Pen Worthy or Pass? 📄 Midori MD Notebook

If you've been around the fountain pen community for even a little while, chances are you've heard people talk about the Midori MD Notebook. Minimalist design, creamy paper, and that simple thread-bound spine: it's a notebook that feels iconic. But as always, the question we ask here is: how does it actually hold up with fountain pens.

Like many of us, I started off thinking all papers were the same, until I learned the hard way (and collected a stacked of abandoned notebooks in the process). Midori's MD paper was one of the first well-known fountain pen-friendly papers I've ever tried. I think I must have seen it recommended by someone on Reddit. I do know how it performs, as my first ever daily journal was in a Midori MD Notebook, but I've never actually made proper tests on it with a lot of different pens and ink swatching, so here we are!

The Basics

The Midori MD Notebook is all about simplicity. No fancy covers, no unnecessary extras, just pure paper and binding that’s meant to disappear behind your writing. Here’s a quick rundown of the specs for the A5, grid version I’m using:

• 88 sheets/176 pages

• ~80 gsm, acid-free paper

• Cream colored MD paper

• Pale blue, 5mm grid

• Off-white cardstock cover

• 1 ribbon bookmark

• Thread-stitched binding

• Label stickers included

This A5 grid version was priced at 390 THB (around 12 USD at the time of writing). This breaks down to 2.2 THB/page or 4.4 THB/sheet. If you're in Bangkok, you can find Midori MD notebooks at Lamune and Kinokuniya. There might be a few more places where you can get them, but these were the 2 places I've personally seen them in.

Fountain Pen Tests

The purpose of this review is mainly to see how fountain pen-friendly the notebook is. So while I'm not going to deep-dive into each feature that the notebook offers, I'll be testing the paper with various fountain pens with different applications.

Test 1: Fine and Medium Nibs

My go-to nib sizes on fountain pens are fine and extra fine, but I also occasionally use medium nib pens, so those are what I'm using in this test. I've also thrown in a "wet combo" in there to see if a somewhat "wet" pen and ink combo would feather or not.

Pen & Ink Combos used

• Platinum Century 3776 <F> + Aurora - Black

• Lamy Safari <M> + Lamy - Black

• TWSBI ECO <EF> + Pilot Iroshizuku - Shin-ryoku

Writing Experience

The MD paper has a subtle toothiness that gives feedback without being scratchy. It’s not glassy-smooth like Rhodia or Tomoe River, but that’s actually part of its charm. Personally, I love hearing that faint nib-on-paper sound during long writing sessions, it feels grounding.

Performance

🪶 Feathering: No feathering

🩸 Bleed-through: No bleed-through

👻 Ghosting: Slight ghosting, but not distracting

Test 2: Stub Nib

I regularly use stub nib pens to write big headers, whether I'm journaling or taking notes for certain things. So I thought it would be a good idea to test them here, too.

Pen & Ink Combo Used

Kaweco Perkeo 1.9 mm stub nib + Robert Oster - Jade

Writing Experience

The MD Paper is quite well-known for its performance with fountain pens, so I had high hopes for this test. I was not disappointed at all. It handled the stub nib quite well, even with an ink that’s quite wet-flowing.

Performance

🪶 Feathering: No feathering

🩸 Bleed-through: No bleed-through

👻 Ghosting: Moderate ghosting, might bother some people

Test 3: Ink Swatching

To be fair, I've used a Midori MD Light notebook as my ink journal before, so I knew that it would be able to handle ink swatches quite well. However, I've never actually taken a look as to how well it shows the ink properties, so here we go.

Pen & Ink Combo Used

• Kakimori Brass Nib Pen

• Shading ink: Troublemaker - Abalone

• Sheening ink: KWZ - Sheen Machine

Writing Experience

Shading looks gorgeous on MD paper, Abalone shifts clearly from pale to deep tones. Sheen is present with Majestic Blue, although not as dramatic as Tomoe River. For those who want “balanced” performance rather than “maximum showcase,” MD is perfect.

Performance

🌀 Ink Shading: The shading was excellent. I can see the beautiful shading in the ink.

💎 Ink Sheening: The sheen is slightly dulled, but still appears in a good amount. Not as intense as it can get, but you can still enjoy the sheen from your sheening inks.

🪶 Feathering: No feathering

This MD Paper handled ink swatching beautifully. There was no bleed-through at all, and the ghosting is just moderate enough that it shouldn’t interfere with using the reverse side of the paper at all.

🩸 Bleed-through: No bleed-through

👻 Ghosting: Moderate ghosting, might bother some people

So overall, if you want to use your Midori MD notebook to swatch inks or keep an ink journal, it's quite a great choice.

Test 4: Flex Nib

Flex nib pens can lay down a heavy, wet line of ink, especially during downstrokes. Even inks that seem only moderately wet in regular pens can gush with a flex nib. If the paper is too absorbent, the ink tends to spread uncontrollably and soak through.

Pen & Ink Combo Used

F.P.R. Himalaya V2 <Ultra Flex> + Sailor Shikiori - Tokiwa-matsu

Writing Experience

This is the one test I've never tried with MD paper before this. I was delighted to find out that even with a flex nib, there was no bleed-through at all, and even the ghosting just remained at the moderate level that wouldn’t interfere with the reverse side.

Performance

🪶 Feathering: No feathering

🩸 Bleed-through: No bleed-through

👻 Ghosting: Moderate ghosting, might bother some people

Scorecard

Here are the scores I have for the Midori MD Notebook. As different people have different needs for their notebooks, I would recommend looking at the criteria that matter to you if you’re considering getting this notebook.

🪶 Feathering: 5/5

No feathering at all, even with wet nibs or pressure

🩸 Bleed-through: 5/5

No bleed-through, even with swabs or flex nibs

👻 Ghosting: 4/5

Slight ghosting, but not distracting

🌀 Ink Shading: 5/5

Shading is rich and pronounced with most inks

💎 Ink Sheening: 4/5

Sheen is visible with highly saturated or sheening inks

💰 Price & Value: 4/5

Good value; price matches performance

If you want to learn more about my rating system, you can find my scorecard rating guide here.

Is it Pen-worthy?

Overall score:

27/30: ✅ Truly Pen-Worthy

(You can find my "pen-worthiness" scale here.)

The Midori MD Notebook is an excellent option if you’re looking for a truly high-quality fountain pen-friendly paper. The price is considered mid to high, depending on where you’re purchasing it from. It has a slightly toothy texture that gives a nice feel as you write. It’s a clean, understated notebook made for writers who appreciate quality paper and functional design.

Personally, MD Notebook is my ride-or-die choice for any writing at all. Whether I’m taking notes, writing my diary, or swatching inks, it’s one of my top choices. If Midori offered a hardcover option with an elastic band closure, I think I’d never stray from them at all.

Disclaimer

Please note that these reviews are based on my own experience of using the paper/notebook. Unless stated otherwise, these notebooks were bought with my own money, and I’m in no way affiliated with or sponsored by the brand of the product I’m reviewing.

If you have any feedback or recommendations, please feel free to leave them in the comments!