Apica Notebook CD-10 lined lilac (A6)

The Apica CD-10 in Lilac is a slim A6 notebook in the Japanese school exercise book format – compact enough for a jacket pocket, yet large enough for proper note-taking. The cover is made from textured, heavyweight card stock that sits comfortably in the hand, with a muted lilac hue offering a calming, understated pastel. Inside: 52 sheets of acid-free Apica paper at 81.4 g/m², bound with a flat-lying thread binding.

Features

• Fountain pen-friendly paper (81.4 g/m²): The smooth, slightly cream-white Apica paper is designed for fountain pen nibs – ink dries quickly, shows minimal feathering, and produces virtually no show-through (ghosting). Even with broad nibs and heavily saturated inks, your writing remains crisp.
• Thread binding: The sewn binding holds the leaves together permanently and allows the notebook to lie completely flat – no resistance at the spine, even on the first and last pages.
• 7 mm ruling, 25 lines: The line spacing offers ample room for relaxed handwriting without pressure; at the same time, 104 pages accommodate plenty of entries.
• Acid-free paper: Ink and paper age together without yellowing – notes, sketches and ink samples remain well-preserved over time.
• Softcover in textured card stock: The cover is rigid enough to write on without a clipboard, yet gives slightly – no stiff clamping when held in one hand.
• Labelling lines on the cover: The front cover features printed lines for labelling – ideal for serial numbers, subject matter or date ranges when keeping multiple notebooks running in parallel.

Use & Tips

• Fountain pens with medium to broad nibs: The 81.4 g/m² paper handles wet inks and broad nibs with ease. Inks with heavy shading or subtle shimmer come into their own on the light paper.
• Ink sampling and paper testing: The format makes the CD-10 an ideal test notebook for new inks – compact, affordable, and the paper responds honestly to different ink types.
• Daily journalling or calligraphy practice: The 7 mm ruling provides plenty of height for italic nibs or for readable everyday handwriting.
• Running multiple notebooks in parallel: If you keep different subjects separate (ideas, meetings, reading notes), the labelling lines on the cover and flat form factor mean several stacked notebooks take up minimal space.
• Gel and liquid ink refills: Fast-drying gel refills flow smoothly on the smooth paper – no scratching, no surface tearing.

For Paper Enthusiasts

Apica has been manufacturing its CD notebooks in Japan for decades. The 81.4 g/m² paper in the A6 range differs from the lighter 70 g/m² paper used in smaller Apica formats: it's noticeably thicker, the reverse side shows less ghosting, and the stroke appears more contrasty on the smooth surface. The thread binding consists of two sewn signatures that are mechanically more stable than glued bindings and won't fall apart even after intensive use. The acid-free paper meets archival standards – relevant for anyone wanting to compare ink colours over the years or preserve written documents long-term.

Technical Specifications