#notebook: maruman spiral note

[wrenais]

some of my old journal spreads from 2018—2020

[bereft-of-frogs]

this is a niche hot take but I am here to advocate for the return of thinner paper in notebooks. I HATE the 160+ gsm paper that's become so popular because of bullet journaling youtube. yes the covers are pretty but the paper is atrocious to write on.

also, good quality 80 gsm paper does that fun 'flip flip flip' thing, you can turn the pages so quickly and it makes such a satisfying sound, try that with that garbage 160 gsm just-barely-under-card-stock paper, oh right you CAN'T, you will just get approximately one million paper cuts and a terrible wobble noise, no satisfying swish. Down with 160 gsm. Long live 80 gsm.

Anyway, this has been my opinion on paper, please send me your own paper hot takes so that I feel less weird for how passionate I just got about how much I hate those popular styles of notebook.

[bettsfic]

Do you have any preferred notebooks? Anything better than Moleskine which I don't think would be hard (!!??)... The ink bleeding through to the page behind is so distracting. Random question but I figured you'd be perfect to ask!! Thank you

i've been waiting my entire tumblrlife for this, anon. stationery is one of my most persevering special interests.

just to caveat, i still use a moleskine for my personal journal, but i only write in it once or twice a month so they tend to last years. i bought my current journal in 2017 before enshittification and so i haven't had a problem with the paper. i use a felt-tip pen on it mostly, but even the few times i've tried fountain pens, i haven't had any bleed-through. it's really unfortunate they've gone downhill.

and i mean, for context, i beat the shit out of my moleskines. and look how they've held up!

the one on the left i used from 2011 to 2017. it went all around the world with me and i carried it everywhere for 6 years. i taped every stupid scrap of paper i came across into it and that's why it's so beefy. the elastic band has stretched too far is all; i need to find something sturdier to keep it shut.

the one on the right i started in 2017 and i'm about 2/3rds through it. i tape some stuff in but not as much as i used to. at one point it was in my backpack in the overhead compartment of a plane and some guy's water bottle spilled all over it. i was devastated. but it slurped that shit up and kept trucking. you can't even tell it's waterlogged anymore.

my mom bought me a special edition van gogh moleskine for my birthday last year that i was planning to use for my next journal. i just tested the paper against the 2017 journal using a kaweco sport bold tip, and the van gogh paper does indeed bleed significantly more than the 2017 paper. a real shame. i'm probably still going to use it though, because i've kept the proud tradition of "use notebooks people buy me for my birthday as my next journal" since i was 14. also, i'll probably end up starting it when i'm 37, the age van gogh died.

last august marked my 20th anniversary of my journaling habit, btw. i was going to write a newsletter about it but it started spiraling into a whole-ass book and i had to set it down.

a close and higher quality alternative to moleskine, much beloved by bullet journalers, is leuchtturm. their A5 hardcover is very similar to the classic moleskine pictured above. i don't use one because i have no use for lie-flat notebooks for anything other than a personal journal (which is covered for the next decade or so), but i love buying them as gifts.

my commonplace notebook is the A4 rhodia top spiral, which i've mentioned in my newsletter before. there is something truly magical about this notebook. when i bought it, i carried it around with me everywhere even though i had no idea what to write in it. i started commonplacing before i even knew what that was, simply because the tactile and aesthetic sensation of filling each page was so satisfying. i go through 1-2 per year.

this isn't a notebook proper, but my research binders are B5 maruman clartes with their corresponding loose leaf paper. again, like the rhodia A4 top spiral, the sensation of writing on the paper and organizing the binder is very satisfying and so it encourages me to take a lot of notes.

maruman also makes the famously amazing mnemosyne series of notebooks. i haven't used one before but i really like them, and as soon as i need a high quality top spiral notebook that the A4 rhodia can't fulfill, that's what i'll be moving to.

my purse notebook is a field notes reporter's notebook. these are new so they haven't stood the test of time the way the others have, but i love the size and the binding, and afaik field notes is one of the few american stationery brands that hasn't fallen prey to a quality drop in paper. i also love field notes classic pocket notebook but have never been able to make a pocket notebook habit stick. it took me a long time to realize tiny notebooks don't encourage me to write in them, because a lot of my notebooking is about the thrill and aesthetic pleasure of seeing an overwhelming amount of text on a page.

my planner is a hobonichi techo weeks, which is the same size as the reporter's notebook and also goes in my purse. this is my first year using a hobonichi planner and i really love it. like the others, its quality encourages me to use it. i've found hobonichi overall is a really good notebook brand.

my sketchbook (which i don't use very much) is a strathmore 500 series mixed media softcover. i bought it before i realized how deterring i find lie-flat books and i think i would be more motivated to draw by investing in one of their wirebound ones, even though all the artists i follow on youtube tell you not to do that. i keep meaning to change it into a collage notebook instead, i just haven't had the time or desk space to do it.

and an honorable mention: before the pandemic, back when i did things and went places, i used a grand voyageur traveler's notebook from paper republic. i'm actually very sad i don't have much of a use for it anymore, but maybe one day i'll do stuff again and return to it. it's weird that i don't see paper republic mentioned often (ever) in bujo spheres, when i think their products are better than traveler's company (although i haven't tested one for a significant period of time; people swear by them though).

hopefully one or two of these stand out to you!

[rosiarie]

my essential stationery as a uni student

happy 2025 my loves ! with my winter quarter starting soon, i know a lot of you are going back to school. here is a list of my essential stationery that i love. keep in mind that spending money on expensive stationery or buying new notebooks all the time is not necessary at all to succeed academically. but if you guys do need to buy new pens, pencils, or notebooks, here are my favorites.

i. bag i use the longchamp le pliage medium tote. the medium imo is the perfect size, but some more affordable options are: - trader joes tote bag (available in store. i used this senior year of hs!) - thrifted leather bag i prefer shoulder bags, but again, you can wear whatever bag/backpack you prefer or already have!

ii. notebooks here are my favorite notebooks i use for school. when i look for a notebook, i try to get one that isn't too thick or big because it is less weight to carry in my bag and more functional. for wide ruled notebooks, i prefer college ruled as i get to write more on one page and it is aesthetically more pleasing for me to look at.

muji, college ruled (economics, language, science): i use this for note-taking, both in class and out of class. i prefer writing notes on paper to taking them digitally, as it is easier for me to retain the information. maruman, graphing (math): i discovered this brand last year at a local stationery store and it's become my favorite stationery item discover! i prefer spiral notebooks for mathematic courses, as it's easier to write on and use a full page! there's only 80 sheets on this, but it almost lasted me almost my whole ap calculus ab class last year! i only needed a new notebook on the last 2 months of hs. midori, graphing (math): i haven't used this one yet! but i'm planning to buy it for my first college calc course next quarter. i'm going to use this one as a formal math notebook where i keep notes on different formulas & theorems, whereas i use maruman for homework and note-taking during class!

iii. pencils & pens

mitsubishi alpha gel - my favorite mechanical pencil ever! the gel is so squishy and it helps make note-taking easier/faster. i have a pink & silver ver of this! sakura sumo grip - i like the mitsubishi gel one more, but this one is really good too! it also makes note-taking smoother/faster.

pilot - you can find this pen in any store (target or stationery) and easily online. the ink can get messy, it does take a while to dry (wait before flipping the page!), and it is pretty disliked, but this is my all time favorite ink pen. i love the way it feels when you write with this and how it turns out. muji dupe - i think i ordered this my second year of hs, and as a college first-year, i still have half the pack left. the muji ones might be better quality (i don't know, i've never tried them), but these work fine and i quite like them! they're 0.35mm, so the letters come out very smalll.

i wish you all the best in 2024. may happiness, love, health, and success find & keep you. bisous!

[notebooksizes]

Best notebook for making notes

Are you asking me to share my personal preferences for notebooks (such as “my favorite notebook”)? Or are you looking for suggestions that meet specific criteria you’ve outlined, like “lie flat,” “not spiral-bound,” “lightweight,” and so on—without concern for what I personally use or prefer? That said, my favorite notebook for taking notes happens to be the Maruman 80-sheet A5 Spiral Note. Admittedly, it’s spiral-bound and has lightweight paper, although not as lightweight as the 40-sheet version of the same product. It’s also relatively affordable, as I purchased them in multi-packs at a discounted price on Amazon when the opportunity arose. The paper itself isn’t particularly toothy, which works well with my fountain pens, and I like to pair it with my Mayplous A5 notebook cover—a combination I thoroughly enjoy using. However, that’s just my personal experience, reflecting my specific use case and the particular prices I encountered. My recommendation based on this would not necessarily guarantee others the same level of satisfaction or cost-effectiveness. Now, if you’re seeking a notebook that lies flat, is not spiral-bound, lightweight, and inexpensive—this is quite easy to find. Almost any Japanese 30-sheet notebook in A5, B5, or A4 sizes will meet those criteria. Brands like Kokuyo Campus and Logical Swing are excellent options that satisfy all of these requirements. If you have access to a Daiso store (I can easily find them in Sydney, Australia), you can find such notebook sizes at very reasonable prices. Additionally, some MUJI 30-sheet notebooks made in Japan also perform exceptionally well in this regard and are even more affordable than those from Daiso. However, I have noticed that MUJI has recently raised prices on some of its paper products.Are you asking me to share my personal preferences for notebooks (such as “my favorite notebook”)? Or are you looking for suggestions that meet specific criteria you’ve outlined, like “lie flat,” “not spiral-bound,” “lightweight,” and so on—without concern for what I personally use or prefer? That said, my favorite notebook for taking notes happens to be the Maruman 80-sheet A5 Spiral Note. Admittedly, it’s spiral-bound and has lightweight paper, although not as lightweight as the 40-sheet version of the same product. It’s also relatively affordable, as I purchased them in multi-packs at a discounted price on Amazon when the opportunity arose. The paper itself isn’t particularly toothy, which works well with my fountain pens, and I like to pair it with my Mayplous A5 notebook cover—a combination I thoroughly enjoy using. However, that’s just my personal experience, reflecting my specific use case and the particular prices I encountered. My recommendation based on this would not necessarily guarantee others the same level of satisfaction or cost-effectiveness. Now, if you’re seeking a notebook that lies flat, is not spiral-bound, lightweight, and inexpensive—this is quite easy to find. Almost any Japanese 30-sheet notebook in A5, B5, or A4 sizes will meet those criteria. Brands like Kokuyo Campus and Logical Swing are excellent options that satisfy all of these requirements. If you have access to a Daiso store (I can easily find them in Sydney, Australia), you can find such notebooks at very reasonable prices. Additionally, some MUJI 30-sheet notebooks made in Japan also perform exceptionally well in this regard and are even more affordable than those from Daiso. However, I have noticed that MUJI has recently raised prices on some of its paper products.

[studyingkoala]

I don't know of anyone has asked you this before but want notebooks do you use for your note. I want some recommendations for when I have to by them for next year.

This semester I’m just using leftover Morning Glory pastel notebooks that I bought years ago. There’s nothing really special about them. In the past, I have used: notetaking printables by emmastudies, Maruman loose leaf, and Kokuyo. I held my loose leaf papers with a binder. Kokuyo is a good and popular brand (any Japanese brand, really.) Whitelines is also popular, but personally, I’m not one to invest very much into notebooks. I just like to grab what’s easily available and does what I need. Anyway, these brands may not be readily available to you and “staple” brands differ in every country, so here are some tips that I recommend that you keep in mind when getting notebooks:

TYPE OF NOTEBOOK

- Spiral notebooks. Pros: you can easily open the book flat or fold it around itself, so no page creasing. Cons: the spiral can get in the way of comfortable writing towards the edge of the page. Having smaller spirals does help, but personally, it still annoys me.

- Stitched binding notebooks. Pros: they are generally good quality and you can open the book flat, and write across the entirety of the page comfortably. Cons: usually pricey. eg. Moleskin, Leuchtturm.

- Staple binding notebooks. Pros: usually cheap, thin/slim, so they’re lightweight and don’t take up much space. Cons: they don’t open flat, so you’re either going to have to deal with the book trying to close on you while you’re writing, or squish the pages down and crease the book.

- Binders. Some people prefer to use loose leaf papers and store them in a binder. This is because you can conveniently remove and add pages. Also, you have a lot more flexibility to customise your notes. Cons are that binders are usually kind of bulky and take up more space than notebooks. Also, if you want to go with a binder, I highly recommend getting one with at least 3 rings. The more rings, the more reinforcement you have for keeping your pages intact because the pages weigh down on the rings and may tear (unless you have also reinforced around the holes on the pages.) Check out my FAQ here for what binders I have used.

OTHER SPECS

- Paper. Don’t get paper that’s too thin and will have your ink leak through. Also, don’t use paper that’s glossy because they’re prone to smudging. Most notebooks aren’t like that anyway because they’re designed for notetaking.

- Number of pages. If you have an idea of the workload and amount of content you’ll be doing, then you can have an idea about how many pages you will need. For example, my French speaking subject doesn’t require much notes because its focused on communication and I only write about 1-2 pages per week, so the notebook for that is 50> pages. On the other hand, biology had a lot of content with 100+ slides plus diagrams to summarise, so I could’ve easily filled a 90 page notebook.

- Lines. If your handwriting is big, then lines that aren’t too close together is better for you and vice versa.

- Size. If you’re gonna be taking a lot of short, one word dot-point notes, then maybe an A4 sized notebook wouldn’t be an efficient use of space. But if you’re going to be writing long essays or use many diagrams, then maybe an A4 size would be good. Think about your note-taking style, as well as the nature of your subjects, and choose a size that works for you.

- Price. Some people choose really nice notebooks, but then don’t feel comfortable using it because it’s too nice. They try to get their notes perfect, as opposed to effective learning, which is the most important thing. So you might like to just get a good, cheap, basic notebook that will fulfil your studying needs. There’s nothing wrong with getting nice notebooks and making nice notes either. Some people may have a separate cheap notebook for quick messy notes or to jot down things, then rewrite it into their “nice” notebook. But the most important thing is to make sure that you don’t compromise your effective and efficient learning for nice stationery.

As for me...

My personal preferences are notebooks that are around B5 in size and not spiral binding. I have small writing and I don’t like to carry much. I also want a smooth writing experience, so don’t like having a spiral in the way. Even with subjects with a lot of content, I’m happy to just start a new notebook when I’m done with one. Either that or I use loose leaf paper with a binder.

Hope that helped a bit :)

Good luck!

[studious--stoner]

I think this is my favorite class this semester and it's not just because the professor is a total cutie. (New notebook for this semester is a maruman spiral note and I have never loved a spiral notebook more than this one. Super silky pages)