The Well-Appointed Desk

I finally got a chance to try out the much-touted Apica C.D. Premium notebook ($18.50). I got the A6 size (approx. 4″x6″) with plain paper. The notebooks have a bookcloth-wrapped perfectbound spine and the cover is a mica-flaked dark grey paper with embossed and foil-stamped “C.D. Notebook” on the cover. Below that printed in the same silver grey ink as the decorative border are the words “Choose the paper like you would a good pen.” This paper is definitely setting itself up to be a better quality than most. The price reflects this as well.

The metallic paper cover is pretty but just doesn’t feel durable enough for the price point and the quality of the paper. Maybe its just me but at the upper end of the price spectrum, I prefer my notebooks to have a full hardcover binding, not just a flimsy (though lovely) cardstock cover.

The notebook has a healthy 96 sheets and a traditional stitched binding, the pages are not simply glued to the tape. When opened, the book lays fairly flat too.

Of course, where this notebook really shines is the paper. It is silky smooth with no noticeable tooth. I tested fountain pens, felt tip, gel and pencil and all performed lovely with no bleeding or feathering and all dried in a relatively acceptable amount of time. The paper is also fairly opaque so it would be easy to use both sides of the paper making this an even better value.

From the reverse of the test sample, you can see there is no bleed-through at all. I can see just a hint of the burgundy LePen in the middle of the page but otherwise, the Apica Premuim paper really does live up to its name. The Apica C.D. series really is a stellar quality paper product.

Now if they only offered a hardcover version it really would be PERFECT.

I received this notebook as a gift from a friend but JetPens would happily sell you one. The Apica Premium line of notebooks are available in grid (5mm), lined (6.5mm and 7mm) and blank in A6 (approx. 4″x6″) and B5 (approx. 7.25″x10″) size, $18.50 or $32 respectively. There is also an option to buy a set of three at a reduced price ($33.30 and $57.60 respectively) which is a healthy reduction to the single notebook price.

When I spied this perfect-shade-of-green, hardcover notebook with plain white, lined paper for a mere $9, I thought I may have found notebook nirvana. It is totally no-fuss. There is no pocket, no ribbon book mark, no elastic on the spine. Its just a simple green notebook.

Printed (industrially) on the cover were the words “Federal Supply Service (GPO)” and a long code. I did some internet research to discover that federal means FEDERAL. This is a notebook used by the US Government, usually purchased by contract for military troops. So that code on the cover is totally official. Which made it even cooler to me.

The book measures 5″x8″. Inside, the paper is a simple white with notebook-style blue lines. I’d compare them to American collegiate width lines (6mm). I get a warm, sentimental vibe from the blue lines. It reminds me of the spiral notebooks and loose leaf paper from grade school in a pleasing, grown-up hardback book.

What made me cry a little was that this paper was about the same quality as school notebook paper. Fountain pen ink soaked in like Kleenex. Felt tip pens blurred. Luckily, gel pens, ballpoint and pencil performed fine.

Despite the iffy ink endurance, I still like this notebook. Its sturdy, inexpensive and all-business.

I purchased my copy of the Federal Supply Service notebook for $9 at Hammerpress in Kansas City. Army Navy Surplus shops or eBay may be good sources to pick up your own copy and probably a bit cheaper than I paid.

Check out what other people have said about the Federal Supply Services notebook:

• A Continuous Lean
• Notebook Stories
• The Desctop

The Midori Spiral Ring Pocket and Envelope Notebooks are so simply utilitarian and classy I couldn’t resist them. They are both 3.5″x5″ with the covers wrapping through the spiral binding.

The Pocket Envelope has cream-colored, folded sheets that create a pocket to slip loose ephemera. You can write notes on the pages which would make this a great small notebook to collect travel ephemera like tickets, wrappers, stamps and such.

The Envelope Notebook is filled with kraft envelopes with a clear plastic window. This notebook is going to be my stamp storage since the envelopes do have flaps to keep the contents from falling out.

They are both beautifully constructed, durable and elegantly simple. LOVE!

Both notebooks are available from European Paper for $8.35 each. There are also larger editions of both books for bigger collections.