Apica Notebook CD-11 lined navy (A5)

The Apica CD-11 is a slim A5 notebook from Japanese production – featuring thread binding, acid-free 81.4 g/m² paper and a textured soft cover in deep navy blue. 28 sheets, 56 pages, 25 lines per page: a compact format for notes created daily and designed to remain legible for years. The paper is explicitly fountain-pen friendly – a quality that Apica has deliberately developed in Japan for this series.

Features

• Fountain-pen-friendly paper (81.4 g/m²): The smooth, lightly coated surface allows fountain pen inks to flow evenly – nibs from fine to medium width glide without resistance, inks dry quickly and show minimal show-through. Shading and moderate sheen effects stand out beautifully on the white paper.
• Acid-free paper: The neutral pH prevents the paper from yellowing or becoming brittle over time – notes and ink colours remain stable for years.
• Thread binding: The pages are sewn together, not glued. This gives the notebook stability throughout its lifespan and allows it to open flat – even at the spine.
• 7 mm ruling, 25 lines: A classical line spacing that works well for handwriting in normal to slightly larger font sizes – plenty of room for fountain pen writing without the page feeling empty.
• Textured soft cover in sturdy card: The subtly textured surface in navy blue feels pleasant in the hand. The card is stiff enough to serve as a writing surface when no desk is available.
• Compact format (A5, 28 sheets): The modest page count is intentional – one notebook per topic, project or time period, without pages left blank.

Use & Tips

• With fountain pen: Nibs up to M width work reliably on CD-11 paper without feathering. With very wet writers or broad nibs (stub nib, soft flex nib), a test sheet is recommended, as the paper becomes more sensitive with extreme ink quantities.
• With gel pen and rollerball: The smooth paper is ideal for quick-drying gel refills – clean lines, no smudging.
• As a project or subject notebook: The manageable number of sheets invites you to keep one notebook per topic – meeting notes, travel sketches, reading thoughts – without the feeling of never filling a thick journal.
• In A5 sleeves and planners: The CD-11 fits standard A5 leather and fabric sleeves as well as ringless A5 planner systems and can be used as an insert.
• As an ink sample reference: The white paper tone and smooth surface are well suited to documenting and comparing ink colours, sheen effects and nib widths.
• Pencil: The smooth surface means pencil grip is slightly less than on rougher papers – for pencil enthusiasts, a short test is recommended first.

For Paper Enthusiasts

The Apica CD-11 in A5 uses paper that differs slightly in texture and ink behaviour from its B5 counterpart (CD-15) – both formats are supplied by Apica with different paper types, although this is rarely communicated in everyday marketing. The A5 paper is specified at 81.4 g/m² but feels surprisingly light: the notebook remains thin and portable despite the weight. The thread binding is divided into several small signatures, which contributes to the notebook opening completely flat without effort – a feature often lacking in glued notebooks at this price point.

Technical Specifications