'm a paper snob, because all I use is Midori or Tomoe River with my fountain pens. You go girl!
Same! Yet I am following this saga religiously 😅
How is tomoe river in your new notebooks? My notebooks are terrible
I feel like im in the final season of the moleskine expanded saga. Loving it, learning something new in each episode.
Hi Michelle. I’ve bought a few Moleskines over the years and they all bled through long before I started using fountain pens. Today I bought one with the “responsible forestry” label and it’s perfect. My very first Moleskine that doesn’t even ghost much. It worked for me here. Great job. Thanks 😉
Yes! "Supporting responsible forestry" in my 18 months daily diary, made in Turkey. I write with juicy inks and paint with watercolour without any issues. Beautiful detective work, lady!
As a researcher, I've found these videos really enjoyable and comforting 😅
Ok so I was just at the mall. Passed by the bookstore and went in. I wasn't planning on buying another moleskine buuuuut.... there was one lonely moleskine expanded on the shelf. The only one! I checked the back and it said "responsible forestry". I found a mini ruler in the stationery section and measured... it was 2cm exactly. Even though it was full price I just had to get it. It felt like fate😂😂. The only one on the shelf! I am going to test it as soon as I get home and fingers crossed it is a Unicorn!
Was it??
@kristinagabrielsen1351 it was, indeed, a Unicorn! I am beyond pleased!
@@NHarts3 awesome, congrats!!!
U r hilarious. The passion, the obsession...the utter willingness to bankrupt urself in the search for ur Holy Grail Notebook🤣😂 I applaud ur dogged determination to solve this mystery. I only wish sanzen and hobonichi were this obsessed with investigating why the new tomoe river paper is not performing consistently😅
Moleskine detective! Lol. Im sure Moleskine knows which has the good paper and why, just wish they would stick with that kind of paper. Great video. Thanks for sharing!
You know what, I bet they do! They just need to stick to the same formula for all factories!
If you’re familiar with Tomoe River paper, I’ve learned that there’s so much that can lead to differences in paper! Even something as simple as the the water used to process 😅
@@cassiespaz1oh!! Very interesting! It’s odd as even some Moleskines with same country of origin, same notebook model can still have diff paper quality. 😅
@@SeaweedKisses that would explain it I guess as if they have 2 different mills or paper plants in one country 🤷🏻♀️ like I’m in a rural area and my water is very different from city water.
But who even knows haha
@@cassiespaz1Ahh! Good point! 🤔🧐
I love watching the drama unfold 😅
I recently bought my first Moleskine expanded soft cover because of your channel! So far I’m thrilled with it! I can see myself really settling into it and getting so much use out of it. Looks like I got one with good paper quality too, so that’s exciting! I put an Amazon order in for Moleskine friendly pens too 😂🤓🖊️📓🫶🏻
I'm so glad you like it!! Yay!!🙌 🩷🩷 Happy Journaling!!
It's been so fun following you on this journey to solve the Moleskine paper mystery.
You are a genius and I so admire your commitment! And I am so invested in this! I will be anxiously waiting for the ultimate outcome! And yes, they should hire you to help them “fix” their paper! Thanks so much for doing this! 💕
I’m not even into journaling and somehow I was recommended your videos a few days ago when the saga began and now I’m all invested in your investigation. I appreciate your commitment to solving the mystery. 🕵🏼♀️Now I want to buy a notebook just to see which one I get. 😊
This reminds me of plankton trying to get the krabby patty formula. I love this ❤😂
😂
When I tell you I clicked on this so fast!
Same!
I have a Moleskine notebook (amongst several that I have bought lately), that has "responsible sources" on the lable, is made in China and has a dark yellow QC sticker. I found that on the first couple of pages my fountain pen ink test had quite a bit of bleed through, but further into the notebook the same pens and ink that caused bleed through on the front pages now seem to do much better and there isn't even much ghosting and almost no bleed through, unless I put down a ton of ink in one spot.
Has anyone else had that?
This would indicate that the paper quality isn't even constistent thoughout an entire notebook.
I am here for this! Clicked on this as soon as I saw the title.
I’ve just checked my moleskine and one of them actually has that “forestry” wording! I haven’t tested it yet, but the possibility of getting a unicorn got me all excited.
And I don’t even care about the paper quality that much 😂
This is the kind of content I've been looking for my whole life ! I didn't crack the code but Noodler's bulletproof black is okay even with bad paper Moleskine. I will check my stash !
I like Noodler’s no feather it is more forgiving on cheap or bad paper. It is a nice dark black, flows well and doesn’t seem to clog or dry up in a pen if not used frequently.
I like no feather too. I’ve tried it also and for some reason in the most misbehaving Moleskine paper it bled through like the others while bulletproof did not or very little.
Oh my gosh the fact that I’m so invested in this 😂 I love this community and the way we just get each other. Thanks for sharing this journey!
This whole video series was “The Moleskine Paper Detective “ by Seaweed Kisses ❤ Thanks for all your investigations of their paper. I have used their notebooks for years and not sure why just like them 😮
I checked my old moleskine notebooks. They had “responsible sources” on the tag and were also NOT fountain pen friendly. Thank you for all these vids I’m enjoying this journey with you Hahaa!
😂 got me INVESTED w this thorough research! 👀🍿🥤😊
I know ,right. I’m like 👀🕵🏽🍿😂
As a stationery addict, I love these videos. I have a large moleskin daily but no skin in the notebook game but now I am tempted!
When I was in art school we would use cold press (textured) for sketching for more details and hot press (smooth) for writing, sketching too less absorbent, colors more vibrant since it sits on the surface. I hope I’m making sense. And paper weight is very important too. I’m hooked on your comparison videos 😁 tip to remember:
think of laundry Cold-wrinkled (textured)
Hot-Ironed (smooth)
Thank you great info 🤗
Mine says Ecuador and FORESTRY! WOO WHOOO!
im loving these updates
I found a site that says "FSC-certified paper is different from recycled paper, as it's typically composed of virgin tree fibers rather than pre- or post-consumer recycled materials (although recycled paper is sometimes also FSC-certified). But when the wood pulp used to make this paper is sourced from a well-managed forest, it can be just as eco-friendly." So it looks like both recycled paper and wood pulp paper can have the FSC label, but they are different. You have probably cracked the code!
I think the label itself means something specific but it could mean when they changed the label design or wording a certain batch has good paper. 😂 loving this moleskine mystery! Thanks for sharing with fellow stationery nerds!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately I was able to find a few in my collection that this hypothesis didnt work for. :/
I opened my 2025 page a day planner that had the forestry verbiage and got one with the low quality paper this time. My last 2 years I have gotten the ‘unicorn paper’ in my page a day Moleskines. Whomp whomp 😢 (for the record, it had a green sticker)
I also found one plain softcover that had a blue sticker and the ‘responsible sources’ verbiage that DID have the good paper.
The rest of mine that I still had the tags for seemed to follow the pattern though? There were 2 different limited editions with gray tags that didn’t have the ‘unicorn’ paper, but I would still say they were in the ‘acceptable’ range. They bled a little, but not the tissue paper level bleeding that you can sometimes get from Moleskine paper.
I work at a store that sells them though AND we have a package scale for sending out our mail. I'll try to see if I can test the weight differences to see if that one is consistent.
Same!!! I took a stroll to the bookstore since the 2024-25 daily planner was on sale, and I checked that it had the forestry wording, but unfortunately, it is in the mid range. It's not terrible but not great. It is a real chunker, so definitely going to enjoy it 😂
Yaaaay! So excited to find out the secret! ❤😂
❤❤Hope this helps!!
This has been the coolest investigation ever. I haven’t found expanded, plain, classic and soft cover. I’m in Canada and can’t find anything online so far. What I don’t get is doesn’t anyone make notebooks with the correct kind of paper in all the sizes we want and need?🤷♀️🤷♀️
I’m a little bit of a paper snob too . I mean really it makes a difference when you’re writing with a fountain pen or a nice gel ink pen.
The reality is that paper is an incredibly turbulent industry,. Moleskine will source paper from a huge amount of places of varying degrees of quality depending on availability and price which goes up and down all the time, and the difference in the forestry ratings is more about the harvesting of the wood than the quality of the paper that comes out the other side. There may be ways to give yourself the best chance of getting the best paper, and you might well be onto something, but the supply chain around paper products is huge and erratic, and the reality is that moleskine have, for a long time, been lowering their paper standards in order to maximise production speed and profit, and paper in varying degrees of quality will end up in all the factories that make them with very little rhyme or reason. I hope this works out for you though! If you can work out a way to increase the chances of getting the best moleskine paper every time you buy one, your investigations won't have been wasted, and in the long run you might be getting one up on capitalism. Good job!
This was so interesting! Thanks for all your perseverance and research 🥰💌🖋
The Moleskin Saga! ❤. I’m loving all your Moleskin videos. I purchased a few of the 2024 pocket size during the Amazon sale and the paper is very good. Thanks for sharing all this with us. I’d also love to see where you store your notebooks. I have a shelf in my closet and I do have a collection of several brands. We all share the excitement and the passion you have for journaling and purchasing things that make us happy. ❤❤❤
I love this investigation and I totally get why you're so excited about this!
That being said it's just sad that with notebooks that expensive we have to investigate and be careful what we buy to not end up with total garbage. I've had a Moleskine that hat such bad paper quality that I ended up using only one side of the pages because it bled like crazy. Since then I only ever bought Leuchtturm notebooks and they never let me down.
I’m on the edge of my seat!
Mine is made in China, with a blue sticker and has a responsible sources wording, and it is very fountain pen friendly 😅
That was AWESOME Michelle‼️ I love all of your videos and you’re so funny and sweet 🎉 Those Benu fountain pens are just beautiful!! I’m going to try and get one for Christmas 🎄 Also, so glad you figured out about the Moleskins and “ the code” ‼️ I’ll be paying more attention when I shop for one. Keep up the good work ❤
Your commitment to this problem is commendable. ❤🎉😊
I think you solved this mystery!
We’re all back…..Oh wow! You’ve cracked it! Do you think “responsible sources” is recycled paper and “responsible forestry” is new original paper?
I'm so invested in this 😂I have a few fountain pens but lately I just haven't been drawn to them I like to write fast and furious so I'm back to my ballpoints and gel pens for the majority of my writing so I feel like I'm watching from the sidelines.
Love these videos ! I bought several Moleskine notebooks and I have four that are good with a Medium nib fountain pen, I don't have the really dark inks that you have. All of them are the 2024 Daily planners, two are hardcover and two are softcover. They are the classic size. All four have the blue sticker and are made in China. Unfortunately , I didn't save the the paper that went around them.
Makes sense that bad paper would be recycled paper.
Yes, that’s the case with Pen and Gear steno pads (bad paper) and their other products (good, fountain pen friendly paper)
I’m enjoying this saga. I think it’s something like this. That’s the case with Pen and Gear steno pads (bad paper with recycled content) and their other products (good, fountain pen friendly paper)
15:49 oh yes Uniball one is definitely my go to for black gel pens! It doesn’t bleed through when many others do and it is very dark.
You have no idea how much I love you for this extraordinary detective work!!
Or it could be related to that particular 'batch' of paper that was used to produce the different books. I'm picking the labels were changed at a particular point in time and you have a mixture of old and new labels. Eventually the majority of the old labels will disappear as they get sold and replaced with the new.
I think they should put the quality control stickers somewhere outside, visible to the consumers. Or they can just grade their paper themselves and put the information out in the open. They should also price the different quality notebooks accordingly. There are ballpoint pens users out there who don’t care about the paper quality that much. They will be happy having something functional at a much lower price. But at the $30-50 price range, I would expect good paper without any inconsistencies.
I am a new subscriber and this has been very fascinating to watch. I also got inspired by you to get a discounted daily moleskine 23-24 for art journaling and excited to use this notebook again!
I got two Soft Cover plain notebooks from Amazon (not expanded). Made in China. Blue QC Label. "Responsible Sources". Tested Writers Blood, a bold nib with Pilot Tsutsuji, and several highlighters. All perfect. So now I want to conduct my own experimenting. I was upset to move away from Moleskine, I prefer the slimmer design...so I'm happy I found these. I'm testing my luck with another Amazon order. Fingers crossed! Love your channel. The Great Moleskine Experiment has been so interesting.
I'm so invested in this! My cubby at work is full of Moleskines from Amazon.
Hi, Michelle! I am following this saga on Moleskine paper with great interest. I wanted to let you know the wrapping paper that comes with all the journal books are called “belly bands”. Since they wrap around the belly of the notebooks no matter the brand. Thought I’d pass that on.
I found your video with the Jot notebook, and now I feel like I've discovered a gem! Recently, I wrote in my son's Oxford wide-ruled notebook using my fountain pens, and I was surprised to find it's better than mid-range Moleskine paper! Some inks don’t bleed through, and there's barely any ghosting. Curious if people living in America were aware of this (There are two Oxford companies, one from American and the other from England), I searched and came across your notebook review. I’ve just learned about Moleskine, and now I feel like I should go grab one!
I'm currently in my first "bad" Moleskine and it is frustrating. Sigh. Now I am on a mission to find the good paper again because I'm not ready to give up on Moleskine yet.
Like someone else said, the difference in wording is the old vs the new label. Both labels could be used in a transition period. All books made after July 2024 will have the new label.
I can’t link the FSC info page, but you can google ‘fsc changes mix label text’.
You go girl Michelle!!!🙌🏻🩷 I wasn’t planning to buy any of Moleskine notebooks but I gotta run to my nearest stationery shop and check them out!
I went to see what my local staples had for moleskein this weekend and the only expandeds they had were in lined 😩 I'll have to check book stores to see if they have grid versions...
cool ...learned something new tonite..
What Is FSC-Certified Paper?
When the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certifies that a paper is made of responsibly sourced wood fiber, that paper earns the FSC label. FSC certification is an important standard for our industry.
It's too bad that AMAZON doesn't show the difference between
Bad Quality paper "FSC Mix Paper from responsible *SOURCES* "
older make from vietnam..
VS
Good Quality paper "FSC Mix Supporting Responsible *FORESTRY* "
Vietnam and China
Yay!!!! I love the good moleskine notebooks!!! Thank you!!!!
You're a genius! 😮
My good Moleskine is made in Turkey, it has a orange label and, yes there is "forestry". 😊
Thank you very much for sharing your experiments and discoveries. ❤
PS:
I'm almost disappointed, why I bought it for the porous paper because I thought it will be better for pencils! 😅
Ok, let me throw a potential spanner in the works. I bought an 18 month 2023-24 planner. 2023 had bad paper. 2024 had good paper. Someone in one of my classes in a different country, had the same thing.
This has been fun to watch and I wish there was a way to tell,but I don't think the FSC label is going to be consistent enough to use as an indicator across the board sadly
I love your videos - especially the Moleskine ones 🤩. And I like and use Moleskine notebooks for decades by now. Maybe it is only a thing in Germany, but I got three Moleskine notebooks, plain pages, hardcover, large, 240 pages in the Amazon sale this month: All of them are from Turkey, all of them with darker orange stickers. Two books have the forestry, one the sources. The sources of course has bad paper, but sadly one of the forestry has also the bad paper. I don't get what's Moleskine doing with the paper. I am not too sad, because I will use them anyway. And I still got one of the 2024 daily planners with the good paper from the planner-sale. 😇
I'm so glad you found your code for good Moleskine notebooks, and I love that you love your Moleskines. But I can't get behind buying one for myself. As a company, Moleskine shouldn't be marketing and pricing all of these notebooks as equal. It's just not an honest business practice.
I just got two moleskin grid and I went and looked and I got one of each. I will let you know 😊
Yes, please keep me updated!!
I feel like the old man from 'Moonstruck'..... "I'm so confused". 😆
😂😂❤ You’re not alone
Now I'm curious which one is the newer version. My guess is forestry is being discontinued
I love it. My favorite is Moleskine.
I'm a bit annoyed at myself for skipping to the end of this whole saga. What an adventure!
I love the feel of a softcover moleskine but have been looking elsewhere lately as I have been using fountain pens and darker inks more lately and it was affecting readability once both sides of a page ghosted onto one another. I saw this and ran out to my local officeworks (Australian here) and got a set of three with a green cover as they were the only ones with this "forestry" wording. Seems you are correct, these are much better!
Although I see @jessicasblack comment below and it is a shame to get the "better" paper we are looking for something that is (maybe) slightly less ethical... Still at least it is good to have this mystery solved!
My 2024-25 moleskine Momoko Sakura weekly says "...forestry..." and is made in China. No bleed through. I think you are on to something.
I am with you I love my Moleskine notebook's they are my favorite notebook to write in 📓 🖋 🩷🩵❤️💜💖💗💓💕💞
Wow! You cracked it!!
I wonder where moleskine sources their paper. They must source it from different companies because of how inconsistent it is. Either way I’m here for this 😊
Sadly it can honestly be the time the paper is made and the weather. There’s a lot that impacts paper production.
@@JustScribble that is a very good point. I didn’t even think about that.
Sherlock Kisses at it again 😂
We are going into barns and Nobel. This is so exciting!!!
This is like following an exciting detective series. 😁🩷
went to TJ Max and bought a $9.99 Moleskin that said "Forestry", Came straight home to test it out with my fountain pen. Major feathering and bleed through. UGH! It was the Weekly Notebook Diary/Planner 2024-2025. Shucks!
Lol...I don't own a single moleskin, but I'm vested in this saga.
Vertical is up and down and horizontal is laying flat.
Oops! Yes, I misspoke there out of sheer excitement 😂
I am partway into this book verification and saw the cuppa coffee… gggrrr.. lol. I want some. Now to watch the rest. ( pray for me people)
Ohh like responsible sources= recycled paper ? Forestry could mean new paper ?
I bought one of those expanded edition Moleskins from the link in your video because of all these videos hahahah. Now I wanna buy another one and learn to crack the code 😂😂😂
Based on comments, this theory doesn't seem to be holding up. It also seems unlikely. As someone pointed out, the two FSC labels have slightly different meanings, but the "forestry" label seems more general in meaning and it's possible that one type of label verbiage is newer, while the other is older. In any case, Moleskin should really be listening to customers and trying for more consistently in their paper.
Thank you for your research! I just purchased an 18-month daily with a great discount, but it bleeds through... And yes, it says "responsibly resourced"
Love the sharing, thank you! Do you find the faux leather cover flaking off after a year or so? I’ve been getting that sometime back and got really frustrated 😢
Sorry, I have to tell you. I bought two Plain ,which state "Paper | Supporting responsible forestry". They are bleeding very very bad and I can not return them as I wrote them .
It’s a shame that they have no consistency across the range. Surely it’s not that difficult? Other companies manage it.
I would like to know where to get those fat glittery pens! Those are GORGEOUS!!! 😮
I'm hooked on this conspiracy, but at the same time
I would just buy a better brand 😅
i love moleskine as much as you do, but the fact that we have to make conspiracies to figure out which ones are actually good says something 😭😭
Enjoying your moleskine research 😊
I wonder if the company is seeing the trp hype and trying to up the quality on newer batches? It'll be interesting to see if the paper quality is better and more consistent as old batches get bought out...
At the very least, if i find expandeds with desired paper I'll be looking for the foresty label and crossing my fingers.
Thanks for that odyssey. it will help.
Love watching you geek out over this Moleskine paper experiment.😋 I have every confidence that you'll figure this thing out. The game's afoot!📗🔍
One thing I think people understand is that Moleskine has never claimed to fountain pen friendly, so I don’t understand why fountain pen users are so upset with the quality of the paper. I use fountain pens, gel pens and ballpoint pens and I choose my notebook depending upon what writing instrument I’m using. As far as I’m concerned Moleskine paper performs just as advertised.
I'm hooked n these videos and I don't even use fountain pens or other wet inks: I'm a ballpoint pen fan through and through!