Posts Tagged ‘Equology’

The Enigma of Recycled Paper

Posted August 2, 2012 by
in Editorial, Pens, Paper & People | 3 comments »

I use an Equology Sapa X planner.  I like the Sapa X size and format, but I switched from a Space 24 to use a product with recycled paper.  As a former Sierra Club volunteer in Alaska  and staffer in New York City, I felt I needed to live my ethics even though I loved Space 24.

I had pushed for a recycled option for Quo Vadis planners, spurred on by a number of emails we received demanding we change over from regular paper to recycled.  Some of them were quite stident on this issue.

We found that good recycled papers are more expensive to produce than other paper. Consequently, the Equology line was priced $4 or $5 more than similar formats. My feeling was a good chunk of people would pay the extra money for a “green” planner.

I was wrong. This is my last year for Sapa X recycled.  The reason: the sales of recycled paper planners were poor, and declined for the three years in a row. We pulled the plug for 2013.  The flood of fellow environmentalists I had hoped for didn’t materialize.

I know people often complain about the color and quality of recycled paper, but the stocks we had were pretty white, and I could write on my pages with a fountain pen, or erase with no problem.

The Clairefontaine paper we use for Quo Vadis products is made pretty scrupulously, so perhaps that’s sufficient for most buyers. Also, the  recycled paper had a slightly greyish tinge, compared to the soft white, ivory or green of the other sheets.

We reached the conclusion that people will buy recycled paper products if they don’t cost any more than a similar product.  And, for people who really love paper, recycled paper still doesn’t cut it.

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Friday review roundup

Posted June 15, 2012 by
in Product Reviews | Add your comment »

With today’s reviews, we welcome back two old friends — author Stephen Lloyd Webber and organizer Margarita Ibbott.

Stephen, who’s currently at his retreat in Italy, sent us an email to say:

I was in a book shop earlier today in Siena and I saw a few EQUOLOGY notebooks for sale. I bought one, naturally. I am glad to see how clear the packaging is with regard to the ecological sensitivity of the product. Its features are phenomenal — recycled paper, biodegradable, plant-based ink, ISO certified for quality and ecological respect. And, of course, the paper is wonderful and the journal feels exceptionally constructed.

Margarita, meanwhile, participated in June’s Professional Organizers blog carnival with her review of the Canadian Minister Prestige: “Quo Vadis has this way of producing this ivory colour paper that is smooth as silk and a joy to write on… I love my planner…”

Thanks!

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Equology notebooks?

Posted February 8, 2011 by
in Pens, Paper & People, Product Reviews | 8 comments »

Thanks to everyone who wrote in about expanding our line of Equology planners… we will keep you posted if/when we add new formats. Next question: how about an Equology notebook? They are available in France, and we’ve been toying with the idea of importing them for a while.

As before, the issue of fountain pen friendliness will doubtless play a role. But perhaps more pressingly, given how many different notebooks and journals are competing for your attention… would you try out a new option just because it’s eco-friendly?

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Expanding Equology

Posted February 2, 2011 by
in Pens, Paper & People | 6 comments »

A Quo Vadis fan in Alaska recently asked us if we’d consider making the Space 24 in Equology, our collection of recycled paper planners.

Thus far, we’ve only made a handful of formats available in Equology: Minister, President, Sapa X, Scholar, and Textagenda. But we realize that people are increasingly interested in using sustainable products, and we’re happy to consider expanding the lineup.

If your favorite planner format were available in Equology, would you try it? In case it makes a difference, note that while our recycled paper is thicker than average at 72g, it doesn’t perform as well with fountain pens as non-recycled paper.

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Equology Reviews

Posted November 5, 2009 by
in Editorial, Pens, Paper & People | 2 comments »

Here is the first group of Equology reviews.  By and large, I was extremely pleased with everyone’s reaction to the recycled planners. equology-1

My thanks and gratitude to all the volunteers and reviewers.  All of us at Exaclair–and the head of marketing for France mentioned this to me, too– are continually amazed by the depth of care, detail and the total comprehensiveness of the reviews we receive. Thank you.

Your comments and suggestions are a reliable compass to indicate if we going in the right direction, and what adjustments we should make.

I held my breath waiting to hear how the paper performed with pens.  I was able to confirm the larger versions are made with 89 g paper; and pocket size is 74 g paper.  Based on my experience with fountain pen customers, I do not market any book as “fountain pen friendly” unless it is 80 g and up.

I think, overall, like other products – the larger books performed well with fountain pens, and the smaller ones less so. Also, the paper is not the “extra white” of Clairefontaine, but plain white with a slight grey tinge.  When I felt the pages of my Equology Sapa X the paper seemed to have a little,  a hint, of texture.

Read more about Equology here.

Jeff Abbott reviewed a Scholar.

Brad reviewed a Textagenda.

Inks, Nibs & Paper reviewed a Sapa X.

Laurie reviewed a Minister in her new notebooks and planners group on Flickr.

Lauren from Pennington-on-the-Paper reviewed a Scholar.

DizzyPen reviewed a Sapa X.

Diane from Pocket Blonde reviewed a Textagenda.

The Pen Archives reviewed a Scholar.

Thanks so much again!  More reviews will be posted soon.

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Changing My 2010 Planner

Posted October 27, 2009 by
in Pens, Paper & People | 10 comments »

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I’m changing my planner for 2010. For the past several years I have used Space 24 and loved it. I had a full page to write down everything I needed to do that week for work and home: people to call, dry cleaning reminders, scribbled notes for books to buy, my noon class on Wednesdays, projects to work on, mailings, and all the other memoranda of my life. As usual, I would get done about half of what I planned to do, so I’d erase various notes and distribute them over the next week or two. The paper is strong enough to hold up to lots of erasing.

This year, Quo Vadis introduced Equology – a planner line made with recycled paper. As a former staff member and volunteer with the Sierra Club, and a committed environmentalist, I had a real dilemma on my hands: stay with Space 24 or go over to Equology. 

I hasten to add the Clairefontaine paper used for Space 24 is made with strict environmental standards. The mill manufactures much of its own energy, all the pulp and wood by-products come from FSC and PEFC certified forests — none from old growth forests — and the water is cleaner when it leaves the mill then when it arrives. So clean, in fact, people can fish, swim and boat downstream within sight of the plant. With a background in Sierra Club fights in Alaska over logging practices and pulp mill pollution, that is pretty impressive.

But, recycled paper is recycled paper. I made the decision to give Equology a try for a year.

Then, I couldn’t find a format that would exactly meet my need for a notes page. Continue reading »

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Review an Equology planner!

Posted September 14, 2009 by
in Pens, Paper & People | 1 comment »

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If you’re curious about our eco-friendly Equology line, today’s your lucky day — we’ve got some extra 2009 Equology planners in the office, and the first 20 people who write us will get a daily or weekly planner of their choice.

Among the weekly formats, you can choose from the Scholar, the Minister, and Sapa X.

If you’d prefer a daily planner, ask for a Textagenda.

To throw your name into the hat, send us an email with your choice of format, and your first and second choices for cover colors and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

Stay tuned for more fall giveaways, including academic planners, notebooks, ink, and even 2010 planners!

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Equology: same quality, better for the environment

Posted June 29, 2009 by
in Pens, Paper & People, Planning Tips | 11 comments »

equologystock

Thanks to Pentamento for the first review of our new Equology eco-friendly notebooks and planners… Reading it reminded me that I’ve been meaning to post my own photographs and impressions, so here goes.

I, too, love the heavy duty rubber-like cover, to which pictures don’t really do justice—it’s soft and bumpy and dry, sort of like a cat’s tongue:

Continue reading »

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