Notebooks & Journals
What GSM Means on Notebook Paper
One number, published by most notebook makers and almost no planner makers, that predicts most of whether your pen will show through.
How this page is funded. Buying through a link here earns us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend or the order we recommend it in, and we have not handled these products ourselves — see how we pick and the full disclosure.
The definition, and it is simpler than it sounds
GSM is grams per square meter: the weight of a single sheet of that paper, one meter square. It is a density measure, so higher gsm means more paper between one side of a page and the other.
It is not thickness, though the two correlate closely within a paper type. And it is not quality - a heavy, badly sized paper still feathers.
What each weight handles
| Weight | Where you find it | Handles | Struggles with |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 gsm | Moleskine Classic, most office copier paper | Pencil, ballpoint | Gel ghosts. Fountain pen shows through and can feather. |
| 80 gsm | LEUCHTTURM1917 notebooks and its 2027 planner | Pencil, ballpoint, most gel, fine-nib fountain pens with dry ink | Broad wet nibs. Markers go straight through. |
| 90 gsm | Rhodia Webnotebook (Clairefontaine ivory vellum) | Everything above, plus most fountain pens comfortably | Very wet broad nibs, still, occasionally |
| 120 gsm | Clever Fox and Legend planners | Markers as well as everything else | Little. The cost is bulk and fewer sheets. |
Quick picks
Ranked for the person doing the buying. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image Rhodia Webnotebook A5, Dot 90 gsm Clairefontaine ivory vellum, which is the heaviest mainstream notebook paper in this comparison by a clear margin. | A fountain-pen user, without qualification | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 2 | No image LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook 80 gsm paper, 251 numbered pages and a printed contents page, which is why this is the default recommendation in every journaling forum. | The bullet-journal standard | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 3 | No image Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover The notebook everyone knows by sight, on 70 gsm paper that is lighter than its main rival and honest about it. | The recognizable one | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
1. A fountain-pen user, without qualification
Rhodia Webnotebook A5, Dot
90 gsm Clairefontaine ivory vellum, which is the heaviest mainstream notebook paper in this comparison by a clear margin.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
90 gsm is the number to buy this for. Against 70 gsm Moleskine paper that is roughly 29 percent more paper between one page and the next, and that is where fountain-pen show-through stops being a problem.
The trade is page count. 160 pages against 251 for the Leuchtturm1917 at a similar size - heavier paper in a book of the same thickness means fewer sheets. That is physics, not a cost saving.
Ivory rather than white is a real preference axis. It is easier on the eye under a desk lamp and it flattens the contrast of a photograph, which matters if anyone is posting pages.
| Paper weight | 90 gsm Clairefontaine brushed ivory vellum10 gsm above the Leuchtturm1917 and 20 above the Moleskine Classic.Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia A5 Webnotebook, Dot, Black |
|---|---|
| Pages | 160 (80 sheets)Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook, A5 |
| Size | A5, approximately 5.5" x 8.25"Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook - A5 |
| Fittings | Leatherette cover, inner pocket, ribbon page marker, elastic closureSource: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook, A5 |
| Page numbers | Not publishedNot numbered. Rhodia does not target the indexed-journal use case. |
What it does well
- 90 gsm Clairefontaine paper, the heaviest here, and the safe choice for fountain-pen ink.
- Ivory stock is comfortable under artificial light.
- Soft leatherette cover, pocket, ribbon and elastic as standard.
What it does not
- 160 pages, roughly two thirds of the Leuchtturm1917's count.
- No page numbers or contents page.
- Less recognizable as a brand than the other two, which matters in a gift.
Skip this: if the recipient keeps an indexed bullet journal. No page numbers means hand-numbering, and at 160 pages they will run out sooner than they expect.
2. The bullet-journal standard
LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook
80 gsm paper, 251 numbered pages and a printed contents page, which is why this is the default recommendation in every journaling forum.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
Numbered pages plus a printed contents page is the whole reason bullet journaling settled on this book. An index needs page numbers, and printing them saves the user writing 251 of them.
80 gsm against the Moleskine Classic's published 70 gsm is a 14 percent difference in paper weight, and it is the difference most people notice as ghosting on the reverse of a page.
Two ribbons is not decoration in a journal that has an index. One marks the index, one marks today.
| Paper weight | 80 gsmSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
|---|---|
| Pages | 251 numbered pages, with 8 perforated detachable sheetsSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Size | A5, approximately 5.75" x 8.25" (145 x 210 mm)Source: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Fittings | Blank table of contents, two page markers, gusseted rear pocket, elastic band, archival stickersSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Binding | Thread bound, opens flatSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
What it does well
- 251 pre-numbered pages and a blank contents page, ready for an index.
- 80 gsm published, the heaviest of the three mainstream hardcovers here.
- Thread bound, so it lies flat from the first page.
What it does not
- Still not fountain-pen-proof; 80 gsm reduces show-through, it does not eliminate it.
- The dot grid is fainter than some users want for straight-line work.
Skip this: if the recipient has never mentioned journaling. A 251-page dotted notebook handed to a non-journaler is 251 blank pages of obligation. See how to pick a journal as a gift.
3. The recognizable one
Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover
The notebook everyone knows by sight, on 70 gsm paper that is lighter than its main rival and honest about it.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
70 gsm versus 80 is the entire technical argument between this and the Leuchtturm1917, and it is a real one: lighter paper shows more of what is on the reverse. Whether that matters depends entirely on what the recipient writes with.
What Moleskine has that its rival does not is recognition. For a gift that is worth something concrete - the recipient knows what it is before they open the card.
No page numbers and no contents page. For freeform notes that is irrelevant; for an indexed journal it is 240 numbers to write by hand.
| Paper weight | 70 gsmMoleskine publishes this, and it is 10 gsm under the Leuchtturm1917.Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
|---|---|
| Pages | 240Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Size | Large, 5" x 8.25"Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Paper stock | FSC certified, acid free (pH neutral)Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Page numbers | Not publishedPages are not numbered and there is no printed contents page. A bullet journal user will number them by hand. |
What it does well
- Universally recognized, which does real work in a gift.
- FSC certified, acid-free paper with a published weight.
- Slightly thinner block than the Leuchtturm for the same page count, so it carries better.
What it does not
- 70 gsm ghosts more than 80 gsm with gel and fountain pens.
- No pre-numbered pages or contents page.
Skip this: if you know they use a fountain pen. Buy the Rhodia at 90 gsm instead and spend the difference on ink. See Leuchtturm1917 versus Moleskine.
The arithmetic worth doing
Going from 70 gsm to 90 gsm is roughly 29 percent more paper between one page and the next. From 70 to 80 is about 14 percent. Those are the two steps that matter, and both are checkable from a product listing before you buy.
The cost of the heavier paper is page count, and it is not a small effect. In a book of the same thickness, 90 gsm gives 160 pages where 80 gsm gives 251. Roughly a third fewer sheets for a third more weight, which is what you would expect from the physics.
The second variable, which nobody publishes
Weight predicts show-through. It does not predict feathering, and that is why two papers at the same gsm can behave completely differently.
Feathering is about sizing - the treatment that makes a paper surface more or less absorbent. Heavily sized paper holds ink on the surface, so the line stays crisp and takes longer to dry. Lightly sized paper wicks ink along its fibers and the line blurs.
No maker publishes a sizing figure. What you get instead is reputation - Clairefontaine's vellum finish is the well-known example of a heavily sized paper - and that is genuinely all the information available. We would rather say so than invent a number.
Ghosting, bleed-through and feathering are three things
| What you see | Name | Caused by |
|---|---|---|
| Ink faintly visible on the reverse | Ghosting | Weight. Too little paper between the sides. |
| Ink soaked through, marking the next sheet | Bleed-through | Weight and absorbency together, or a very wet pen |
| The line spreading into a blur | Feathering | Sizing. Nothing to do with weight. |
Ghosting is usually acceptable - most people write on both sides of 80 gsm without minding. Bleed-through is not, because it costs you the next page. Feathering is the one that makes handwriting look bad. Pens that do not bleed through covers the pen side of the same problem.
What to check before buying
- Is a weight published at all? Notebook makers usually publish it. Planner makers usually do not - and absence of a figure is not evidence of bad paper, only evidence that you are buying without information.
- Is it 80 gsm or above? That is the practical threshold for gel and fine fountain nibs.
- Is it 90 gsm or above? That is where fountain-pen doubt mostly disappears.
- What is the page count at that weight? Heavier paper means fewer sheets, and for a heavy writer that is a real trade.
Questions people actually ask
What does gsm mean on notebook paper?
Grams per square meter - the weight of one sheet a meter square. Higher gsm means more paper between one side of the page and the other.
What gsm is good for fountain pens?
90 gsm removes most doubt. 80 gsm is usually workable with a fine nib and a dry ink; 70 gsm generally is not.
Why do two 80 gsm papers behave differently?
Because weight predicts show-through and sizing predicts feathering, and no maker publishes a sizing figure. A heavily sized paper holds ink on the surface; a lightly sized one wicks it along the fibers.
What is the difference between ghosting and bleed-through?
Ghosting is ink faintly visible from the other side and is usually acceptable. Bleed-through has soaked through and marks the next sheet, which costs you the page.
Is higher gsm always better?
No. Heavier paper means fewer sheets in the same thickness - 90 gsm gives about 160 pages where 80 gsm gives 251 - so a heavy writer is trading longevity for ink handling.