This notebook is for all the fountain pen and ink fanatics out there: the Ink Journal. It was created by Tom Oddo of Goldspot Pens, who I am sure tests a lot of pens and inks, and as such, must have put a lot of thought into what a perfect ink-testing notebook would be.

A specialized notebook like this won’t be for everyone. If you don’t use fountain pens and bottled inks, you don’t need this notebook. But pen and ink fans will love it!

Each page spread gives you a standardized set of criteria by which to judge how various pens and inks perform. Space is provided to record the name of the ink, what size nib was used, drying time and other factors. For those who are new to thinking about inks this way, a handy card is provided with definitions of pen and ink terms and suggestions for how to use the notebook.

The front of the notebook has index pages where you can list the inks you’ve tested. The Ink Journal is a smaller size than most of the Moleskine Cahier/Field Notes-type notebooks on the market– shown here with a pocket size Moleskine for comparison.

I personally am not a serious pen and ink user, so I just did a couple of quick tests of some of my usual pens. The point of this notebook isn’t necessarily to have the very best possible paper for fountain pen use– it just has to be consistent so you can compare one pen to another.

You can buy these in 3-packs for $9.99 directly from the Ink Journal website. Or you can enter to win one of the two individual notebooks I’m giving away to randomly selected winners. Enter in any or all of these ways:

On Twitter, tweet something containing “@inkjournal” and “@NotebookStories, and follow “@inkjournal” and “@NotebookStories.”

On Facebook, “like” the  Notebook Stories page  and the InkJournal page, and post something containing the words “Ink Journal” on the Notebook Stories wall.

On your blog, post something containing the words “Ink Journal” and “Notebook Stories” and link back to this blog.

The deadline for entry is tomorrow, Friday Nov. 30 at 11:59PM, EST. Good luck everyone!
And please remember to check my posts on Facebook and Twitter for an announcement of the winner.