I love that these sketchbooks are made in the USA! The paper is high quality sketch paper, which takes pencil and ink very well. It holds up to a good deal of erasing, and tolerates watercolor very well for a non-watercolor sketch book. A couple layers of watercolor doesn’t cause pilling or bleeding, and though it cockles while you’re working, it does dry fairly flat. Which is very impressive, since that’s not what sketch paper is made for! I can use fountain pens on this paper with little to no bleed through—including my flex-nib Noodlers pens. Copic markers do bleed through if you hold them in place too long, but for quick passes they work fine (and that’s how I typically use them anyway). Brush pens such as the Pentel Pocket Brush work great! Several juicy layers does not bleed through. This B5 size is perfect for me, as are the 48-count sheets—just right for filling in a month or so, which makes the three-pack helpful. They have a nice sturdy feel. Northbooks also has phenomenal customer service and are really great to work with! My new favorite sketchbooks, definitely will continue to buy these. Love their notebooks as well, and Northbooks is my go-to for all things sketch and noteworthy!!