The Black n’ Red Ruled & Perforated Notebook
On my many trips to Staples for office supplies, Ive always seen the Black n’ Red notebook brand. I never really thought much of them so I always passed them up for something else. On my last trip to Staples I finally broke down and decided to pick up a Black n Red notebook, so I went with the polypropylene version that was $4.99.
Inside the Black n Red Notebook, the personal information and table of contents page
The Black n’ Red notebook have a great look to them with their contrasting black cover and red double coil binding. The sturdy plastic cover will ensure that over time the notebook will not become ragged looking. There is also a nice sturdy elastic strap that acts as a bookmark or closure, that incorporates the black and red color scheme with a checkered pattern. The elastic closure is bound through the back cover with metal rivets which gives it a very sturdy feel.
Once you take in the great looks of the outside of this Black n Red notebook and crack it open you are met by a very practical “Personal Information” page to help you organize your notes. In addition to having spots for basic contact information it also has a nice table of contents area where you can keep track of where things are in your notebook.
Useful conversions and other info inside the Black n’ Red notebook
In addition to the personal information and table of contents page, the Black n’ Red notebook also has a handy conversions and time zone page. This page covers things like US and European paper sizes and basic metric system conversion charts. This is one of those things that I think is always good to have on hand. Inside the Black n Red notebook, which is 8 1/4″ by 5 7/8″ you will find 70 sheets of ruled paper.
Lots of different pens and inks to test out the 24lb paper in the Black n’ Red notebook
Now for the really good stuff about this Black n Red notebook. Putting lots of different pens and inks to use on this paper turned out to be a great experience. Not only was the writing surface of the paper incredibly smooth and easy to write on but there was little to almost no feathering with any of the inks on this paper. I tried every imaginable pen in this Black n Red notebook and had no issues whether it be bleeding, feathering, or scratchy writing. The only pen that showed slight issues was the Uniball Vision Elite. Surprisingly the Uniball Vision Elite only had minimal feathering though.
Back side of the writing sample in the Black n’ Red notebook shows that the blledthrough is incredibly minimal, if any at all
I wanted to post a picture of the back side of the writing sample just to show how well the paper holds up. You really don’t get any bleed through on this Black n Red notebook paper which is quite impressive. Normally I’m kind of picky about bleed through on paper, but I can say with confidence that you should not have any issues with most pens on this paper. One other aspect of this paper is very nice, which is how well the perforated edges rip off. With a simple fold back and forth it rips right off vlean and neat. Overall you really cant beat this notebook in my eyes. Between the clean and professional look, the sturdy cover and binding, and the high quality paper, you can rest assured that your $5 is money well spent with this notebook. If you don’t have a local Staples to pick up your office supplies from you can also find a great Black n Red notebook on Amazon.com here as well as the larger size here too.
Great review! It’s always nice to see what I consider a brand from home (which I too always seem to pass by in search of something more exotic at Staples) making a favourable impression with pen/stationery enthusiasts overseas. They really are great little notebooks – I also like the pocketsize and casebound versions.
As always, a top notch review! I saw these at my Office Depot yesterday when I was looking for a new Kuru Toga. I am glad to know that they are worthy notebooks that are easily accessible.
I like the size of these notebooks. They’re really easy to carry around–perfect for women’s handbags and easy to toss into any backpack. I’ve seen a few college students use them for in-class note taking too.
@Sam – Ill probably have to search out one of the pocket size versions next. Sometimes in the search for something more exotic, you end up passing by something that is simple, yet very functional and of a high quality.
@Michael Ramm – Thanks. Yup, the cost on these is something that really makes it so great, very inexpensive for the quality that you get from it.
@Andrew – Yup, they are nice and compact, good for those situations.
The walmart where I live, is selling these. I picked one up to use for notes at a temp job. I have been pleasantly surprised. I might buy a full sized one for a class I start soon.
I bought one at Office Depot the other day, really nice paper. Smooth. No feathering and I use broad nib fountain pens. I was quite impressed.
@Melinda – Exactly what my situation was, pleasantly surprised. Makes me wonder what other office supplies Ive been giving the cold shoulder that are pretty nice.
@Veronica – Nice to know that it even performs well with the broad nib pens, Ive never written with one but plan to one day. Good to know, so thanks for sharing.
I own two hardcover, wire-bound non-perforated Black and Red notebooks. The only gripe I have is that the red coloring from the inside of the hard covers tends to wear off onto the first and last pages in the form of bright red smudges.
@Erica – Thats interesting, I just checked mine and I dont see that happening. I wonder if it has to do with carrying it around? Mine stays on my desk, do you have yours in a bag or carry it around with other books? Wondering if the pressure could cause that.
My lab uses the hard cover version of Black n’ Red Ruled.
There’s a stack of them for the taking… to do lab work in of course ; )
Extra fine point Sharpies kind of bleeds through and smears a bit, but my Pilot P-700 loves this notebook
@Samantha – I’m jealous, that sounds like a great place to work! 🙂 The extra fine point Sharpie markers don’t do well on most paper, you should try the regular Sharpie Pen fine point if you have not used those yet. There is a big difference between the Sharpie markers and pens.