So You Are Starting a New Notebook, Help!

[taimdala]

11 hours ago, taimdala said:

Actually, Rhodia does make a white paper, line ruled, *Composition Book* that is actually closer to the American letter size (8.5" × 11") than the usual B5-ish size. Mine has the glossy black card stock cover with orange text, with a taped spine like a regular composition book. The paper inside is the same top quality Rhodia paper as in their other notebooks and notepads.

 

And as luck would have it, I'm currently at work and away from my desk at home, else I'd be posting the serial/model number off the back cover.

 

(At least, I remember seeing one on the back cover ... I think)

 

When I get home, I'll look for it. If there's a number, I'll post it here. 

 

I'm finally home and got those pictures taken.

 

Without further ado ....

 

(Dang, I drifted to the  left a bit. The right edge of the pic is JUST inside the right edge of the notebook. Make that radiused corner a little more rounder and you've got an idea of the size)

 

 

The inside is filled with ruled paper of a satisfyingly white color. The grey-inked margin is unobtrusive--a nice touch.

I've added my TWSBI for size reference.

 

 

The ruling is 7mm, a little wider than I prefer (which is 5mm or less) but I'll take what I can get.

(Good grief. What have I been using on my cuticles? My teeth or what?)

 

 

 

And the information about the notebook itself--gsm, bar code, website, etc. Please excuse the hasty paste-up job. I figured a single pic with three images smooshed together would be kinder to everyone than three separate full sized pics. I belatedly realized that my previous pic-heavy posts might have been unkind to those who have to pay for their bandwidth by the MB or GB. All those full-sized pictures can come at a steep price. Apologies, everyone.

 

 

Memory's a funny thing. I know I *said* this notebook is closer to letter sized paper ... but when I got home, I saw that I was way off. It just *felt* closer to letter size in my head.

 

I guess you just had to be there. 😉

 

The price tag is fairly recent--this particular notebook is maybe a year, two years, old. I think I got it right before all the covid shutdowns in 2020 .... but my memory is really hazy on details from the Before Times. I don't think it would have gone up much in price since [whenever I actually did buy it]. I really need to make the drive down to the stationery store and ask the owner/manager/stationer extraordinaire to order some more for me.

 

OH, and speaking of whom:

Alan Cohen, the owner/manager/stationer extraordinaire, of Crazy Alan's Emporium in Chapel Hill, NC, USA regularly stocks Clairefontaine, Rhodia, and Apica notebooks and pads.  He stocks G. Lalo paper sheets and envelopes. He also has Moleskine and Leuchtturm, too.

 

And boy! does that man stock and sell fountain pens! Modern, vintage, even a few antiques. And ink! He's the one to go to if you want Iroshizuku ink. (Or Lamy. Or ... Yikes! I better stop here or I'll be typing all night.)

 

He's a regular vendor at the Triangle Pen Show (he does the show circuit) and when he's not attending shows, he's working his store and is always free to chat or come up with a deal.

 

It's thanks to him I found GOOD paper to use with my fountain pens and once the sticker shock wore off I invested in CF and Rhodia. I still keep a good supply of composition books for my gel pens (bought by the couple dozen during the summer BTS sales at 10 - 25 cents per. Uni-Son brand sold by Target is very FP friendly, btw, and can be purchased for under a USD1.00 during the BTS sales), but if I'm going to use my fountain pens for any sort of lengthy writing, I reach for one of the Clairefontaines or Rhodias that I've bought from Alan. Nobody else really sells it where I live, so it's Alan's or nothing.

 

If you're ever in the Triangle Region of North Carolina, why not give his store a visit? (Hmmm .... I may be fast approaching the boundaries of making an unsanctioned sales pitch in the wrong forum, but I just had to give Alan a shout-out. He's a gem and a local treasure.)

 

 

[Misfit]

Thank you for the photos, and telling about your local pen store. I saw your post in What Pens Are You Using Today. I looked up the NYT Spelling Bee. I like that you use your own rules for it. I might start trying those out each day to use composition notebooks I bought because oh, pretty cover. Or oh space themed cover. 

[Misfit]

I started a new topic in Chatter about how many states you’ve been to. I’ve only been as far east  as Illinois. 

[InkyColors]

22 minutes ago, taimdala said:

 

I'm finally home and got those pictures taken.

 

Without further ado ....

 

(Dang, I drifted to the  left a bit. The right edge of the pic is JUST inside the right edge of the notebook. Make that radiused corner a little more rounder and you've got an idea of the size)

 

 

The inside is filled with ruled paper of a satisfyingly white color. The grey-inked margin is unobtrusive--a nice touch.

I've added my TWSBI for size reference.

 

 

The ruling is 7mm, a little wider than I prefer (which is 5mm or less) but I'll take what I can get.

(Good grief. What have I been using on my cuticles? My teeth or what?)

 

 

 

And the information about the notebook itself--gsm, bar code, website, etc. Please excuse the hasty paste-up job. I figured a single pic with three images smooshed together would be kinder to everyone than three separate full sized pics. I belatedly realized that my previous pic-heavy posts might have been unkind to those who have to pay for their bandwidth by the MB or GB. All those full-sized pictures can come at a steep price. Apologies, everyone.

 

 

Memory's a funny thing. I know I *said* this notebook is closer to letter sized paper ... but when I got home, I saw that I was way off. It just *felt* closer to letter size in my head.

 

I guess you just had to be there. 😉

 

The price tag is fairly recent--this particular notebook is maybe a year, two years, old. I think I got it right before all the covid shutdowns in 2020 .... but my memory is really hazy on details from the Before Times. I don't think it would have gone up much in price since [whenever I actually did buy it]. I really need to make the drive down to the stationery store and ask the owner/manager/stationer extraordinaire to order some more for me.

 

OH, and speaking of whom:

Alan Cohen, the owner/manager/stationer extraordinaire, of Crazy Alan's Emporium in Chapel Hill, NC, USA regularly stocks Clairefontaine, Rhodia, and Apica notebooks and pads.  He stocks G. Lalo paper sheets and envelopes. He also has Moleskine and Leuchtturm, too.

 

And boy! does that man stock and sell fountain pens! Modern, vintage, even a few antiques. And ink! He's the one to go to if you want Iroshizuku ink. (Or Lamy. Or ... Yikes! I better stop here or I'll be typing all night.)

 

He's a regular vendor at the Triangle Pen Show (he does the show circuit) and when he's not attending shows, he's working his store and is always free to chat or come up with a deal.

 

It's thanks to him I found GOOD paper to use with my fountain pens and once the sticker shock wore off I invested in CF and Rhodia. I still keep a good supply of composition books for my gel pens (bought by the couple dozen during the summer BTS sales at 10 - 25 cents per. Uni-Son brand sold by Target is very FP friendly, btw, and can be purchased for under a USD1.00 during the BTS sales), but if I'm going to use my fountain pens for any sort of lengthy writing, I reach for one of the Clairefontaines or Rhodias that I've bought from Alan. Nobody else really sells it where I live, so it's Alan's or nothing.

 

If you're ever in the Triangle Region of North Carolina, why not give his store a visit? (Hmmm .... I may be fast approaching the boundaries of making an unsanctioned sales pitch in the wrong forum, but I just had to give Alan a shout-out. He's a gem and a local treasure.)

 

 

Thanks for the info about Crazy Alan’s. Next time I’m passing through I will have to stop.

[Misfit]

Well drat, I’ll have to use Multi-pens in this notebook. I have quite a few customizable multi-pens. Probably the recycled pages are the fountain pen deal breaker. 
 

[taimdala]

25 minutes ago, Misfit said:

Well drat, I’ll have to use Multi-pens in this notebook. I have quite a few customizable multi-pens. Probably the recycled pages are the fountain pen deal breaker. 
 

 

Oh hey, that constellation in the upper left corner of the cover looks like its doing something naughty to that poor water urn ...

 

 

That sucks about the paper. But at least now you know the Decompostion brand is a no-go for FPs.

[taimdala]

29 minutes ago, Misfit said:

Well drat, I’ll have to use Multi-pens in this notebook. I have quite a few customizable multi-pens. Probably the recycled pages are the fountain pen deal breaker.

 

Did you solve the puzzle?

[taimdala]

58 minutes ago, InkyColors said:

Thanks for the info about Crazy Alan’s. Next time I’m passing through I will have to stop.

 

You're welcome, @InkyColors

[taimdala]

1 hour ago, Misfit said:

Thank you for the photos, and telling about your local pen store. I saw your post in What Pens Are You Using Today. I looked up the NYT Spelling Bee. I like that you use your own rules for it. I might start trying those out each day to use composition notebooks I bought because oh, pretty cover. Or oh space themed cover. 

 

You're welcome, @Misfit

 

Aren't they the BOMB, though? ♥

I've bought them for my son and daughter, so that they'd have the coolest notebooks in school. I've bought them for my husband so he'd win the TTRPG stationery arms race. But so far, I haven't gotten any for me.

 

 

 

Oh, and speaking of forever on the outside looking in: have you seen the notebook designs over at Cognitive Surplus? Their notebooks are to DIE for .... I just haven't died yet.

 

But I will soon.

 

I know I will.

 

If their washi tape doesn't kill me first.

 

 

 

Explore at your own risk: https://cognitive-surplus.com/collections/notebooks

 

 

[taimdala]

2 hours ago, Misfit said:

I love all the colors of Rhodia bound notebooks. But don’t those have cream colored paper? 

 

I think they do--and that's the reason I don't have any, despite all the wonderful features those notebooks have built into them.

 

Cream or ivory paper changes my ink colors to an annoying degree. After all, we choose our inks specifically for their color and it's just not fair play to have a notebook change their color when you write.

 

So while I like Moleskine and Leuchtturm well enough for my gel pens, when it comes to my fountain pens, I need paper that's WHITE.

 

 

[taimdala]

@txomsy THANK YOU for all the info on the MQ notebooks you've had over the years. I didn't even know they came in A7 size. 😃

[Misfit]

@taimdala I have seen the notebooks at Cognitive Surplus. I almost got one of the “seconds” but I didn’t want the particular covers. 

[txomsy]

6 hours ago, taimdala said:

The price tag is fairly recent--this particular notebook is maybe a year, two years, old. I think I got it right before all the covid shutdowns in 2020 .... but my memory is really hazy on details from the Before Times. I don't think it would have gone up much in price since

 

This other, A5-size one is 6.95€ on Amazon France, available with lines or with a square grid. But if you get it in black cover (available lined, with a square grid or a dot grid) it is only ~4.50€. With the current exchange rate USD/EUR, it may be worth getting them directly from France if you cannot find them in USA.

 

As usual, YMMV.

 

[taimdala]

7 hours ago, txomsy said:

 

This other, A5-size one is 6.95€ on Amazon France, available with lines or with a square grid. But if you get it in black cover (available lined, with a square grid or a dot grid) it is only ~4.50€. With the current exchange rate USD/EUR, it may be worth getting them directly from France if you cannot find them in USA.

 

As usual, YMMV.

 

 

Oooh!!! 

 

I'm packing a (metaphorical) bag and going to France! 

 

Thank you, @txomsy! 😄

[inkstainedruth]

13 hours ago, Misfit said:

Well drat, I’ll have to use Multi-pens in this notebook. I have quite a few customizable multi-pens. Probably the recycled pages are the fountain pen deal breaker. 
 

I have a couple of those "Decomposition Books" -- and you're right, the recycled paper is not particularly FP friendly.  Plus, they're not cheap (I tend to buy composition books at the "Back to School Sales" when they're 25-50¢ US apiece).

Although I do like the cover designs for the Decomposition Books.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[inkstainedruth]

11 hours ago, Misfit said:

@taimdala I have seen the notebooks at Cognitive Surplus. I almost got one of the “seconds” but I didn’t want the particular covers. 

Whereas I did like some of the designs when I looked at their website just now -- just not the prices....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for typos 

Plus....  This is why I'm reading FPN instead of doing the stuff I'm SUPPOSED to be doing today -- the ibruprofen hasn't kicked in enough to combat the sinus headache I've had all morning....

 

[taimdala]

10 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Whereas I did like some of the designs when I looked at their website just now -- just not the prices....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for typos 

Plus....  This is why I'm reading FPN instead of doing the stuff I'm SUPPOSED to be doing today -- the ibruprofen hasn't kicked in enough to combat the sinus headache I've had all morning....

 

Oh no. I hope you feel better soon, @inkstainedruth  *HUGS!*

[taimdala]

I do like the cover designs at Cognitive Surplus but yeah, the price tag is a little offputting. I signed up for their emails and they have frequent sales. 

 

But they are JUST past my threshold for too-precious-to-use-with-abandon. 

 

Using with abandon is a key requisite to creativity and flow. I will just have to lower that threshold of mine if I'm to enjoy those notebooks as I'd like.

 

 

Of course, anyone equipped with halfway decent graphics software, full size labels, and access to a decent printer can make their own damn covers and stick them on over a preexisting notebook.

 

I've done it on smaller sizes that an 8.5 x 11 inch label can cover. If I do it again, I'll make sure to cover something better than a Moleskine Cahier. 😉

Edited August 4, 2022 by taimdala
Typo(s)

[inkstainedruth]

30 minutes ago, taimdala said:

Oh no. I hope you feel better soon, @inkstainedruth  *HUGS!*

Thanks.  I don't think I've gotten all the allergy meds I got switched onto completely out of my system (turns out that headaches are a major side effect of Allegra -- which I didn't know and which the allergist *never* mentioned... ).  At first I thought It was just the wacky weather and changes in air pressure over the past week, until I did a little research.  I'm now back on Zyrtec (along with the two nasal sprays and Singulair) -- I had been afraid that I was building up a tolerance to the stuff I'd been on, and the allergist switched out Zyrtec for Allegra, but I can't be this incapacitated...). 

I have way too much stuff to do this week, and haven't started the chores for today because of the sinus issues (and am on FPN instead of what I'm SUPPOSED to be doing because I can't manage the stuff that needs to get done...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[taimdala]

7 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

Thanks.  I don't think I've gotten all the allergy meds I got switched onto completely out of my system (turns out that headaches are a major side effect of Allegra -- which I didn't know and which the allergist *never* mentioned... ).  At first I thought It was just the wacky weather and changes in air pressure over the past week, until I did a little research.  I'm now back on Zyrtec (along with the two nasal sprays and Singulair) -- I had been afraid that I was building up a tolerance to the stuff I'd been on, and the allergist switched out Zyrtec for Allegra, but I can't be this incapacitated...). 

I have way too much stuff to do this week, and haven't started the chores for today because of the sinus issues (and am on FPN instead of what I'm SUPPOSED to be doing because I can't manage the stuff that needs to get done...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

EXTRA HUGS! 

(to tide you over til evening.)