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Business Moleskine Mania: How a Notebook Conquered the Digital Era

thewalrus.ca

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Re: Business Moleskine Mania: How a Notebook Conquered the Digital Era

#21

Post by sgu999 »

walterbell wrote: post #3

> From 2005, Leuchtturm.. took on Moleskine, matching them for quality.. older companies like Clairefontaine, Rhodia, and Paperblanks refreshed their offerings. Western hipsters, always alert to high-end Japanese design, started to import notebooks from companies like Midori, Hobonichi, and Stalogy, which bested any of the European brands with their exquisite papers and bindings (Moleskine and Leuchtturm both use mai…

> (Moleskine and Leuchtturm both use mainly Taiwanese paper)

I guess us Europeans can't even make paper anymore... I hope one day it'll be widely obvious to everyone that the true architects of our impoverishment are these CEOs who organized the offshoring of all our supply chain. But in the mean time we'll probably keep on blaming migrants for a while.

Re: Business Moleskine Mania: How a Notebook Conquered the Digital Era

#22

Post by vr46 »

ashton314 wrote: post #17
vr46 wrote: post #8

Leuchtturm paper bleeds like a napkin, so hopeless. Moleskine works. Hobonichi rules.

What are you writing with? I write with a Lamy Al-Star EF nib and use take-sume black ink from Pilot; Leuchtturm doesn't bleed at all; doesn't feather either. Moleskine doesn't work nearly as well for fountain pens—too much feathering.

Capless EF, Diamine Red Dragon. We cannot be talking about the same books, my friend ordered one and found the same problem, not sure what they were using. Bled badly with a Pilot C4, as well.

Re: Business Moleskine Mania: How a Notebook Conquered the Digital Era

#23

Post by mihaic »

Hamuko wrote: post #15
mihaic wrote: post #11

Honestly, I now think most people with a Moleskin are doing it primarily for show. They do have nice quality paper, so it's not really a bad choice, only could be better depending on what your exact needs are. For work I ended at Maruman Mnemosyne and I'm always happy with them. It's a Japanese brand with great paper, nice ergonomics of easily fitting a pen in their spire and plenty of combinations of size and grid p…

I got a Moleskine because it seemed to be the nicest thing available in the bookstore when I needed a notebook. Got a small one with fire red cover to write my scratch codes. (The hope is that whenever I am actually locked out of my accounts and need to find a scratch code in panic, that red notebook is gonna catch my eye faster than any other colour.)

In most bookstores a Moleskine really is the best brand available, so I completely understand your choice. Good luck that you won't need to use the codes though.

Re: Business Moleskine Mania: How a Notebook Conquered the Digital Era

#24

Post by drekipus »

Pretty much the only moleskine I got, and still use regularly. Is the A5 week to a page diary.

I love that the right hand side of any opening is lined for free form writing. And the thing is small enough to fit in your pocket.

Absolute game changer, I think I'm up to my fourth year in a row now.

Other than that I have used lechturm1917, I really like the numbered pages, but I find it difficult to get in any local bookstore.

Having the pocket diary has changed the way I do notes, so I'm finding I need it less and less.

I'm using a pilot juice-it-up four coloured pen 0.4mm ATM and love it to bits, but the ink runs out way too fast. It would be lovely if someone made a pen that has such vivid colours end flows well without quickly emptying the tank

Re: Business Moleskine Mania: How a Notebook Conquered the Digital Era

#26

Post by sgu999 »

memset wrote: post #12

Fascinating! I myself am partial to the Muji lay flat notebooks. Question: how can I find a printer to make my own? I run a small business making staff paper notebooks. I want to make lay flat, thread + tape bound ones. How can I find a printer that can help me replicate? (I also want to launch a line of cheap mead-like notebooks, but similarly have trouble figuring out how to get those done.) most places will do spi…

Mind sharing more about your business? How did you end up doing that? Are you competitive at all on prices or are you mostly benefit from the fact that it's a local product for your niche market?

Re: Business Moleskine Mania: How a Notebook Conquered the Digital Era

#27

Post by minkles »

memset wrote: post #12

Fascinating! I myself am partial to the Muji lay flat notebooks. Question: how can I find a printer to make my own? I run a small business making staff paper notebooks. I want to make lay flat, thread + tape bound ones. How can I find a printer that can help me replicate? (I also want to launch a line of cheap mead-like notebooks, but similarly have trouble figuring out how to get those done.) most places will do spi…

100% agree with the muji ones. I buy the planner every year. I do most of my organisation and most of my thinking work on a hoard of a two foot thick slab of muji squared paper and enough gel pen refills to last 20 years.

Re: Business Moleskine Mania: How a Notebook Conquered the Digital Era

#28

Post by ano-ther »

TheChaplain wrote: post #2

Moleskine is nice, but have you ever tried Leuchtturm1917?

They’re ok, but I prefer the slightly smaller format of Moleskine that strangely only they seem to make.

It’s astonishing how much these branded notebooks cost. They must have great margins, not just Moleskine as described in the article.

Re: Business Moleskine Mania: How a Notebook Conquered the Digital Era

#30

Post by austinl »

I'm curious about the main use-cases for physical notebooks from folks on HN. I love the idea of physical notebooks, but also have years of digital notes that are searchable and that I can access on any device. I feel like I'm in too deep with digital, and like the ability to access it anywhere.

Has anyone made the switch from digital to physical and loved it? What kind of notes are you taking, how did you get it to stick?

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