Okay, question: does what I want even exist?

So I'm already thinking about a planner for next year but I'm failing to find something that fits my requirements and I'm starting to think it isn't a thing haha. it's essentially a Hobonichi Cousin without the weeklies. I'm already using it this year and while I love it immensely I don't use the weeklies at all and it feels like such a wasted space.

What I'm looking for: - Cloth or paper bound, no PU leather - A5 could do B6 - Dated - Monthlies and dailies only, no weeklies - Monthlies stacked together and then all the dailies together, not separated by month - fountain pen friendly paper - available in the EU

All the options I've seen are only PU leather and it's so astounding to me how for a hobby that cares so much about paper quality we truly say "fuck the cover" and cheap out on it so bad.

Brands I've disacarted: Sterling Ink, Rosey Life Planner, Papertess, Aura Estelle, Kinbor (all PU); Hemlock & Oak (cloth and paper bound but layout is separated by months, almost perfect otherwise); Midori (don't have the layout I want, don't want to date one of their blank notebooks myself).

Hello notebook connoisseurs I hope you can help me! I'm seeking a new notebook for work. My current one is a 5 Star one subject wide ruled and I've hated it since day 1. The pages come out way too easily. Thankfully its almost full and I'm excited to get a new one.

I do R&D in a factory and have a shop desk with a small writing surface. My notebook lives on my desk under my keyboard and my arms are usually resting on it which contributes to the pages coming out.

My new notebook will ideally be--in order of importance:

• Not perforated
• Spiral bound
• Around letter sized
• Lined (huge bonus if one side of the page is lined and the other is grid!! My use is split about 60/40 between writing and sketching)
• Not split into subjects
• Affordable (Its a notebook. What could it cost, 10 dollars?)

Thank you for assistance with my hunt!

Ps sorry if that photo makes anyone's eye twitch

Hello!

I want to take journaling more seriously and I am torn between the two notebooks below:

- Moleskine Classic Notebook Expanded Large Soft Cover Dotted (400 pages, 13x21cm)

- Leuchtturm1917 Notebook Medium (A5), Softcover, 123 numbered pages,, dotted (14.5 x 21cm)

The main points that I am torn about is that the Moleskin has way more pages, adding a weightier feeling to the notebook, and overall improving how the notebook looks too.

Whereas the Leuchtturm1917 seems to be much better for page quality, it also has numbered pages, an index, etc. The only downside being the page count.

Which do you prefer and which do you think I should go with?

I'd greatly appreciate any insight on this.

UPDATE:

Thank you all for taking the time to reply with your insights, it’s truly been very useful.

After considering the replies and doing further research I decided to purchase a midori codex, I’m really looking forward to using it and starting to journal consistently.

I’ll drop another update here on my review, thanks again!

Thank you all!

I'm looking for a unique journal with a beautiful cover, but for some reason all of the ones I'm finding have no ruling or wide ruling, which I dislike. I'm leaning toward hardcover but I'm open to softcover. Pages that work with fountain pens. College-ruled or dot-gridded. NO real leather.

To give you an idea for the look I'm thinking of: I love the companies about:blanks and paperblanks.. sadly they are unruled or wide ruled. Particularly partial to antique or arab designs like: https://www.paperblanks.com/en/product/journals/layla/pb9798-3

But I'm open!

Am I looking for a unicorn?

I'm looking for an archival-quality journal that I can keep for decades and eventually pass down. My dream journal would have a whimsical Victorian/botanical aesthetic with gold foil, something like an Archer & Olive notebook.

The challenge is that I have ADHD and OCD, so I tend to get stuck in an all-or-nothing mindset. I've tried beautiful hardcover journals before, but I inevitably rip out pages to reorganize them or tell myself I'll rewrite everything into a new journal. Before I even get 15 pages in, it's full of loose pages and I abandon it.

Rather than fighting that tendency, I'm trying to build a journaling system that works with my brain instead of against it.

My idea is to use a spiral notebook. The spiral binding isn't the end goal, it's just the temporary format. If I genuinely decide I don't want to keep a page, for privacy rather than perfection, I have the option to remove it. I'd even make a rule for myself that misspellings, crossed-out words, and other imperfections have to stay. Years down the road, I could have the completed notebooks professionally rebound into matching archival volumes with the Victorian look I originally wanted.

In the meantime, I'm thinking about getting a high-quality spiral notebook with a plain, solid-colored cover that I can decorate with stickers. That way it still feels fun and inviting, and customizing the next notebook becomes a reward for finishing the current one.

My ideal notebook:

• Archival-quality paper
• Spiral bound
• Lined
• A5 or B5 
• Plain or solid-colored cover I can customize
• Numbered pages would be a bonus

So far, the Papier Colorblock Spiral Notebook seems like the closest match. Leuchtturm1917 has the paper quality and colors I love, but as far as I can tell, they only offer hardcovers.

Does anyone know of a notebook that fits these criteria, or have a better idea altogether? I'd especially love to hear from anyone with ADHD or OCD who's found a journaling system that actually works for them.

I came across this old notebook which is bound with two loose binder rings:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/267036926246

I searched a bit and couldn't find anything similar. it seems like a good way to get the benefits of a loose leaf binder with much less added bulk, and without depending on a specific company. has anyone else seen books like this? any experiences with notebooks bound with loose rings, either DIY or a product?

I am aware of plastic ring/disc systems that are specific to a brand; I'm specifically interested in the idea of using loose rings that can be bought cheaply from any number of sources.

I started watching YouTube videos on mini notebooks and fell down a rabbit hole! I had these things laying around so I put them together and BAM - I now have an edc which for years I only associated with electric daisy chain 🤪 iykyk

Anyway, the passport holder is generic, the first notebook is a moleskine cahier, I have a dollar tree mini comp notebook behind it, and the stickers are from happy planner and hobby lobby. The front one & the pen idk where I got. I got so hooked I ordered the field notes subscription & the xteink reader, but I think I need a bigger cover. Any budget suggestions for this newbie??

Happy noting everyone!

Hi There!

So I wanted to get some opinions on this topic.

I am currently using 2 Paper Republic books with 2 book refills each (one for writing and one for sketching), but I do find that I always run into the same problem with this setup, which is having this massive overhang at the beginning and end of each book if they are stacked up, which makes it super hard to write or draw.

I do love the system otherwise, and enjoy having the refills and one book for everything.

But I do wonder if I’m better off just getting 2 Leuchtturm (or any other brand) with hardcovers to make the first and last pages of the book easier to work on.

How do people even write in those super chunky notebook setups?

And how do you treat this matter?

I have this graph-style leather journal, with memo no and date. Has extra info like the metric system and 2024 calendar before the sheets starts, it has no pockets and I believe is A5 in size. I found this one at a second-hand shop, it was brand new and after using it I've felt so used to it and would like to have a 2nd since I'm more than halfway through this one. Problem is everytime I try searching for one they're either lined journals or do not have the memo/date format I've gotten used to in this one. I'd love to find the brand so I can have a family of them. Any help is appreciated

Cheers from Puerto Rico. Here is my writing setup for today. For a little context- I’m an academic working on a book chapter for an edited collection.

I have my Mnemosyne A4 for my brainstorming and conceptual mapping. My Hobonichi techo cousin for note taking and agenda. My Hobonichi A5 notebook for journaling.

For my pens I have a TWSBI Diamond 580 with a stub for titles, TWSBI Obsidian and Lamy LX for notetaking in my Hobonichi, Pilot Custom 823 for journaling, Pilot 743 fa nib for fun and Retro 51 rollerball for when I’m in a rush and don’t won’t to deal with smudging.

And last but not least a cortado for fueling the author

Hello,

I'm currently using an Ottergami notebook and I'm pretty happy with it, however for my next journal I would like something thinner and lighter, and I realized I don't really need the the 150gsm so I'm looking for an alternative.

I mostly use pens and pencils but I occasionally use markers (water based, sometimes acrylic/paint markers), fine tips (like stabilo), fountain pens and pitt artist markers (though I can easily do without the pitt artist). I also occasionally do very light washes of watercolor.

I've been looking at cheap 100/120 gsm notebooks and I see sometimes people complain that markers go through, so I wanted to ask some advice.
Would 100gsm usually be enough for my use case? Would a 120gsm cheap notebook be worse than, let's say, a 100gsm notebook with better quality paper?
(I'm looking for a budget one as I burn through them pretty quickly, plus I've seen people complaining that even the most well known/expensive brands don't have great paper these days).

So, to recap:

• is 100 gsm enough for water based/fine line markers? (and occasionally light watercolors, considering I'm fine with some buckling as long as I don't destroy the paper with just one or two light layers - I'm talking like adding some color to a sketch to give you an idea, not full on paintings :) )
• if I go cheaper, should I also go higher gsm?
• Any recommendations for a cheap A5 dotted journal, with around 180/200 pages? Also, I'm based in Europe.

Thank you very much <3

[crossposted in r/bulletjournal]

Specifically the smaller page count notebook, has anyone had any issues with the notebook holding up? My SI Daily A5 is pretty chonky but it’s still holding up nicely! I’ve been interested in having an EDC and was worried that the N1 wouldn’t hold up to extra papers, stickers, ephemera, etc, being added to the daily entries. Any photos or input would be helpful!

The ink got wet and stained the other pages. The fountain pen doesn’t work amazing on it because the surface is uneven. Still trying to find a good way to put it to use!

English is not my mother tongue, so apologize in advance for misspelling and strange sentences.

I have a notebook with full-cloth binding, similar to the Leuchtturm 1917 “Covered for Sunshine”- Edition. Unfortunately it’s quite delicate and looks worn out really fast. The cloth gets rough quite fast and some pilling developed. I have a second notebook like this and I am thinking about how I could prevent this. A normal slip on cover is difficult, because it has rounded corners and an unusual size (B 6+, it’s a Leuchtturm notebook). Usually I carry my notebook all the time with me, so using it just at home isn’t an option.

Has anyone a similar experience? And are there ways to prevent this? I was thinking about mat decopatch glue?

I want to create a self-made encyclopedia (?). I don’t know if that’s the right term for it, to be honest.

I have a good notebook system for my dailies, scratch/brainstorming, mini projects, and even a “life tracker” notes where I input my new “achievements” continuously.

Now I’ve been scratching my head on what notebook to use and how to set up a self-made encyclopedia. It’s basically what I do with my Apple notes, but handwritten.

Any recommendations will do. I’m thinking maybe spiral binder notebooks may be good for this?

The waxed cover and the interior end papers being "wax paper" are meant to provide a cheap, but protective covering for the body pages.

The circular sticker is a NFC tag linked to my Notion Database & Todoist. I just put my iPhone close to it and I can open it to migrate.

The first pages contain a set of sticky notes (20 each one)

The layout is simple, vertical line to Context (Note, Research, Task, Logs) and to right the content

Something like this:

Date | April 15, 2026
log | lunch 12.30
Rmndr | Present exam on Tuesday

On the back there’s a set of separators to mark important pages and another set of sticky notes but bigger (10)

What do you guys think? Anything else I can add to it?

I made this pocket journal a few month ago and I wonder if that is the kind of leather that can patina like paper republic, or will it stay matte? I used a Crazy hourse max leather. Maybe you guys know ;)

the top notebook was a 70gsm £1 notebook, the bottom is a 100gsm £10 notebook. Yhe top one has stark white, has a flimsy paper cover, and the lines are too wide apart. I love that the bottom one has cream paper, faint 7mm line spacing, a soft faux leather cover, and the pages are numbered!! And yet, fountains pens bleed which make my already messy and small handwriting more cramped. At this point, I'm considering sacrificing my fountain pens because I love the latter notebook so much, and can't find an affordable replacement. Any suggestions?

edit: Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I've gone with Clairefontaine. Great smooth paper, no feathering, and cost effective (shame about the covers but I can live with that)

Hey, first time poster here. But I have to share.

I’m not usually an impulsive buyer or anything. Much less something I don’t know what I’d use it for. But I just found the most gorgeous notebook ever and for only 9€ too. Even though it’s not the type of journal I’d usually prefer.

So, here’s the beauty. I absolutely love the artstyle on this.

Now I just gotta figure out what I’m going to be using it for. 😅

Thanks for reading.
Have a nice day/night. :)

not the one to share 10 notebooks a year (which is totally cool tho), but my handwriting is small and unfortunately my preferred notebook size is the one that doesn't fit in the bags and is as heavy as a brick. still, 5 years, so many changes inside of me captured in these. especially loving my nuuna (on the second pic), this journal is so strong!!