Perfectly Penned Ruled A5 Notebook/Journal/Writing Pad | Vegan Friendly Hardback Leather Cover | Extra Thick with 255, Lined, 120 GSM Premium Pages | 21 x 14 cm | Luxury Card Gift Box | Grey

Ladies & Gentlemen, the hunt may indeed, be over.There are two kinds of notebook consumers out there: the folks who care nothing about what medium they write on - people who don't know their GSM from their GMT - and those of us who spend an inordinate amount of time seeking out the PERFECT notebook on which to record our random ramblings, internal monologues or deepest darkest desires. I, like the people this review is aimed at, fall into the latter category. I am a stationery obsessed, notebook fiend. For as long as I can remember, I have lusted after various journals, notebooks, pads, pens, inks and every other kind of paper-based paraphernalia. I care deeply about the size, thickness, colour, absorbency, lines, margins & binding of my notebooks. Some might say I care too much. To them I say 'Pfft' and swat them out of my way with a quick flick of my Rhodia shorthand notebook.This is my thing. My jam. My own little corner of world-weirdness, in which I can nerd out with my fellow enthusiasts, hunting, trying, testing and reviewing products, in the vain hope that one day, a company would manage to do the unthinkable and make a notebook that ticked ALL my boxes. So if that level of fanaticism isn't for you and my shiny-eyed, gushing, review of what I believe is as close to perfect as I'm ever going to get, merely makes you want to reach for the telephone to see if whoever let me out on day release might consider having my freedoms reevaluated, then feel free to move along. It's okay. This isn't for you. But if the mere mention of beautifully bound signatures that lie completely flat on almost every page, gets you all hot and bothered, then read on fellow ephemera enthusiast; you are in good company.Now. The notebook. I purchased this notebook way back in the lead-up to Christmas last year. Did I need a new notebook? Well, that all depends on your interpretation of the word 'need' doesn't it? Of course, I already had about 30 blank A5 journals by a number of manufacturers, stashed away in my filing cabinet, ready to be used. But whilst they were - for the most part - perfectly good notebooks, each standing out from the rest in their own way (Clairefontaine paper in Rhodia? Oh yes! Good thickness & shade of paper in a Scribbles That Matter? Heck yes! Stunning covers and luxurious paper in a Paperblanks? Mmmm...yes!) But they all still sort of fell short of the mark, when it came to meeting my personal list of requirements, in order to be a contender for THE NOTEBOOK TO END ALL NOTEBOOKS!Now I don't think that I'm a particularly fussy person in general, but over time I've come to accept that my requirements from a notebook are probably rather demanding and I didn't expect to find THE ONE TRUE NOTEBOOK anytime soon. My preferences are as follows: 1/ Off-white paper that isn't too dark as to alter the shade of my inks too much, but doesn't have the stark whiteness that seems so prevalent in really cheap notebooks with that thin bleached paper I've come to despise. Classy but unobtrusive. 2/ Paper thickness. For my bullet journal I use a 'Scribbles That Matter' dot-grid which comes in a 100GSM thickness, which is fine for most pens. However, when I do my regular personal journaling, I tend to use all manner of markers, gel-pens and fountain pen inks. So I need something a little thicker to handle everything I can throw at it. 120GSM is what I'm looking for. 3/ I write a lot. Each journal entry averages at around 10 pages (recently I've been knocking out some 20 pagers quite frequently too, so yeah, I'm a prolific scribbler) and I journal pretty frequently too, so I want to be able to feel like I have time to get comfortably 'into' a journal, before it then runs out and I've gotta go get another one (and get used to that one too). I want at least 200 pages. 250+ ideally. 4/ Paper must be lined for personal journals. I only use dot-grid for bullet journaling and blank just isn't something I can deal with. 5/ Lines should be narrow and not too dark. College rule if possible. Wider lines do nothing for someone like me with small, tight, neat handwriting. A total waste of paper and it feels like it was intended for elementary school kids. 6/ I really, really, really love/prefer/want lines that don't run the entire width of a page. I love a nice little space at each end (1 inch margins ideally) because it just makes the overall effect of a filled page look not only neater, but more like the layout of a book. Not enough retailers offer this style of ruling unfortunately. 7/ Bookmark. Ideally, my journal will come with one, but it's not a deal-breaker. 8/ Back pocket. I've really come to love having these in the back of my notebooks. I always stash a few stickers in there...stuff that I feel will add the odd little decoration to my journaling. It's not a total deal-breaker, but I'd very much prefer that there WAS one in there. 9/ Binding. I need the perfect notebook to lie flat when open, to allow for ease of access/comfort when writing. I've tried writing in spiral bound notebooks but there isn't sufficient permanence to them as the pages can come loose very easily. Nor do I like the kind of notebooks which seem to have all the pages glued in tightly together and doesn't open up/lie flat at all. I need there to be individually segmented signatures, perfect bound, so that no matter what page I'm on, I can get to the page and don't find myself having to wrestle with the notebook in order to access it. 10/ I like a range of cover colours. Again, not a deal-breaker, but if I find a notebook I like, I'm going to buy it in many, many, multiples. I don't want the quality to vary, but a nice selection of colours that said fabled notebook may come in, can really help to add a little variety.So...with those being my top 10 qualities I look for a notebook, how does the 'Perfectly Penned A5 Lined Extra Thick Notebook' stack up? Um...very well actually. When I first happened upon the product it initially only came in black or brown leather, which didn't interest me as much. I have a ton of black leather/leatherette notebooks. I messaged the company and the owner replied telling me that they were going to be launching some paler, more playful colours to their range really soon, which piqued my interest; because on paper, they were looking like a real contender for the crown. So I ordered one in the light teal/mint/aqua colour...only for it not to arrive. WTF? I was watching the post like a hawk for days, because I was waiting on a bunch of things to arrive, but I was especially excited to receive & try this new journal. I contacted Amazon UK to let them know that it hadn't arrived and they were very understanding, very helpful and got a new one out to me ASAP. I only included that detail because a/ The distribution of this product wasn't by Perfectly Penned, but by Amazon UK, so all queries anyone has regarding deliveries should be directed to them and b/ I wanted to give Amazon credit for dealing with this problem really swiftly & efficiently. The replacement arrived within two days, which was perfect. (Thanks Amazon!)Upon opening the box I first got to see the 'gift box' that this product is advertised as being distributed in. The gift-box in question is a nice touch for anyone thinking about giving this item as a gift. It's sleek and satin finished, professional looking and very suitable for both the corporate and civilian purchase. I found it to be an especially nice touch on an item that retails for much less than comparable products on the market. Once opened I got to see/feel the soft textured fabric cover on the notebook which I can only really describe as pleasantly tactile! It's smooth and the company logo on the front - to me - seems classy and subtle. If you are someone who doesn't like a logo on their journal's this might be a deal-breaker for you, but I think it looks very tidy, very professional and I really like it.Then I got to examine the pages. The first thing I noticed was that these pages do indeed, all lie flat, when you open them up. And very easily too. I knew this book was going to be very easy to write in. I already knew from the pictures online that this notebook met my 'Narrow, feint ruled pages with side margins' expectations and in person, this looked exactly how I wanted it to. The page numbers at the bottom of each page are not too dark, so they aren't particularly obtrusive, but I'm not bothered one way or the other about having page numbers in a personal journal. If I was using this for a bullet journal, I would probably very much appreciate them, but as it is, they don't matter to me one way or the other. I do however like whatever font it is that they have used to print the numbers. Small detail, but hey, I'm a notebook pedant - sue me! Lol.Next up was the testing of the paper. I wasn't going to be using this notebook until a month or two into 2019, but as with all new notebooks I did a vigorous pen-test in the back pages, as soon as I got it, to see just how well the allegedly 120GSM paper would perform. And it did NOT disappoint. I used Papermate Flairs, Tombow ABT Dual Tip Brush Markers, Giotto Felt Tip Markers, Mildliners, Zebra Sarasa Milk Colours, Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens & Broadpens, Mitsubishi Unipins, Pigma Microns, a couple of Sharpies, a couple of ShinHan Art Touch Twin Markers and a selection of fountain pens (including Noodlers Blue Nose Bear/Pasternak/Baystate Blue, J Herbin Cacao Du Bresil/Vert Reseda/Bouquet D'Antan, Diamines and a few others) Out of all the inks I tested, the only ones which didn't perform perfectly, were the ones I didn't expect to perform perfectly. The Sharpies and ShinHan markers were all alcohol based and need to be used on paper designed especially for them. These pens rarely work on any paper, so there were no surprises there. There was a bit of ghosting from the Noodlers Baystate Blue (known in fountain pen lovers' circles as THE most badly behaved fountain pen ink ever made, lol!) but it didn't bleed. In fact there was no bleed-through from any pens or inks, except for those alcohol based ones mentioned previously.It is worth mentioning that this paper feels much more absorbent than say, your Rhodia or Tomoe River. But then those brands intentionally create a sort of sheened surface on them which causes the ink to lie on top of the page; whereas the paper in the Perfectly Penned journal sucks the ink into the paper more. This makes the paper better for using fountain pen ink as you don't have the issue of delayed dry-time, that you find in Clairefontaine and Tomoe River. It could also be of some benefit to a left-handed writer who suffers with the perpetual smudging on some papers. The paper has a slight 'tooth' to it, which I prefer. It gives me more 'feedback' especially when writing with a fountain pen. Some people out there are probably aware of the issue one experiences on occasion where a pen almost 'skips' upon first attempt to write with it on some papers...not because there is anything wrong with the pen, but because the shiny, super-sleek surface doesn't offer sufficient friction to give the purchase required to start the ink flowing smoothly across the page. This might not be to everyone's taste, but I really like it. I haven't written any journal entries in it using a biro/ballpoint pen yet, but I think it will be a very pleasant writing experience to pair my favourite Pentel ballpoints with this paper.So, as you can see I was really happy with this purchase. It is a massive box-ticker, offering me pretty much everything I want in a notebook, at an incredibly reasonable price point. It has two of those bookmarks I like (one is all I need, but a second one in no way affects my experience) and it also has a pocket in the back for storing little bits and pieces. Which is actually where I would say is the only place in which the quality of this notebook falls down. I think this pocket could be improved. Hugely. It feels like more of an afterthought, cheaply stuck in there as a cursory nod to the idea of having one. This is a real shame, because aside from this pocket, this notebook was on track to hit a solid 100% satisfaction score from me. But this is something that can be easily remedied. The manufacturers just need to take a look at the pockets in the back of Moleskines, Rhodia Webnotebooks, Leuchtturms and Scribbles That Matter notebooks, see what the standard is, and emulate it. The pocket needs to be deeper. It needs to be almost the full size of the back cover it is stuck to. It should have a sturdy enough construction so as not to become distended or misshapen by regular access. Fixing this one issue will take this notebook to an A+ rating, at what shouldn't be that great an increase in cost. Get this right and you have a perfect product.That pocket issue aside though, this really is the best notebook I've come across in my decades of searching for the perfect journal. Thick, chunky, lots of pages, good quality paper, nice colours, opens flat, bookmarks, takes almost all inks and at a price-point you just cannot argue with...if you're a fan of notebooks or also in the perpetual hunt for the perfect notebook, BUY THIS NOTEBOOK! I have been using mine for a couple of months now and am going to be ordering another couple in the not-too-distant future, because they are now my go-to journal of choice. I really enjoy using this notebook and I hope more people try them, fall in love with them and spread the good news, because I really want this company and this product to be around for a very long time.Tl;dr - Excellent notebook. Ticks all the boxes. Value for money. Great quality. Try it. Do it. Buy the notebook!!

I bought a turquoise Perfectly Penned notebook based on one review. It's really detailed and the writer of it is as finding the perfect notebook obsessed as I am. Thank you for writing the review- I believe Holy Grail was mentioned- because finally I have found a journal that I believe is worthy of the name.I started keeping a journal when I was a Yr. 7 student. I had all sorts of feelings that I needed to get out of my head and was too guarded to tell them to anyone. My point is that I have lots of journals that I've filled and yet Perfectly Penned is the first company I've found that have made the almost perfect notebook -I say almost because when I was 21ish (almost 20 years ago) I found what I thought was the perfect journal in London and bought 2- who is to say that in another 20 years I won't find an even better one.I digress. The paper is beautiful. I use Parker ballpoint pens on a daily basis because they write beautifully and in nearly 30 years have never let me down. The paper is perfect for a Parker ballpoint. It's a mix of shiny and matte so there is no smudging of the ink. There is no bleedthrough. It's a pleasure to write on. The page numbers are so handy, finally I don't have to write them myself. Double bookmark, brilliant idea. So handy for if you use these for work notes or lists. Back pocket, useful if it's a recipe book, for lists.The thickness of the book is fantastic- again- really sturdy and will keep you going for a while, even if you (and I do) write several pages most days. Also, the thickness of the book and quality of the paper justify the price. The pages seem well bound as well.The pages lay flat so that writing is easy and I find I don't need to fight them back to find my place when I day dream while writing. The one page that is a pain in my turquoise Perfectly Penned is the title page; it doesn't lay flat. This isn't a problem; just something that some people might not like.I love the fact that a self adhesive pen loop is included. I have never found a notebook/journal that provides one. I ended up buying a pen pocket from W H Smith in the end and I'm glad I did because I can fit 2 pens in it: however, I would have loved the pen loop as a teenager. The adhesive is brilliant, I made the mistake of sticking it to the front where the elastic closure goes and I can't remove it so be aware!Anyway I tip my hat to Perfectly Penned and I love my turquoise notebook so much that I bought a pink one recently and may need to buy another colour so I have a stock of them. I would really like it if maybe a dark yellow, a light purple, a navy blue and other colours were available because otherwise I need to buy grey, brown and black. Please, please, please more colours? And maybe coloured checked covers?Keep up with the excellent work. Best wishes.

Gift for my husband to keep a journal - lovely thick pages and well crafted.

This is my second notebook from Perfectly Penned. The first one was a gift from my partner and it was the brown leather one. It has now finished so I bought the aquamarine one, lined. These notebooks are so well made! The quality lasts throughout use - my old notebook still looks like new. Paper is great, doesn't bleed through, it's smooth. I used fountain pens, brush pens and normal pens - all worked. The paper is ecru colour which I think adds to the style. The aquamarine is beautiful lively colour. Notebook comes with stick-on pen loop and has a useful paper pocket on the inside of back cover for all the cut outs of photos or quotes or dry leaves or whatever you want to keep there. It arrived in protective box which could easily be wrapped and given as a gift. It's honestly wonderful. And for that price? Great choice! You should buy it.

l have bought a lot of notebooks looking for one that won't bleed or feather and the ink dries quickly. l finally found one and this is it.

I typically write with a fountain pen and even with thicker nibs there is no bleeding on the paper in this journal. On top of that it is beautiful and well built; it looks great even after taking a beating in by backpack from being carried around every day.

Nach intensiver Suche nach einem schönen Notizbuch mit sehr guter Qualität bin ich zufällig auf Perfectly Penned gestossen. Bei dem günstigen Preis war ich skeptisch, aber glücklicherweise neugierig genug, es zu bestellen.Ich verwende seit vielen Jahren viele unterschiedliche Notizbücher, bevorzugt im ca. A5 Format und mag die Anwendung für Aufgabenplanung, Gedankensammlung, schnell etwas aufschreiben, TODO und Organisation etc. (Besser als jedes Zettelchaos!)Dieses Notizbuch ist das Beste das ich jemals hatte.Es sieht sehr schön aus und hat eine hervorragende Qualität.Der Einband fühlt sich schön an, die cremefarbenen Seiten sehen gut aus, die Papierqualität ist wunderbar.Die Idee, den Stifthalter nicht schon fest an einer Stelle positioniert zu haben, sondern dem Kunden zu überlassen, diesen selber an einer beliebigen Stelle anzubringen oder das Buch ohne Halter zu nutzen ist prima durchdacht. Man kann den Stifthalter dann auch woanders verwenden bspw. an einem Clipboard befestigen.Normalerweise würde ich keine Rezension für ein Notizbuch schreiben. Aber dieses Notizbuch und die Hersteller haben es verdient!Ich werde mir noch mehrere davon bestellen und froh sein, bei Bedarf ein weiteres nutzen zu können.Noch Erwähnenswert:Das Notizbuch kam in einer hübschen Geschenkverpackung und lässt sich in dieser gut verschenken.Außerdem gefällt mir, dass die Einbände nachhaltig und vegan sind.

I've been trying to find a new journal and have not found one that works at any store which sells journals. I finally went on Amazon and found this. I love the color, the pages are already numbered, and it seems to be a great quality journal. Plus, it has more pages than most journals I've found and the price didn't seem bad to me. Really excited to start writing in it.

Adoro questo taccuino. E' la seconda volta che ne acquisto uno. Il precedente l'ho usato per quasi un anno e non si è per nulla rovinato. La carta è spessa e mi sono trovato sempre bene anche con l'utilizzo di una penna stilografica. Le pagine sono numerose e numerate. La copertina è rigida ed elegante. Suggerirei di inserire un indice all'inizio. Per il resto lo trovo un ottimo prodotto in relazione al suo costo.