In feature, Link Love

What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades

Author AnaPosted on Leave a comment
(image credit: The Pen-Guin)
(image credit: The Pen-Guin)

The recent article on the New York Times entitled What’s Lost As Handwriting Fades is too good to wait until the end of the week for a Link Love so I decided to go ahead an post the link today. Once again, scientists are coming up with studies proving that there’s some tricky cognitive stuff that goes on when we write things by hand and there is even some data that different parts of the brain are triggered depending on whether its printing or script (cursive) writing.

But we all knew this already, right?

(via NYTimes)

In link

Link Love: ALL THE THINGS

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Link Love Link MascotNotebooks & Paper:

Pens:

Inks:

Pencils:

Other Good Stuff:

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A Digital Solution to an Analog Problem

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Scribd

I love books. Like a sickness. Sometimes I read good literature and sometimes I devour trashy, pulp novels. I can’t pass up a good coffee table book of art, illustration or design. My house is overrun with books. My teeny, tiny house is stacked two deep in some place with books. My favorite weekend activity is to scour the shelves at the secondhand book shop for a gem. The first step is to admit I have a problem. “My name is Ana and I’m a bookaholic.”

I’ve tried to embrace using the iPad or Kindle or what-have-you to buy books from Amazon et al, but even digital books get pricey.

And then, Scribd stepped into my email this weekend with an offer I could not refuse. Scribd is a digital subscription service like Netflix, but for ebooks. For $8.99 per month, I can read as many of the over 400,000 books in its library on any Apple or Android device or on a Kindle Fire. I did some cursory checks for my favorite authors. Some were listed, some were not. In some cases, a few of an author’s books were available but not the most recent. But there were lots of options, available for immediate download. Unlike my local library where the ebooks are slurped up at alarming rates and I’m left #322 on the next-to-read list so that I can read a particular book about 6 years from now.

I was offered a free month’s trial to use Scribd. Books are read in the Scribd app but the app can also be use to browse and download other books. The “books similar to” options provided decent direction to discover new books as well.

Oyster Books

I also decided to do some research to see if other services were offering a book subscription service and found Oyster. Currently Oyster books are only available on the iOS platform and the monthly subscription fee is $9.99 but their library seems a little larger.

I went ahead and started a free subscription with Oyster as well to compare the two services. The interface for browsing and book discovery on Oyster is a little more aesthetically pleasing than Scribd but both are similar with a search option or a browse by category. Oyster offers more esoteric sub-categories like, within Science Fiction, they’ve divided books into categories like “Utopian Dreams” or “Genetic Engineering”.

Both services have recently received access to the Simon & Schuster catalog which added 10,000 titles and lots of reading options. Both services have business and economic books, young adult fiction, a large cache of mysteries and popular fiction, classics and more. Either option will have something in their collection you want to read.

I did a search for a few specific authors: Stephen King (equally represented by both services, David Sedaris (only one book available at both services “Children Playing..”), Seth Godin (more books available through Oyster), George R. R. Martin (only one short story in an anthology, available from both) and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (a knitting humorist and Oyster had all her books but Scribd only had two available). As you can see, lots of breadth in both services.

I really wanted to compare the actual reading experience, which is a make-or-break for me. In general, both experiences sync across devices — from iPhone to iPad pretty smoothly. The only notable difference is that the Oyster reading environment requires users to swipe up to move through pages, more like a PDF or Word document rather than across like the iBooks or Kindle does. Neither has the faux page-turning animation, ability to adjust line spacing or margins that the Kindle and iBooks app allow. Both services feature sans serif or serif font choices and reading white-on-black, black-on-white or a sepia look. Both have highlighting and annotation options. Except for the swiping being a little counter-intuitive on Oyster, they are both perfectly adequate.

Both services offer the option to link with friends via Facebook and other services though, for me, I prefer to just read and not network. Since both services are fairly new, it might not be a big deal to anyone else either. Its really all about the books.

That said, I think both services are neck-in-neck to win my subscription fee loyalty. Both seem like great ways to feed my voracious book appetite without cluttering up my house any further.

If you have an Android device or Kindle tablet, I recommend that you start with Scribd as Oyster does not yet have support for the Android platform. If you decide to try Oyster, please use this link and I’ll get a credit for recommending it.

Have you considered or do you read ebooks? I like having a book with me at all times on my phone for those waiting-in-line moments. Do you?

In feature

Kickstarter: SketchyNotebook

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Sketchy Notebook Kicktarter project

 

If you liked my post form yesterday of the template guides sheets, you’ll really like the SketchyNotebook Kickstarter project which is an A5 notebook that specifically focuses on providing an assortment of high-visibility page templates for more than just lined paper. There are templates for grid, film/animation storyboarding, 3D perspectives, and more — all printed on water-resistant vinyl stock for durability.

Sketchynotebook templates

One notebook plus your choice of three templates starts at $30 and there is about two weeks left in the campaign.

Sketchynotebook drawing sample

Hop over, check it out. Let me know what you think and if you’ll be funding this project.

(Shout out to My Pencil Draws Worlds for the tip)

In feature

A Better Option

Author AnaPosted on 20 Comments

no-ugly-pens

When recently asked “What pen do you reach for most often?” my less-than-pen-nerdy husband answered, “Whatever is at hand.” Oh, my aching pen geek heart! I succinctly told him that using “any old pen” when you’re married to a pen nerd is akin to me getting business cards printed at Kinko’s. No offense to Kinko’s but my husband is a premium letterpress printer and I would never dare to tarnish his reputation or sensibility by carrying a less-than-fabulous card. That said, I’m on the hunt for pens that are not “fancy-pants” fountain pens but not a disposable plastic pen either. The catch is that he genuinely likes the writing quality of the Uni-Ball Vision and similar gel/rollerball pens.

This conversation synced with thoughts I have been having about the upscale (non-fountain) pen. Like most pen geeks, I have a deep-seeded respect for the writing quality of the gel/hybrid rollerball pens but I just don’t want to carry around a plastic pen. One of the things I like best about the fountain pens I use is that they are aesthetically appealing and endlessly refillable.

In looking for a suitable pen for Bob (and continue my own search for a good non-fountain pen), I went to the most successful Kickstarter pens. Most of these are well-designed pen body that utilizes the most favored refills (either the Pilot G2-sized refills or the Pilot Hi-Tec C-style refills).

Render K Uni Ball Signo Refill

I immediately went back to my well-loved Karas Kustoms Render K which tends to be my go-to pen at work. It is loaded with a Pilot Hi-Tec C refill (in green, of course). It looks professional but will write on any surface I might be faced with in the average meeting (photocopies, 3×5 notecards, post-it notes or my own notebook). I’m considering adding a Render K that accepts the G2-style cartridges to the mix as well to expand my refill options.

Eco-Essentials Pen

Another pen up for consideration is the Ishuja’s Eco-Essential Pen ($55) which is a bamboo outer casing with aluminum interior and hardware. I really like the look of this pen. Its a clean, simple design and is available for either the Hi-Tec C-sized refills or for the G2-sized refills. The mix of silver metal and warm bamboo wood is gorgeous.

Big Idea Design Aluminum Pen + Stylus

The Big Idea Design’s Solid Aluminum Pen + Stylus ($59) is also a possibility. It has an all-aluminum body with a titanium clip and is the less expensive sibling to the solid titanium version that was originally a Kickstarter project. This pen also includes a touch-sensitive tip for digital devices on the end. This can be swapped out with a flat screw for a cleaner look that ships with the pen. The pen accepts the G2-style refills too, of which there are lots of refills to choose from.

retraktpen

As a temporary solution to my husband’s lack of appropriate pen, I gave him my Karas Kustoms RETRAKT in brass ($65) with a standard G2 black refill in 0.5mm. Hopefully, he’ll resist the urge to just use “any old pen”, especially in front of clients.

He has a Fisher Space pen, a Sherpa and an Acme pen, all of which he’s misplaced. Maybe I shouldn’t have given him the RETRAKT after all?

Do you have a favorite pen that accepts standard rollerball/gel refills? Let me know in the comments!

In feature

Our FREE Downloadable Guide Sheets: Turn a Blank Notebook into a Lined Notebook

Author AnaPosted on 131 Comments
Our FREE Downloadable Guide Sheets: Turn a Blank Notebook into a Lined Notebook

Updated: July 6, 2024

H. C. Marks (@HCMarks) on Twitter asked “do you know of any stencils with which to draw ruled lines in blank notebooks?”

I have something so much better, at least in my humble opinion. I use a sheet of lined paper that I tuck under my blank page to create perfectly straight lines that are there. But not. Using a guide sheet does not require any prep time. Just slide the sheet behind your current page and start writing.

Using a guide sheet with a blank notebook gives a lot more flexibility. You can sketch and free form on some pages and then use the guide sheets when you want to write. It also means that you get the line spacing you want instead of what the manufacturer decides is best. Write larger? We have a guide sheet for that. Prefer graph paper? We got you covered? Want to mix it up depending on the pen you’re using? That’s where guide sheets really shine. Way more flexibility.

Guide sheets are great with letter-writing pads too.

may14 2

Harry’s request could not have been more timely as I’ve been planning to make up a few different line widths to share with readers so that you too can try this. The sheets have pretty thick, dark lines (but not as dark as the NEW Bold Lines edition! See below!) that can be seen through most standard writing paper. I’ve tested these sheets in my Rhodia Uni Blank for several weeks.

Guide Sheet, 6mm
With Guide Sheet under Rhodia Paper, 6mm rules
Writing after guide sheet
With Guide Sheet removed.

I have created paper guides in 6mm, 7mm, 8mm and 10mm lined plus 5mm and 10mm graph paper. NEW! I’ve added 5mm and 6mm dot grid to each size.

(I hate to have to make this clarification but these guide sheets are FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. If you need custom sheets printed for your next product, email us!)

The NEW All-in-one PDF document includes the following:

  • A4
  • US Letter
  • A5
  • Field Notes size (in a 3-up layout that will fit on standard US Letter or A4 paper)

Print out your favorite line width spacing on a laser or ink jet printer. One copy of the guide sheet can be kept in each of your favorite notebooks and should last for a long time. If you print the guide sheets on heavier weight paper or card stock it can double as a blotter sheet, pen primer or to protect the next sheet from pesky bleed through.

guide sheets screen shot

You can still print out individual sheets if you prefer. The links are still available here:

US Letter Size (8.5″x11″):

A4 Size (210 x 297mm or 8.3″ x 11.7″) ADDED Feb. 3, 2015:

A5 Sizes (148 x 210mm or 5.83×8.27″):

Field Notes Sized (3.25″x5.5″) UPDATED Feb. 3, 2015:

These new sizes have been trimmed down width-wise so there’s no overhang in your pocket notebooks. I’ve also added 3-up layout on a US letter sized sheet.

Field Notes “Dime Novel” Edition

Latest Variation, Bold Lines:

I had a request for A4 & A5 versions with darker lines so that the guides would be visible through heavier weight paper or would be easier to see. I created the A5-BOLD and A4-BOLD to start with all the same lined, graph and dot grid as our found in the new All-in-one PDF, just with a heavier black line to improve viewing. Please give me feedback and let me know if you find them useful.

Tips for printing guide sheets:

If you don’t have a PDF app on you computer, I recommend Adobe Acrobat Reader. When printing, be sure that you choose to print at 100% (or “actual size”), do not choose the “fit to paper” option. I ran the lines to the end of the template to maximize guides. Your printer might trim the edges a bit.

If there’s interest, I can make up other sizes as well. Just let me know in the comments what you prefer.

Other Options:

Stalogy Templates :

Stalogy offers templates  in B5, A5, B6 and A6 sizes that fit into their notebooks or any other books of similar size.

Journal guide: the middle way (via Leigh Reyes, My Life As A Verb)
Journal guide: the middle way (via Leigh Reyes, My Life As A Verb)

Leigh Reyes of My Life As A Verb has created her own A5-sized Journal Guide templates which feature some various custom page layouts . She offers four different formats to download and hopes to make plastic versions in the future.

Dotted/Lined Templates from Ink Journal
Dotted/Lined Templates from Ink Journal

Ink Journal offers some additional downloadable guide sheets to fit Field Notes-sized and standard Traveler’s Notebooks. They offer bullet journal templates, lined, dot grid and script practice sheets as well as their ink collecting template. These work great with their Tomoe River paper journals.

UPDATES:

  1. 11/9/14 Added 5mm and 10mm grid and true A5-sized.
  2. 2/3/15 Added A4 and revised Field Notes sizes, added 3-up layout for Field Notes.
  3. 8/23/2016 Added links to Leigh Reyes A5 Journal Guides and Ink Journal’s Free Resources
  4.  9/24/2017 Added FN Dime Novel Edition formats
  5. 10/27/2019 Added Bold Lines A5 edition and All-in-one PDF with Dot Grid
  6. 10/11/22 Added Stalogy template links
  7. 07/06/24 Add A4 BOLD lines