--- title: "Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5: Paper & Rulings" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/apica-premium-cd-notebook/" description: "Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5 explained: 148 × 210 mm, 192 pages of 86.5 g/m² A.Silky 865 paper, thread-sewn binding, rulings, fountain pens and origin." category: "Notebooks" type: "Softcover notebook" published: 2026-10-20 updated: 2026-10-20 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 14 products: - name: "Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5, 96 sheets (blank CDS90W; also lined and grid)" brand: "Apica" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Japan" material: "A.Silky 865 Premium paper (86.5 g/m², per retailers), fancy-paper card cover, thread-sewn binding" price_band: "$$ ($5–20 per notebook, typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Nippon Note Co., Ltd. (日本ノート株式会社)" model: "CDS90" mpn: "CDS90W" gtin: "4970090340095" url: "https://www.nippon-note.co.jp/products/detail/1121" --- # Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5: Paper & Rulings > The Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5 is a sewn, soft-cover notebook from Japan's Apica, 148 × 210 mm (5.8 × 8.3 in). It has 96 sheets (192 pages) of A.Silky 865 paper, which retailers give as 86.5 g/m², in lined, grid or blank versions. Its Japanese list price is ¥1,397 (about US$8.80) with tax. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/apica-premium-cd-notebook/ - Category: Notebooks - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-20 - Updated: 2026-10-20 ![Drawing of a black Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5, 210 mm tall and 148 mm wide, closed and opened flat on its first page, a small index with entries and page numbers, with thread stitching in the fold](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/apica-premium-cd-notebook-16x9.png) *The Premium C.D. A5 closed and open at the index page, magnified in the inset (1 mm = 1 px).* Original drawing (SVG): https://stationerytimes.com/images/apica-premium-cd-notebook-cover.svg. Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5, 96 sheets (blank CDS90W; also lined and grid) | Apica (by Nippon Note Co., Ltd. (日本ノート株式会社)) | Japan | Japan | A.Silky 865 Premium paper (86.5 g/m², per retailers), fancy-paper card cover, thread-sewn binding | – | $$: $5–20 per notebook | - Made in (Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5, 96 sheets (blank CDS90W; also lined and grid)): Japan. Papeterie Makkura lists Made in Japan for the blank and grid A5; The Journal Shop lists Japan as the country of origin for the ruled A5, and Write Gear says all CD Notebooks are made in Japan. Nippon Note's Japanese product pages give codes, JAN, weight and price but no country of manufacture. Source: https://papeterie-makkura.fr/en/notebooks/4325-apica-premium-cd-notebook-a5-blank-4970090340095.html ## Key takeaways - The A5 measures 148 × 210 mm (5.8 × 8.3 in) and holds 96 sheets, or 192 pages. - Its paper is Apica's A.Silky 865 Premium, given as 86.5 g/m² by Goulet Pens and The Pen Addict. - Wirecutter picked it as its best medium softcover notebook; 4 of its 5 panelists ranked it first or second. - Nippon Note, which makes Apica notebooks, lists it at 290 g and ¥1,397 (about US$8.80) including tax in Japan. - Retailers including The Journal Shop and Papeterie Makkura list it as made in Japan. ## What is the Apica Premium C.D. Notebook? **It's a thread-sewn, soft-cover A5 notebook from the Japanese brand Apica, sold on the strength of its smooth A.Silky 865 paper.** Apica notebooks are now made and sold by Nippon Note (日本ノート), whose Japanese site calls the line 紳士なノート, "the gentleman's notebook". Nippon Note's product page notes that it won the grand prix in the function category of the 21st Japan Stationery Awards (日本文具大賞). In the US, Wirecutter's notebook guide names the Premium C.D. A5 its top pick for a medium softcover notebook; four of its five panelists chose it as their first or second favorite. ## Apica Premium C.D. A5 specs | Spec | Value | |---|---| | Size | 148 × 210 mm (5.8 × 8.3 in), A5 | | Pages | 96 sheets (192 pages), not numbered | | Paper | A.Silky 865 Premium, 86.5 g/m² (per retailers) | | Rulings | 7 mm lined, 24 lines (CDS90Y) · 5 mm grid (CDS90S) · blank (CDS90W) | | Binding | Thread-sewn (糸かがり綴じ); opens flat | | Cover | Shimmering fancy-paper card, black cloth spine | | Weight | 290 g (Nippon Note) | | Index | A small index on the first page | | JAN | Lined 4970090340071 · grid 4970090340088 · blank 4970090340095 | | List price (Japan) | ¥1,397 (about US$8.80) with tax; ¥1,270 (about US$8.00) before tax | | Made in | Japan, per retailers | Nippon Note's Japanese product pages list each A5 as W148 × H210 mm with 96 sheets of A.Silky 865 Premium, a weight of 290 g, the three codes and JAN barcodes, and a list price of ¥1,397 (about US$8.80) including tax. They don't give a paper weight or a country of manufacture, so the 86.5 g/m² comes from Goulet Pens, Papeterie Makkura and The Pen Addict, and the index and the lack of page numbers from Wirecutter. Goulet measures the book at 10.5 mm (0.4 in) thick. ## What is A.Silky 865 paper? **A.Silky 865 Premium is Apica's own name for the paper in the C.D. Notebook; the "865" appears to refer to its 86.5 g/m² weight.** That is a little heavier than the 80 g/m² in a standard Leuchtturm1917 and lighter than Clairefontaine's 90 g/m². ![Bar chart drawn to scale of paper weight: Moleskine Classic 70 g/m², Leuchtturm1917 A5 80 g/m², Apica Premium C.D. 86.5 g/m², Clairefontaine and Rhodia 90 g/m², Bullet Journal Edition 2 120 g/m²](https://stationerytimes.com/images/apica-premium-cd-notebook-paper-weight.svg) *Published paper weights for five common notebooks.* Nippon Note doesn't publish the weight itself, so the figure above is the one Goulet Pens, Papeterie Makkura and The Pen Addict give for the A5. Nippon Note also sells a cream-paper A5 (CDC90Y) on Apica's traditional cream woodfree ledger paper; it's a different paper, so this figure doesn't apply to it. ## Is it good for fountain pens? **Reviewers mostly say yes, with a caveat; we haven't tested it ourselves.** Wirecutter's panelists saw little feathering with fountain pen ink, and The Pen Addict's 2020 review praised the very smooth paper. The Pen Addict's follow-up on September 24, 2026, saw some feathering with a sharp flex nib and one ink, so results depend on the nib and ink. Paper weight alone doesn't decide it; sizing does. See our [best notebooks for fountain pens](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-notebooks-for-fountain-pens/) for how it ranks. ## How does it compare to the Midori MD and Leuchtturm1917? **The Apica has more pages than the Midori and slightly heavier paper than the Leuchtturm1917, but no ribbon and no page numbers.** | | Apica Premium C.D. A5 | [Midori MD Notebook A5](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/midori-md-notebook-a5/) | [Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/leuchtturm1917-a5-notebook/) | |---|---|---|---| | Size | 148 × 210 mm | 148 × 210 mm | 145 × 210 mm | | Pages | 192 | 176 | 251, numbered | | Paper | 86.5 g/m² | 80–90 g/m² (retailers) | 80 g/m² | | Cover | Card | Paper | Hard cover | | Ribbon | No | Yes | 2 | Wirecutter points people who want numbered pages and a ribbon to the Leuchtturm1917 Softcover instead. For 200 pages of cream paper in a thread-bound A5, see the [LIFE Noble Note A5](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/life-noble-note-a5/). ## Does it lie flat? **Yes: Nippon Note says it uses thread-sewn (糸かがり) binding so the book opens flat, with a colored thread as an accent.** Wirecutter and retailer listings say the same. The trade-off is the cover. It's a card cover, not a hard case, so it bends in a bag and gives you nothing firm to write on away from a desk. If you mostly write at a table, that matters less; if you write on your knee, a hard-cover A5 is steadier. ## Which ruling should you choose? **Pick lined for writing, grid for planning and diagrams, and blank for sketching.** All three share the same paper and page count. Nippon Note's Japanese site gives the lined A5 7 mm spacing with 24 lines a page, and the grid 5 mm squares; each ruling has its own cover color. Goulet sells the A5 in black and red, and Nippon Note also lists limited-color covers. The last letter of the code marks the ruling (Y lined, S grid, W blank), so check it if you're reordering. ## Where is the Apica notebook made? **Retailers list the Apica Premium C.D. A5 as made in Japan.** Papeterie Makkura states "Made in Japan" for the blank and grid A5, and The Journal Shop lists Japan for the ruled A5. Write Gear says all CD Notebooks are made in Japan. Apica is a Japanese brand, but Nippon Note's product pages don't name the country of manufacture, so the origin rests on retailers. ## Frequently asked questions ### What paper does the Apica Premium C.D. Notebook use? It uses Apica's own A.Silky 865 Premium paper, which Nippon Note says glides smoothly under fountain pens and ballpoints. Goulet Pens, Papeterie Makkura and The Pen Addict give its weight as 86.5 g/m². ### How many pages does the Apica C.D. Notebook A5 have? The A5 has 96 sheets, which is 192 pages. The pages are not numbered, but the first page has a small index. ### Is the Apica Premium C.D. good for fountain pens? Wirecutter's panelists saw little feathering with fountain pen ink, and The Pen Addict praised its smooth paper in 2020, though a 2026 follow-up saw some feathering with a sharp flex nib and one ink. We haven't tested it ourselves. ### Does the Apica C.D. Notebook lie flat? Yes. Nippon Note says it uses thread-sewn (糸かがり) binding so it opens flat, and Wirecutter and retailers agree. It has a soft card cover, not a hard case. ### What does CDS90 mean? It is the code for the A5 Premium C.D. A letter at the end marks the ruling: Nippon Note's Japanese site lists CDS90Y for 7 mm lines, CDS90S for a 5 mm grid and CDS90W for blank. CDC90Y is the A5 with cream paper. ### Where is the Apica notebook made? Papeterie Makkura and The Journal Shop list the Premium C.D. A5 as made in Japan. Apica is a Japanese brand now made and sold by Nippon Note, whose own pages don't state the country. ### Does the Apica C.D. Notebook have a ribbon? No. Wirecutter notes it has no ribbon marker and no numbered pages, and points to the Leuchtturm1917 Softcover if you want those. ## Sources - [プレミアムCDノート A5 無罫 CDS90W｜日本ノート株式会社 (Nippon Note product page: ¥1,397 incl. tax, JAN, 96 sheets, 290 g, thread-sewn)](https://www.nippon-note.co.jp/products/detail/1121) - [プレミアムCDノート A5 横罫 CDS90Y｜日本ノート株式会社 (Nippon Note: lined A5, 7 mm × 24 lines, JAN)](https://www.nippon-note.co.jp/products/detail/1119) - [プレミアムCDノート A5 方眼罫 CDS90S｜日本ノート株式会社 (Nippon Note: 5 mm grid A5, JAN)](https://www.nippon-note.co.jp/products/detail/1120) - [CDノート/プレミアムCDノート｜日本ノート株式会社 (Nippon Note C.D. Notebook series page: paper, binding, lineup)](https://www.nippon-note.co.jp/lp/cd/) - [ヨドバシ.com: アピカ 紳士なノート プレミアムCDノート A5 無地 CDS90W (Yodobashi: 148 × 210 mm, 96 sheets, thread-sewn)](https://www.yodobashi.com/product/100000001001483036/) - [Papeterie Makkura: Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5, Blank, CDS90W (86.5 gsm, made in Japan)](https://papeterie-makkura.fr/en/notebooks/4325-apica-premium-cd-notebook-a5-blank-4970090340095.html) - [Papeterie Makkura: Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5, Grid](https://papeterie-makkura.fr/en/notebooks/4324-apica-premium-cd-notebook-a5-grid-4970090340088.html) - [The Journal Shop: Apica Premium CD Notebook A5 Ruled (96 sheets, 7 mm × 24 lines, country of origin Japan)](https://www.thejournalshop.com/products/apica-cd-notebook-ruled-a5) - [Goulet Pens: Apica Premium CD A5 Notebook, Black, Blank (86.5 g paper, 10.5 mm thick)](https://gouletpens.com/products/apica-premium-cd-a5-notebook-black-blank) - [Goulet Pens: Apica Premium CD A5 Notebook, Red, Graph](https://www.gouletpens.com/products/apica-premium-cd-a5-notebook-red-graph) - [Write Gear: Apica Premium CD Notebooks, A5 (all CD Notebooks made in Japan)](https://writegear.co.za/product/apica-premium-cd-notebooks-a5/) - [Wirecutter: The Best Notebooks (Apica Premium C.D. Notebook A5)](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-notebooks/) - [The Pen Addict: Apica CD Premium Notebook Review (April 2, 2020; 86.5 gsm)](https://www.penaddict.com/blog/2020/4/2/apica-cd-premium-notebook-review) - [The Pen Addict: Apica Notebooks, A Quick Review (September 24, 2026)](https://www.penaddict.com/blog/2026/9/24/apica-notebooks-a-quick-review)