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Originally Posted by jackie
Great idea Jackie! :)
I forgot about doane paper, which is lined and gridded, on his page Chad Doane has download able templates for letter and A4 size.
He invented his paper in 2005 in the U.S and his products are made in the U.S.A.
Love my Small Cafe Bag and Aeronaut as well. :)
Lined. Cream or Green tinged. Fountain Pen friendly.
doane graph as the second paper I'd keep in it. I currently use a Levenger zip-binder (Bomber Jacket - *love* plaid), and punch my own paper.
Tolovana
Current day to day bag - Black/Red Plaid Large Cafe bag.
I'd list all my Tom Bihn bags here, but then someone would say I was an addict.
Echoing many comments I would like to use a fountain pen for general writing. I also frequently sketch in pencil and pilot precise in colors. I prefer graph paper for both notes and sketching (and voted accordingly) but I would not care for the Cornell versions.
I am particularly intrigued about the idea of options, since some of my work needs metric graph paper (e.g. moleskine's 0.5cm grid), and some needs imperial (4 squares to the inch please.) The best is engineering-style, which has heavier-weight lines to cluster the grids. If the paper is swap-able, I imagine I would keep a mix in there, which would let me stop cramming multiple graph pads and moleskines in the front of my Western Flyer.
Bonus points if I there is an isometric graph paper available for sketching in 3D.
If I were to choose, it would have to be graph paper.
I like to mix papers: lined or graph for notes, graph for some sketching, and plain for drawing. also, I am bi (continental): I use both US-sized and European (ISO 216)-sixed paper.
If i had a choice, i would pick A5, a perfect compromise between compact size and usability.
bb
Same for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by bbcamp
I would like to jackie for bringing forth the idea of using "Doane" paper. It is by far the most flexible design that I have personally seen to date and would be my top pick. I cannot wait to see the Tom's Field Journal.
This is the paper I'd like to use: http://www.ritr.co.uk/shop/loose-lea...2-x-11?cPath=3
I'm very intrigued to see what the final design will be and what size papers it will accept. Creating any kind of ring binder can't be easy because of trying to standardise on one particular kind of paper. It's certainly an accessory I'd love to get my hands on :-)
Are there any updates to the availability of the "field journal"?
I employ a mix of paper types, and customize my arrangements. I use Levenger's Circa system, and utilize a variety of Levenger Circa sheets, as well as adding my own printed sheets by employing the Circa hole punch. I am very excited about the Field Journal and am looking forward to its release.
Circa compatibility is a critical matter for me, as I expect it is for others as well. I was very happy when my question about Circa compatibility was answered affirmatively in another thread. I selected lined paper as my choice in the poll of this thread as that would seem the best fit for stock paper toward my usage, but I would just as easily be happy with grid, plain, or Cornell style. I use them all. What would be more important than any of those styles weighed against each other is the quality of the paper itself.
I concur with previous respondents in this thread that a quality of paper suitable to fountain pen use is preferred. I am partial to a heavier paper, 24lb or better. Doane paper, while intriguing, is not readily available in the Circa style and some Circa sizes (e.g. 5 1/2 x 8 1/2), so I would have to pass at present on it, but I would be open to experiment with Doane style pages should it become available in a more Circa friendly form.
I have to agree with what others have said in that A5 would probably be the best compromise size; it's universally available in many different weights. If you choose a paper size that is too obscure almost no one will want it. As was noted above Circa make some beautiful papers but if you restrict the numbers of available suppliers it makes it both a hard sell and expensive to own.
I think the size aside, another difficult choice is the type of ring mechanism the binder will have. This can also significantly restrict what papers you can choose or you end up having to buy expensive and proprietary punches for them. I think I'd be inclined to make the ring mechanism modular so you can choose which one you want, Filofax, Circa and so on.
What a tease!
I concur with KevinHall. it has been my experience that people who are inclined to be serious users of a field notebook (thus most likely purchasers) are predisposed to have already established a system, whether proprietary or ad-hoc, that is filling their needs. The idea of having flexibility in the binder mechanism, perhaps to the extent of having the option to remove such and have no mechanism at all, would allow for a greater number potential customers. I seem to recall a mention in another thread that the FJN (Field Journal Notebook) would permit the insertion of the back cover of a notebook into a sleeve, thus allowing it to be all things to all users. Yes, I am presently too adverse to weathering the one minute delay between searches to start looking for it. But if someone does, please do post a link.Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinHall
Now on to another matter, the paper itself. I was delighted this past week to see in my mail that I was selected as a recipient of some sample sheets being considered for the FJN. I have written on the sample types with my preferred ink, SCHMIDT® easyFLOW 9000, Black. The samples are of three distinct types:
- a plain (unlined) cream colored sheet that has a pleasing hand, and an apparent higher weight and thicker caliper than the other samples. This sheet was my preference of the three.
- A lined on one side white sheet of a weight inferior to the cream colored sample, and more translucent than the cream colored sheet.
- a quadrille (grid paper with 4 boxes to a span of one inch) on one side, and plain on the reverse of the sheet. This paper is apparently the same weight and caliper as the lined sheet.
I wrote in cursive and block as well as creating a dense scratch pattern patch on all sample types. The white sheets (lined and grid) had a higher level compared to the cream sheet regarding detection of writing, particularly with the dense patch, when viewing the obverse and the test writing written on the reverse. The cream colored sample did a much better job of concealing the writing on the reverse when viewed from the obverse. In conducting my examination, I placed the sample sheets flat on an off-white table surface, as well as flat on a white paper background.
The cream colored sheet alone is near a Levenger grade of paper. I would even go so far as to say comparable, yet I would say the Levenger was superior, but only slightly (and that variance could be attributed to the size of the sample.) While I do not use a fountain pen presently, I am familiar with paper that is fountain pen friendly and I expect that the cream colored sheet would work well with a fountain pen. I am not confident the other samples would match well with fountain pen usage.
I also Circa punched samples of each type and tried them in a Circa journal for ease of flipping, and removed/replaced them several times to evaluate their compatibility with use in Circa (i.e. did the tabs wilt). The cream colored sheet did best, but all of the sheets performed acceptably.
So, my vote is for the cream colored sample of the samples I received. I thank Darcy, Tom, and all the crew at TB for sending me the samples and including me in this evaluation exercise. It was my pleasure to participate. :)
Ex Machina: so thrilled to know that you are a Circa fan!!! I am a big user of Circa, and swear by that system. I have used it now for more than a decade, and I just won't switch. I have found it the most versatile system there is, and relatively inexpensive compared to some others (including Covey, Filofax) etc., The fact that I can put in different sizes and shapes of paper in those rings is, by far, what makes it a fantastic and useful system!