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The Paper Plane - Filofax A5 Refillable Notebook (Architexture) I've been enjoying this little corner of the web for some time now, mainly focusing on inks and pens. But these are more or less useless without the humble paper/notebook that let's you capture your thoughts. So here comes the "Paper Plane", where I review some of the paper and notebooks that I've enjoyed using over the years. Today's guest is the Filofax A5 Refillable Notebook, and more specifically the Architexture variant of this nice piece of stationary. Filofax is best known for their planners, but they also have a really useful notebook, that came to market somewhere around 2015. I failed to notice it then, but I stumbled across it a couple of months ago, and decided to try it out. The "Architexture" incarnation of these notebooks has a very minimalistic design, that I find aesthetically pleasing. The notebook on the photo is the "Blue Suede" variant, which has a kind of velours feel to it, and has the big advantage of exhibiting strong anti-slip properties. This notebook stays put on the surface where you lay it down - a property that I appreciate. Branding is almost absent, except for a small engraved logo on the back-cover. These Filofax notebooks come in a wide variety of cover designs, so there is sure to be one to match your liking. You can get them in A4, A5 and A6 sizes. My main purpose is for notetaking at work, so I got me the A5 size which fits my needs perfectly. The defining characteristic of this notebook is its spiral binding, which keeps the pages together. This spiral is the Filofax implementation of the well-known disc-bound system for refillable notebooks. I personally prefer this spiral binding over solid discs. The spirals feel less obtrusive, and make for a less bulky feel of the notebook. They look flimsy, but are sturdy enough and up to the task. The spiral binding pokes through the back of the notebook. This may look a bit odd, but that's how the spiral is attached to the cover. On the inside, the spiral keeps the (refillable) pages together. A completely filled notebook is about 1 cm thick, and can comfortably hold about 60 sheets (I actually counted the pages in my own notebook ;-). A new notebook comes with 56 lined 100gsm sheets, 4 dividers and a plastic ruler that can also serve as a bookmark. I know that 60 sheets doesn't sound like a lot, but these notebooks are refillable, so that's not much of an issue. What I really like about this notebook is that it stays completely flat when opened. This makes for a very comfortable writing surface aka the Paper Plane. The spiral binding is small enough not to be intrusive, and doesn't obstruct your writing while using the left-side page. This notebook makes use of removable pages with punch holes that have a slit extending to the side of the paper. This means that you can easily add / remove pages from the notebook, or reposition them to a new location. Beware that you need to be gentle when removing pages - you might damage the slits when handling the page too roughly. Because of the fragility of the slits, Filofax uses a 100gsm heavy paper for its own refills. The paper itself is reasonably fountain-pen friendly, but I'm not a fan of it. I find the blue imprint of lines/grid on the paper to be a bit too visually present. I would have preferred a slightly fainter imprint. Filofax sells their own refills for this notebook, but I find them to be too expensive (about 5 EUR for 32 A5 100gsm sheets). Fortunately, they also sell a paper punch so that you can make your own refills. That's the route I went! I selected my own 100gsm fountain-pen friendly paper, and went on to print my own A5 designs. Currently I use a less obtrusive grid paper (with more greyish lines than the blue ones on Filofax's own refills), plus a template for meeting notes. The paper punch is rather expensive (at 50 EUR), but for me it's worth it for the freedom it gives me to choose my own paper. And as an extra plus: if you look online, there's tons of free templates available to customize your notebook (planners, travel journal, bullet journal, meeting notes, ... you name it). My own customized notebook is my daily workhorse. It's divided into three sections, using dividers. Section 1 is my bullet journal for noting todo's, events and quick thoughts. For this I follow quite closely the barebones method presented at bulletjournal.com. Section 2 is used for meeting notes (using the meeting notes template), and section 3 has blank pages for mindmapping. At the end of the week I take pictures of my meeting notes (using the Scannable app that automatically converts them to pdf), and file these in Evernote (with the added bonus that Evernote recognizes my handwriting, and makes my notes searchable - a perfect marriage of analog and digital ;-). I can then remove the pages I no longer need, and add new empty pages to the notebook. At the back of my notebook, I added a Leuchtturm 1917 pen loop. This holds my Lamy 2000 4-colour multipen. I know... it's a ballpoint... but here I prefer convenience over writing comfort. Having 4 colours in one pen is really nice. The day a multi-colour fountain pen comes to market, I will gladly swap over to that setup ;-) For normal writing in the notebook, there's always an EDC fountain pen in my pocket (usually a Kaweco). Conclusion The Filofax A5 Refillable Notebook already exists for quite some years, but I only recently discovered it. I really like its minimalistic design, and the refillable page concept. You can easily tailor the notebook to your own preferences. And using a compatible paper punch, you can swap in your own paper & paper designs. This notebook is currently my daily work companion, and always accompanies me. It's eminently functional, and if you're looking for a flexible solution yourself, you should give it a try.

Filofax One Day on a Page Diary refill review It's about the time of year where new planners and refills are available. I've used Filofaxes before and have a Personal Domino and a Pocket Malden. These have been sleeping in the attic until I broke out the Pocket Malden to use as a kind of bullet journal and log for what I've done for the day at work, but not as a planner. At work I use Outlook extensively for planning. I've also used the One Day on a Page refills as a journal, but now I use other alternatives. The dimensions according to the package at 81mm x 120mm, with white 80gsm paper. The pages include a full year calendar on one page for 2018, and one for 2017 and 2018 on the other side. Note that all monthly calendars shown start on Monday and end on Sunday. Also there is a page where you can enter personal information, and reference materials for religious holidays and various country information. As is standard, there is a page where you can register the Filofax and get a code to write down, where if the Filofax is lost, the person who found it can contact Filofax with the code and the finder will get a "reward" if it is lost. For some reason, this is on the left side of the page. My preference would have been for this to be on the right side, so that would be the first thing someone would see if they found the Filofax, rather than have to flip open the first page. Now let's get to the meat of it, the diary pages. For each page, at the top, there is the Month, Day, Year, Day of Week, and week of the year information. The monthly calendar for the current or next month appears at the bottom of the page. If there are holidays, those appear at the top os the page. What is different from this version from the previous one I used (2016) was the 2016 version had all black text, while this version has certain text in blue - the holidays and the day of the week, as well as the hours. The lines denoting where you would write your entries are black. Now, they call this "One Day on a Page" but it should be called "One Day on a Page but not the Weekends Page." For Saturdays and Sundays, they put two days on a page. This I see as a serious downside, as there are some folks who work heavily during the weekend, as well as for busy parents whose weekends are packed. If this is a problem, there is an off-the-shelf alternative, but not for the Pocket Filofax. For at least the Personal, there is a Day on Two Pages versions which I believe (but I am not absolutely sure - it did a couple years ago) may have the Saturdays and Sundays each as a full page. It's a bit more costly, having more pages. They appear to put action items on the second page for each day for that version, and some bizarre choice for how the monthly calendar appears, which I guess they might use in Starfleet. Still, I might get that version for the Personal Filofax. There are templates you can print out for the various Filofaxes but (a) I am lazy; ( I don't have the requisite paper punch; and (c) I don't have something that can cut that much paper. I put about 3 months worth of pages in my Filofax but of course you can ditch some of your other pages if you want to plug some more in, or thin it down if you want less. Line spacing is very narrow. I'd estimate it at 4 mm. For those of you using it to schedule hourly appointments, the hours appear in blue from 8 to 12, then 1 to 8. There is a break in the lines running vertically through the page. I suppose if someone had microprint they could break up the time into a quarter of an hour and denote their appointments that way but I doubt that may be practical... maybe on the half hour. As for performance against various inks and pencils, it is very good, as you can see from the pictures! Now, I didn't test it against a flex nib or against a gusher but I think the pens and pencils I used are representative of what someone would actually use. I just used what I had handy. The ball point, Kuru Toga, and extra fine nibs worked the best, practically speaking. Obviously with this narrow line spacing, I won't be using a medium or probably even a fine nib on this, but it can be done. In terms of the performance against the inks ... even with a wet ink like Aurora Black, I didn't get bleedthrough. A little bit of showthrough but totally acceptable. I look forward to using this come the New Year, and maybe to even get the Day on Two Pages for the personal Filofax.Images:Front Back [A little bit of showthrough, quite usable. In the past the Filofax paper was not the best in terms of performance when using a fountain pen, but I didn't see any feathering or bleedthrough, just a bit of showthrough.]

The Lamy/Filofax Event! Hosted by Federalist Pens and Paper Saturday, February 25th 11:00-2:00PM Dave and Busters NE Philadelphia (Franklin Mills Mall) Join us for food, fun, games, and pens! Our regional Lamy/Filofax Representative (Blueline/Rediform) will be joining us to demonstrate the latest and favorite products from your favorite brand(s)! You can order and purchase products right there at the event! Family fun with complimentary D&B games, buffet and soft drinks! Conveniently located near routes 95 & 1, PA & NJ Turnpikes! PA/NJ/NY/DE Pen Pals Welcome! RSVP at federalist@federalistpensonline.com Questions? Email, or Call 866-746-4900

Hi All, Like many people, I use yearly planners for my organisation and work appointments through the year. I have tried to use digital calendars (as one would expect from an IT Professional such as myself) but find that I will often just dismiss notifications without looking and not action reminders or appointments that come up. Once I put it on paper though, I stick to it. Through 2016 I have been using a couple of Moleskines (which surprisingly haven't been too bad quality wise. A little bleed through, but not much, and just about no feathering. Same with the Moleskine Notebook I've just started using) as my planners; A week to an opening with notes for home stuff, and a day to a page vertical for my work stuff. While I found the planner I was using at home was perfect (allowed me to enter what was on on a day easily, with the details listed tot he right) I wasn't so happy with the one I was using for work (as I can only see 1-2 days at a time I don't can't get the level of planning I want out of it). So I started looking around for alternatives. I kept coming across Filofax, but with the reports of poor quality paper I was a bit hesitant. But the more Filofax came up, the more I loved what I was seeing. Nice, full leather covers, removable and refillable pages, customisation, the ability for me to have my Diary and my Notes in the single place.... I was soon sold on the idea. I accepted the fact that the paper was probably going to be rubbish and I would have to print my own inserts on decent paper, but it really wasn't a huge deal. So I ordered myself an A5 Nappa in black for work, and a A5 Original in Dark Aqua for home, as well as a range of 2017 inserts and plastic pockets. I then started my patient waiting, and searching for inserts. So my Filofax's finally turned up last week. I eagerly tore into them and started setting them up as I liked until I found some good insert designs I liked. I figured I might as well start entering stuff now and transfer it once I figured out what I wanted. So away I went, using the closest pen to hand, a Montblanc 146 with BB nib filled with Montblanc Blue Hour ink, as well as using Higlighters to outline dates. I was laying down the ink thick and heavy to really test how the paper was holding up. And to say I was surprised by the results would be an understatement. There is not a bit of feathering anywhere, not even where the ink was pooling. There was no bleedthrough either, except where the Highlighter ink really pooled up, but even there it is minor. Show through is there, but fairly minor over all. So I have decided I am going to be using the Filofax inserts and not creating my own. They are of excellent quality. What's even more encouraging is the inserts are of different types. Some is the Cotton Cream inserts, others are just the plain white, but all perform excellently. All up, I am extremely happy with the Filofax paper I have received. I'm not sure if Filofax has been working on really improving their paper quality or if it just happens to be a fluke, but the 2017 inserts seem to be of very good quality. I really do recommend it!

It's that time of year again! Time to "stock up" on your Back to School needs! We offer Notebooks and Journals from Clairefontaine: http://www.federalistpensonline.com/-Clairfontaine-Products_c_81.html Rhodia Pads in all types (Lined, Plain, Grid, Dot): http://www.federalistpensonline.com/-Rhodia-Pads_c_32.html Filofax Refillable Notebooks: http://www.federalistpensonline.com/Fiolofax-A5-Model-Notebook_p_52.html Check Out Our "Pens for Under $25" Tab under Pen Specials! FP Models from Regal, Diplomat, and J. Herbin! http://www.federalistpensonline.com/Pens-25-and-Under_c_105.html Receive and additional 5% Discount with code FPN at Checkout! Authorized Dealer of All New Brands Listed Frank Federalist Pens 866-746-4900

A short video containing information regarding Filofax notebooks!

Filofax Fall Collection 2015 Video presented by Pen Boutique!

I am a former Filofax user and learned about the Midori / traveler's journals recently. I wanted to find a way to make use of my Filofax so I transformed my personal size filofax into a traveler's journal by removing the rings / metal spine with a hacksaw. For illustration purposes, I found the green binder picture online, (it's not mine) and I bent the metal spine up like the picture shows, but not quite as far. I bent it up just enough to get a hacksaw blade between the leather and the rivets and I literally sawed through the rivets on the inside of the book. After removing the rings and metal spine, I used a leather hole punch to make 3 holes to each the top and bottom of the leather spine, giving me 4 elastic strands inside. It holds inserts I modified from May Designs and these inserts measure 7.25 x 5 inches. I used a rotary cutter to trim from the bottom and top of the notebooks, then reinforced the stitching of the books so they wouldn't come unsewn. I angled the corners of the notebooks to fit inside the curved corners of the Filofax. I am really happy with it and am loving that I can still use the Filofax to satisfy my TJ obsession! Thanks for looking!

Hello! Our staff Joy( who is an expert in Filofax!) wrote a nice article on the upcoming Filofax Organizers for spring 2015 ( mainly with Spring in mind). Thought it might be a good to share it here. Any thoughts or comments are welcome. Also if you would like to see anything more, please let us know. http://blog.penboutique.com/2015/03/filofax-spring-organizers.html

Sent my Lamy 2000 w/ med nib in for repair about a week ago...how soon can I expect it back? I've emailed Bob Nurin multiple times but he has not responded yet - is this normal? For those interested my nib had skipping problems and wasn't very smooth.