Posts Tagged ‘notebooks’

Where to buy our products

Posted May 9, 2012 by
in Editorial, Pens, Paper & People | 1 comment »

Speaking of retailers… one of the questions that comes up again and again is where to buy our products and what to do if you’re not lucky enough to live near one of the independent local stores that stock them.

On our website, we try to make the connection as seamless as possible not just by listing online retailers but by noting the places that carry specific products and even specific planner/cover combinations. But there is still a jump between our site and theirs, and we aren’t able to list prices because prices are set by each outlet. There are multiple reference numbers because each combination has a different number even if it’s the same planner insert, or a refill only.

And then there’s the problem of shipping, which Karen has already tackled at length.

All this to say, I guess, that we hear your frustration, and we know it isn’t easy. If you’re having trouble tracking something down, you can always contact us for help. Over time, many fans of our products find particular outlets whose service and selection they appreciate, so if you’d like to solicit advice from your fellow consumers, you can always check the Fountain Pen Network.

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Same (note)book, new cover

Posted May 7, 2012 by
in Pens, Paper & People, Planning Tips | Add your comment »

A lot of you like to give your old planner covers new life by reusing them on notebooks, and there are a number of different combinations that work.

So what if you want to buy a new cover on its own, either to replace one that’s damaged mid-year or to use alone on a notebook? Generally, this is a question we’re hard put to answer, because we rely on retailers to distribute our products, and those retailers tend to sell covers and planners together since that’s what most people want.

However, we’ve been able to confirm that New Jersey based Classic Office Products is willing to fill special covers-only orders. If that’s something that interests you, I’d suggest you email their service department at customerservice [AT] classicofficeproducts [DOT] com or call 888-285-6330.

Happy (re)covering!

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Want a blank small staplebound notebook?

Posted May 3, 2012 by
in Product Reviews | 4 comments »

We got a question recently from a fan of the pocket-sized staplebound Clairefontaine notebooks:

Is there any way you can produce that in a blank format? As a pocket notebook, I use it for sketching quick ideas as well and a blank format would be killer.

What do you think?

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Friday review roundup

Posted April 27, 2012 by
in Product Reviews | Add your comment »

Courtesy of Brian Goulet, we’ve got our first official review of the new A4 Habana! “What more can I say? It’s a Habana and it’s big.” To get his thoughts, watch the video above or check out the overview/summary on his blog.

(If you like what you see, don’t forget to enter our A4 Habana giveaway!)

Also worth sharing is this review of the new refillable J. Herbin rollerball at the Writer’s Bloc Blog. “With its transparent body and simple design, the J. Herbin refillable rollerball … is a welcome addition to Exaclair’s new products for 2012.”

Don’t forget to contact us if you review an Exaclair product so we can feature it here!

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A4 Habanas are ready to ship!

Posted April 16, 2012 by
in Announcements | 1 comment »

I haven’t seen them yet, but our A4-sized Habanas are apparently ready to ship. At the moment, they only come with blank (ivory) pages and black covers, but if they’re popular, that may change.

For those who aren’t familiar with the size, A4 is 8 ¼ x 11 ¾ inches. So these new books are bigger than our current large Habanas by a couple inches in each direction.

If you’re interested, please ask your favorite retailer! And watch this space for further updates, cause Karen has a few of these to give away…

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Can I get a ruling?

Posted April 2, 2012 by
in Product Reviews | 5 comments »

I’ve been meaning to follow up on Beth’s recent comment about the lining on the new, small Habanas:

While I can fit my bigger nibs between the lines with practice, I find they really slow me down as I have to take care or I wander outside those lines… I like “college ruled” but this feels cramped.

Of course, everyone has different preferences when it comes to ruling size, but I wonder if others find the Habana’s narrowest ruling too cramped. What do you think?

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Friday review roundup

Posted January 27, 2012 by
in Product Reviews | 3 comments »

Happy Friday, everyone! What better way to kick off a winter weekend than with some constructive criticism of Habana notebooks:

  • Azizah at Gourmet Pens compares the new, ivory-paged Habana to its old white-paper counterpart. The verdict: more showthrough on the new Habana with fountain pens, and “even though the ivory paper is satiny smooth, the white paper is so smooth that it’s practically glossy. It gives start contrast to any color of ink and makes them look outstanding. I miss that.”
  • Jake Seliger tackles the small Habana’s big problem at The Story’s Story: “it’s not quite a pocket notebook. It’s also not quite a full-sized notebook, either, at 4″ x 6″, it’s uncomfortably in between, too large to carry around and too small for classrooms.”

I know Azizah’s not alone in her preference for the old, white paper. Do you agree with Jake that the small Habanas are awkwardly sized?

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Reusing old planner covers

Posted January 20, 2012 by
in Pens, Paper & People, Planning Tips | 1 comment »

A few years ago, I discovered that my old Sapa X covers fit perfectly onto the smallest size of staplebound Clairefontaine notebooks. It was a particularly handy thing to know when I switched to the Space 17, and it got me wondering about other planner/notebook cover combinations.

Of course, it then took me a while to track down the covers and notebooks I needed to experiment with, and even longer to get off my duff and write up the results. Nonetheless! Here are the combinations that work:

  • Sapa X + small (3.5 x 5.5) staplebound Clairefontaine, pictured here
  • Visual + medium (6.5 x 8.25) staplebound Clairefontaine, pictured above and below
  • Visual + medium (6 x 8.25) clothbound Clairefontaine, which fits quite similarly to the previous combo, so I didn’t photograph it
  • Prenote + large (8.25 x 11.75) clothbound Clairefontaine, pictured below
  • Notor or Textagenda + Exacompta Forum journal, pictured below

And here are some more pictures, plus the combos that didn’t work… Continue reading »

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Old products for the new year

Posted December 28, 2011 by
in Editorial, Product Reviews | 15 comments »

It doesn’t always happen immediately, but we do sometimes bring back discontinued products and give them another chance to succeed.

Of course, before we do, we need to make sure that people want to see the product return, and are passionate enough about it to actually make a purchase. So in honor of the coming new year, let me ask: what would you like to have back? A few items we’ve toyed around with:

  • Habana notebooks with white paperExacompta journey notebooks
  • Businessnote planners
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A paper review smorgasbord

Posted December 9, 2011 by
in Pens, Paper & People, Product Reviews | Add your comment »

From Pens and Paper, the site of a UK based organization (or organisation, I suppose) that teaches composition and handwriting and blogs about the life creative, comes this phenomenally comprehensive review of twelve different notebook papers — from the Habana to the Webnotebook and Moleskine, Leuchtturm 1917, and many others.

Each review is written with a careful and comparative eye, which makes it very useful indeed to have them all in one place.

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