When Ana and Bob designed the Col-o-ring OVERSIZE ($15 each) they had some ideas on how they would use it. But it was more exciting to see how you all use it. Today we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite Instagram posts showing how people make the OVERSIZE work for them!
I personally use my Col-o-Ring for lots of little ink swatches. Since I have my Col-o-ring and Col-o-dex cards at home (they’ve become too numerous to travel) I like using my OVERSIZE as a handy “pocket” guide. That way when I want to reference what I already have in my collection, and want to add, it’s right at my fingertips!
@inkantadora uses hers to test different saturations of ink:
How do you use your OVERSIZE? Drop us a comment below and let us know or tag us on Instagram with the hashtag #coloringoversize and show us. We’d love to see!
If you have been anywhere within shouting vicinity of me over the last couple of months, you’ll know that upon seeing the new Plotter products, I have been yelling, “It’s a fancy Filofax!”
As someone who never abandoned the allure of ring binders like Filofax, I am delighted to see that the planning trends have come full circle. When I started The Well-Appointed Desk, Filofax and its brethren were the go-to for paper planning. They were one of the few more flexible planning options available. Yes, discbound notebooks were also available but only through places like Levenger and were considered more as flexible notebooks than planner systems.
Then along came the Traveler’s Notebook and the spiral behemoths like Erin Condren and Happy Planners. As people continued to seek out flexibility and functionality, there was a bump in interest in discbound notebooks with the arrival of haute couture models from William Hannah. And now, with the arrival of the Plotter, the plannerverse has come back to ring planners. The Plotter offers high-end leather and the aesthetic minimalism of the Traveler’s notebook with the interior functionality of the Filofax.
I am glad that Plotter has come into the market with their version of the ring bound planner and inserts. I love the custom-ability of ring bound planners. The advantage that ring bound (and discbound) planners have over all the other is the ability to move pages, take pages out to work on them and add a variety of pages into the planner — the pages don’t even have to be the same size as the other sheets. Pages can be smaller or folded. All you need is a hole punch or binder punch to add in customized pages.
Comparing Sizes
While Filofax offers a slightly wider variety of sizes, the most common sizes for the binders and refills are the Pocket, Personal, A5. Plotter offers two very comparable sizes: the Bible size and A5. The Bible and the Personal are essentially the same size and the A5 options are as it says on the label, A5-sized. The Narrow size is a very slim paper refill and doesn’t have a comparable size via Filofax or other ring binder maker. So, if the Narrow binder appeals to you, you will very much be locked into Plotter’s refills and accessories unless it becomes a runaway success and other shops start making refills for this size.
The Binders
Plotter offers very slim, leather binders. The covers for the binders appear to be the same type of leather as Traveler’s Notebooks. I was not ready to invest the money in these covers as I already own several Filofax-style binders. As a result of the slim design, the Plotter does not have pockets on the inside of the covers like most Filofax.
The rings on the Plotter planners are about 10mm. Filofax uses 11mm in their Personal Slim models but the average size rings are 23mm in the standard and 30mm in the A5. If you’re used to stuffing your planner, the Plotter binder will hold about 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of stuff you are used to. This is another reason I was not ready to drop coin on the Plotter binders. I don’t put a ton of stuff in my Filofax but I can quickly fill up the space with tab dividers and other miscellany. If you’ve already invested in a ring binder from another manufacturer, I recommend sticking with it before investing in the full Plotter set-up.
What does Plotter offer that other ring bound planners don’t?
The most noticeable features offered by Plotter is the paper and pre-printed pages available. Paper is listed as thin, strong, tear-resistant and fountain pen friendly. This is not a claim made by many other brands. Knowing that the parent company for Plotter also makes Midori paper and Traveler’s Notebooks, I excpect they really do make FP-friendly paper. Along with some good quality paper, some of the other insert options are minimal and very Japanese including very light 2mm grid paper, blank and drawing paper as well as the array of accessories available. There is also a more traditional 6mm lined option and 2022 monthly and weekly calendar options.
Plotter 2mm Grid Insert page compared to stock Filofax lined paper which probably have 5mm spacing. This is the best way to see just how light the grid is on the Plotter paper and how tiny that gird is.
The 2mm Grid Insert
The 2mm Grid Inserts (80 sheets Bible Size $6.20) are a soft ivory with a red rule at the top and very pale grey grid on the page. The paper is very smooth. What I discovered is that while the paper holds up well to fountain pens it was not at all good for rollerball or other liquid ink. I also found the paper to be too slick for ballpoint pen. Pencil performed pretty well on the paper despite the paper being quite smooth.
The big surprise is that the paper is actually glue bound along the left edge into a pad. Most insert paper packs are loose sheets so this was a bit of a shock. If you choose to use the sheets as a pad and then insert them into the planner later, this may be an advantage but if you add blank pages to your binder to use as you go, you. will need to tear each sheet carefully from the glue edge. Plan accordingly.
Back of the 2mm grid paper. Some showthrough with the rollerball and liquid ink pens. The gel pens and fountain pens as well as the pencil do not show through.
What I like: I really like the super light grid printed on the pages, the little diagonal line in the upper lefthand corner that could be used for the date or page x of x is a nice touch. Some sheening was evident with fountain pen ink. Not Tomoe River-grade sheening but overall the paper kept the characteristics of the ink.
What I didn’t like: The paper seems engineered for fountain pen but at the expense of most other tools. Planners are the place where notes are often jotted with whatever tool is at hand so making the paper so specific is a challenge for me.
The Monthly Calendar Insert
The Monthly Schedule Refill 2022 (Bible Size $7.80) is printed on the same paper as the 2mm Grid Inserts. The text printed on the monthly inserts is in English for the day of the week but everything else is in Japanese.
Monthly calendar with a custom page marker. The marker completely covers the month number on the page. Annoying.
What I Like: These inserts are super minimal to the point where I had to search for the month info. So if you want minimal distractions on your calendar, this is an interesting option.
What I didn’t like: For as much as I appreciate the subtlety of the calendar layout, putting the monthly date on the margin closest to the rings is an odd design choice. If you are thumbing through pages looking for, say, May, you need to open the page all the way to find the number “5”. Other calendar layouts keep the month information on the far left or right edge of the page so its visible as you thumb through the pages. I also hate when Saturday and Sunday are stacked in the same square. I can’t be the only person who does as much on the weekend as I do during the week?
The Drawing Paper Insert
The Drawing Paper Inserts (30 sheets Bible Size $7.00) feature a heavier weight paper with perforations along the left edge to be able to remove the ring hole part easily. There is no specific indication about the weight of the paper but I would compare it to sketchbook paper found in mixed media or multimedia sketchbooks. It’s thick like an index card stock but with a little bit of tooth and texture that would make it good for pencils.
The Drawing Paper Inserts also include the pre-printed diagonal line in the upper lefthand corner (on the left side of the perforation) to include a date. The brand name is also printed on the lefthand side of the perforation. Finally, the Drawing Paper Insert are also glue bound on the left edge like the 2mm Grid Insert.
What I like: The paper is good for pen and ink and pencils.
What I didn’t like: The paper was not adequate for any sort of water-based media like brush pens or watercolor. Those tools bled through the paper immediately.
For the same price as a pad of the Drawing Paper Inserts, it would be just as easy to buy a small, multimedia sketchbook that could be cut down to fit into your planner and have two or three times as many sheets and know exactly what kind of paper you were getting.
The back of the Drawing paper showing the brush pen bleedthrough. Clearly, this is “drawing” paper, not “painting” paper.
The Envelope Folder Set
The Envelope Folder (3 Assorted Colors Bible Size $12.50) was the most unusual item I purchased. The structure of the envelope folders are such that loose items like receipts, stamps and other ephemera can be tucked under the top and bottom flaps, then the folder is closed and secured under the envelope flap. I have used plastic zip pouches in my binder for years to contain various bits. The paper envelope has two benefits. The first is that its paper so it can be recycled when it wears out until the plastic pouches. And second, the paper provides privacy. If you are squirreling away a prescription, credit card or other document that you would prefer to keep private, the paper envelope folder could be a great solution.
The Envelope folder viewed from the back. Tine 2mm grid is printed on the back in white.
The Envelope Folder differs from the Project Manager Assortment. The Project Manager set is designed to wrap around a group of pages as an alternative to using tab dividers. The paper used in the Project Manager set is also lighter weight than the Envelope Folders.
The Envelope Folder open.
What I like: As I mentioned above, I like the recyclability and privacy that the paper envelopes provide.
What I don’t like: The color selection of the three envelopes was developed to coordinate with the overall brand but I would have preferred an option for just neutrals or just brights. As it stands, I will probably use the grey-green one until it disintegrates and probably never use the bright yellow and orange.
Final Impressions:
I like that Plotter is bringing ringbound planning back to the forefront. Like discbound planners, ringbound systems offer a great deal of flexibility and customization. I am not sure that I will invest in more of the Plotter products with the exception of the lightweight paper pads used for the 2mm grid, lined and blank paper. YMMV.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me and I was not compensated to write this review. Please see the About page for more details.
Looking around at Wet Paint’s online shop recently, I came across a unique book: One Color a Day: A Daily Art Practice and Visual Diary by Courtney Cerruti ($16.99). Unlike a traditional sketchbook, its focus is not on drawing but on color. “Within the book’s orderly gridded layout . . . you simply paint each square a single color and add a word or phrase that reflects your current mood, an observation, or an experience.”
The book begins with an introduction to its concept and a brief how-to about using watercolor. The most appealing part about the concept is that even if we have no time or energy for creativity in our busy schedules, certainly we can all find a few minutes per day to fill a 2-inch square with color. There’s no pressure to look for something to draw or to “create” something beautiful – just put a color down in a square once a day. Then write a word or phrase that the color evokes. Soon it becomes a pleasurable habit to look forward to instead of a “must be creative” task. When the book or even a page spread is full, it’s a visual delight that encourages continuing the habit.
Made up of mostly blank weekly page spread grids (52 to last one year), the book also includes a prompt or theme for inspiration every four weeks, such as “a week of one subject” or “a week of sensations.” With a focus on sensory experiences, a color-a-day practice “is an opportunity to focus on moments that really matter to you. This is the essence of mindfulness.”
The hardbound book includes a fabric ribbon page marker.
The author shows examples using her recommended medium, watercolor, but I immediately saw potential for all coloring media – including fountain pen inks! Surely we all need more ways to use all those bottles and vials of color! (And if you use a Q-tip instead of a paint brush, the maintenance is even lower than with watercolors.)
While the paper is much heavier than typical book stock, I had doubts about how well it might hold up to wet media. I pulled out my wettest stuff – watercolor, watercolor pencil, Iroshizuku Tsutsuji fountain pen ink and juicy brush pens – to throw onto a page. Following Cerruti’s encouragement, I applied colors first, then free-associated to jot the first words that popped into my head upon seeing the colors. Fun, easy and fast!
To my surprise, the paper held up very well with little buckling. The only medium that bled is the watercolor pencil. I applied it dry to a puddle of water, so I had to scrub a bit, which degraded the paper’s surface. Even with that abuse, the reverse side is still useable.
Overall, I love this book – its concept and approach – and I’m looking forward to using it. Well, except for one major beef: The binding! As you can see from some of my photos, it will not stay open without holding it down. The author recommends using a binder clip on one side, but as I worked on a page spread, the book was always in danger of slamming shut with wet color if I didn’t hold it down. I find it nothing less than ridiculous that a sketchbook would be bound in a way that will not allow it to stay open by itself!
In the meantime, though, I realized that the concept and prompts could be followed in many types of books that would not have a problem staying open. The first thought that came to mind was a Col-o-ring book: No grid necessary – just flip to a new card each day. Or draw grids on Col-o-ring Oversize pages. Or use a conventional sketchbook that stays open easily, like Stillman & Birn’s softcover or wirebound books. For that matter, use a conventional grid-format monthly calendar and fill each square with color!
Now that you’re inspired to use color, please indulge me in giving a shout-out to Wet Paint in St. Paul. Whenever I visit family in the Twin Cities, I always make a stop at this beautiful art supply store (of the type that is rapidly disappearing in many cities, including Seattle), which is celebrating its 45th anniversary. Let’s all buy our art supplies from indie shops like Wet Paint whenever we can. And if you happen to be a Blackwing pencil collector, you may want to know that Wet Paint has made a custom commemorative one that can only be had by buying the Blackwing two-step sharpener. Just sayin.’
The ink world has given us a tremendous number of new inks recently, making it difficult to keep up with them all! Today I’m showing 4 of the 8 new inks in the ColorVerse Project – Constellation series. Each ink in this series is named for the brightest star (alpha) in various constellations.
ColorVerse Project inks come in a 65mL single bottle – the same size as the larger bottle in their ink sets – for $27.50. I purchased these inks from Vanness where they sell for $3.10 for a 4mL sample.
The first Constellation ink today is (alpha) Boo – the shorthand for the brightest star in the constellation Bootes. This is a pale dusty pink similar to Pilot Iroshizuku Kosumosu. I saw good shading with this ink and it was dark enough to be read on any paper.
Next up is (alpha) And, shorthand for the brightest star in the constellation Andromeda. I loved this blue-gray color that changes from blue to blue-gray as it dries, almost as if the gray is rising to the surface. In most writing, there was no shading. The color reminded me of Ferris Wheel Press Blue Cotton Candy but And is dark enough that it is legible afterward.
ColorVerse (alpha) UMa (I got the name incorrect on my swatch card) is the second brightest star in Ursa Major – the Great Bear, or Big Dipper (a portion of Ursa Major). It is one of the two stars that point towards Polaris, the North Star.
UMa is another fascinating ink where the gray seems to rise to the surface in the swatch. However, UMa starts out as almost a pale burgundy or rose color. As the ink dries, the red disappears and gray becomes the overall color. In the swatch below, there was a tiny touch of feathering at the bottom of the M, although this happened because I darkened the lines later since my dip nib ran out of ink at that moment. I never had any other feathering issues with the Project series.
The final ink today is (alpha) Ori is shorthand for Betelgeuse, a bright star in the Orion constellation. This is a bright reddish-orange ink with a touch of gold sheen. As you can see on the swatch card below, the ink did smear slightly. This occurred after the ink had dried.
Below are small swatches of all 8 Constellation inks on Tomoe River paper (top) and Cosmo Air Light paper (bottom). I love having both paper types available when testing ink – each paper brings out different qualities every time.
I have been quite impressed by all inks in the ColorVerse Project series, both the first and now the second. This series contains beautiful colors that behave well and the cost is reasonable at $0.42 per mL. UMa is one on my wish list for future purchase!
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me and I was not compensated to write this review. Please see the About page for more details.
As November has started, my need to get serious about planning has escalated. I don’t know about you but my planning game went on hiatus for 2020 and the better part of 2021. But last week, I got my COVID booster and flu shot and plans are being made for upcoming holiday celebrations. I feel like life is slowly returning to normal and, as a result, has required more effort on my part to stay on top of my tasks and activities. However, after almost two years of “not planning” I feel like I need to re-evaluate the what and how I plan. I am considering a return to a ring or discbound planner this year but I even considered (gasp!) a digital planner! Don’t worry, the idea of digital planning being useful or effective, quickly passed.
Even though I’ve more or less figured out what planners work best for me, I’m still eager to try new ones when I see them. So when I perused Vanness Pens a few weeks ago, I was intrigued by the Midori 2022 Pocket Diary ($11). Even though I keep many appointments in my electronic calendar, who doesn’t want a small purse size calendar to refer to?
This is a 16-month planner, with a block layout, which helps me easily visualize how the dates and days (and holidays!) occur each month.
At the very front there is a 2022 Yearly Schedule spread for noting important dates throughout the year, and at the back there are several lined pages, perfect for jotting down important notes or things to transfer to the next year.
Of least use to me, but terribly charming, the end of the calendar is full of subway maps of Japan!
The paper in the planner cover is made of cardstock, and reinforced by a plastic slipcover that protects the planner itself. The paper is Midori paper, somewhat thin (you can see gridlines through from the opposite side) but still handles fountain pens beautifully with no bleed through.
I should also mention that “Ojisan” is the lovable character who appears on many pages with his unique appearance and unforgettable behavior. This year’s theme is carefree living and Ojisan starts his year with a steamy pot of tea. What could be more perfect for a girl who loves, knitting, tea and planners?
It’s been several years since I’ve tried a Paperblanks journal. I used one of their planners for a couple years but moved on to other planning systems and had sort of forgotten about Paperblanks. The most recognizable and notable aspect of Paperblanks notebooks and planners are the beautiful, often antique-inspired covers that they use which incorporate emboss and often gold.
I had mentioned Paperblanks to someone recently and it led me back to their website to discover that they now list the paper weights they use and noticed that they listed 80gsm, 100gsm and 120gsm paper stocks. Clearly, it was time to give Paperblanks another look.
I ordered one Flexi Midi notebook (approx. 5 x 7 “) with 100gsm paper. The cover featured artwork by Catrin Welz-Stein whose work I am enamored with. I also ordered a hard cover Midi notebook with 120gsm paper. Included in my order was a free A7 sized Paper-Oh lined notebook which is part of Paperblanks contemporary line and featured a metallic grey wave texture on the outside.
Upon further research, the Paper-Oh line is only available in 80gsm and 100gsm papers (when shopping on the Paperblanks site, select “more filters” to reveal the paper weight options if you are specifically looking for the heavier weight.
So, let’s start reviewing the notebooks.
Oceania Diamond Rosette Midi Hardcover Notebook
The Oceania Diamond Rosette Midi ($18.95) Notebook in Hardcover is beautifully embossed with antiqued gold foiling and a textural look though the cover is actually a matte soft-touch wrapped paper hardcover notebook.
The hardcover Midi version of this notebook includes a black elastic closure which I don’t particularly like how it looks with the antique centered design. But its nice that its been included.
The back cover includes a gusseted pocket for miscellany and a red satin ribbon bookmark that is cut and sealed on the end so it doesn’t fray. The book includes 144 pages.
The Oceania notebook features the 120gsm and this is what I wanted to try. The paper is a soft white ivory (which is very difficult to photograph correctly) and I purchased the blank version. The only other option was lined.
I tested several “everyday” fountain pens and a small assortment of felt tip and gel pens. They all performed beautifully.
Writing on this paper provides a little tooth and texture and feel velvety to write on. The Midi size also hits that sweet spot between an A5 and A6 size. I really like it.
From the reverse side of both pages, there was no bleedthrough and no showthrough either.
Wordscapes Flexi Midi Notebook
The Wordscapes “Free Your Mind” Midi Flexi ($15.95) Notebook is the same size and the hardcover Midi but features a more flexible “softcover”. The design printed on the cover is done in the same way as the Oceania notebook — soft touch matte but this cover features a more contemporary, vintage-inspired illustration by Catrin Welz-Stein. The illustration is accented with gloss varnish and some metallic details on the figure’s dress.
This notebook also features a light, printed edge painting that reminds me of marbling. It’s very subtle and might be missed if I hadn’t looked closely. It would have been nice for the edge painting to be a little more bold to be more evident.
The secretary pocket in the back of the Flexi notebook is not gusseted and the Flexi notebook does not include an elastic for closing the book.
The Flexi notebook features more pages than the hardcover notebook — 176 pages vs. the 144 pages in the hardcover. The paper is also only 100gsm instead of the 120gsm option in the hardcover.
Compared to the velvety texture of the 120gsm paper, the 100gsm paper seems a bit smoother, silkier. I enjoyed writing on it despite knowing that it was more likely to bleed or showthrough. The advantage of the lighter weight paper is that a guide sheet is much more easy to see under the blank pages.
The lighter weight paper becomes evident with more showthrough and a little bleedthrough with heavier ink applications like the music nib and the broad brush pens. It’s not awful and if you use a lot of fine nib fountain pens and a mix of ballpoint, gel and other tools, you might not mind the lighter paper.
Paper-Oh A7 Yuko-Ori Lined Notebook
The Paper-Oh A7 Yuko-Ori Metallic Grey ($4.21) Lined Notebook was included in my order as a bonus and it gave me a chance to see and try the lined paper without investing in a third notebook. The Paper-Oh line is more contemporary looking and feeling with the textural paper cover and a “perfect binding” rather than the wrapped paper covers (hard of soft) of the traditional Paperblanks line.
Included in the tiny notebook was a paper bookmark which I could not figure out how it was meant to be folded and a little brochure about the development of the Paper-Oh line.
The Yuko-Ori notebook appears to use the same 100gsm paper as the larger Midi Flexi notebook. However, the paper seemed to behave a bit differently with inks. I believe this was a result of the printing necessary to add lines to the paper. The lines are very thin and printed in a light brown so they are very subtle. If I needed a lined notebook, this is the kind of lines I’d want. However, the alteration to the paper as a result of the lines is a bit of a disappointment. I may be reading more into the paper than was there. Maybe it’s just a slightly different paper?
The inconsistencies in the way the fountain pen ink adhered to the paper turned out to be difficult to capture in a photo so I guess it’s not as bad as I am making it out to be.
Conclusions
In the end, I am more inclined to stick to the blank pages to avoid any additional issues, especially with the 100gsm paper. The 120gsm paper may stand up to the printing process better. If anyone decides to try the heavier paper with lines, please let me know if you run into any issues.
I am glad I tried Paperblanks again. I am 100% sold on the the 120gsm paper and I do like the unusual Midi size. I look forward to trying more variations of the Paperblanks notebooks in various sizes.
DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were purchased by me and I was not compensated to write this review. Please see the About page for more details.
Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is 
