Rhodia Bloc Top Staple Graph Paper Notebook
By
The Rhodia Bloc Top Staple Graph Paper Notebook
The Rhodia top staple graph paper notebook is another sample item that was given to me by Karen over at The Quo Vadis Blog to review.
This notebook measures 3.3″ x 4.7″ and is stuffed full of 80 sheets of 21.3 lb graph ruled paper. The paper is super smooth and bright white, with a nice shade of light violet lines that make up the graph markings.
The Rhodia notebook with front cover folded back and some pens ready to write.
As you probably noticed in the first photo, the top section of the notebook cover has some horizontal scored lines, which is a really nice added touch. These lines make it so you can fold the cover over the top of the notebook with a very neat and clean cut crease. The second picture shows the notebook with the cover folded back, and you can see how nice, even, and flat it is. Another nice feature of this notebook is that inside the back cover it has a nice think slice of cardboard that makes for a solid backing when you are holding the pad and writing. The cardboard backing and nice nice clean way the cover flips over makes this an ideal notebook for someone who needs to take notes on the go…oh, that and the fact that it slips right into a regular shirt pocket on a mens shirt, the back pocket of your jeans, or the inside pocket of your jacket. It just seems perfectly compact and designed for on the go note taking.
Close up of the Rhodia notebook graph paper.
The close up photo of the Rhodia notebook graph paper shows the bright white paper and crisp graph lines. I am not sure if the quality of the paper shows up well in the scan, but this paper is very bright white and has an incredibly smooth feel to it.
Rhodia notebook graph paper writing sample, page removed.
Once you start writing on this paper you will understand why it is such a popular notebook for those who truly value a nice writing experience. Each of the pens I tried on this paper wrote very smoothly on here, even the super fine point of the Uniball Signo .28 in red. By taking a look at the high quality photo above you can see that none of the pens used in this sample show any feathering at all. The pens used (in addition to the Signo .28) were the Lamy Safari with an EF nib and Noodler’s Borealis Black ink, a green Uniball Signo, and a Uniball Jetstream ballpoint. You can also see that I removed this page from the notebook using the micro perforated holes at the top to rip it out. Nothing bugs me more than perforated paper that leaves a jagged edge when you pull it out…this notebook is awesome in that respect. The page tears out with ease, and you never have that feeling of “oh no, Im going to leave a big sloppy chunk behind” when you are ripping the sheet out.
Using a medium size cushion grip binder clip as a stand for the Rhodia notebook.
Probably not an original idea, but I usually tend to use a binder clip on notebooks to create an easy way to open to the last used, or unused page, but in this instance I started playing with the notebook and binder clip for photographic reason and found that using the binder clip as a mini easel for the notebook works pretty well. I think the rubber cushioned grips are a big help as compared to a regular binder clip because the rubber gives it a little extra grip so it doesnt slide. Im sure this set up would be helpful if you want to type some stuff from your notebook to a Word document or something like that.
Keeping the Rhodia closed with a binder clip.
The only thing I wasnt 100% thrilled with about this notebook was that once you fold the top cover back, it wont really lay flat when you close it again. Not surprisingly, the binder clip saved the day and I found that simply latching it on as pictured above solves the problem, and now you have a pretty easy way to carry around a binder clip with you because you know that in an emergency, they can fix just about anything MacGyver-style.
Great little notebook, and it comes in a ton of other sizes and styles too, so check out your favorite stationary retailer and try one of these out if you have not already. I cant lie, when I was doing the writing sample I wanted to just keep writing just because it felt so smooth and nice to write on…especially with the fountain pen. Thanks again to Karen at The Quo Vadis Blog for this sample!
© 2009 – 2010, OfficeSupplyGeek. All rights reserved.
Great review, as always OSG! You’re a better person than I am. I have stockpiled on notebooks (Doane, Moleskine, and Rhodia), but haven’t written in them yet. I like to think I’m saving them for when classes start next week. Hooray! Nothing like being back in college. Anyway, I’m sure it’s just because I enjoy looking at the unmarred canvasses, and I don’t want to ruin the look of the notebook with pen marks. But I guess that’s all part of the beauty of a notebook, the finished product, right?
@Cat – Thanks! I know what you mean, sometimes its hard to crack the seal on a new notebook and defile it with my chicken scratch handwriting….but eventually it has to be done.
Have you seen the Rhodia notebooks that are 2″ X 3″? In black and orange and lined or grid. They are so cute.
@Veronica – I have seen that one, and you are right…I’ve been waiting to order some other things so I can group an order of stuff together and Ill probably pick that one up along with a few other random items. Have you used that one?
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Yes I ordered a bunch from Lincoln Stationers/Daily Planner. I love them. They fit in my back pocket with a Zebra fold up pen. I can’t believe I’m not the only one that is NUTs about all this stuff. Wow.
@Veronica – Lincoln Stationaries and The Daily Planner are great, I’ve always enjoyed their sites. The notepads do seem like the perfect “back pocket” size, and its got to be convenient to have it on hand at all times. Right now I’m using a Moleskine Volant mini for that purpose, but I might have to try out the Rhodia next. Here is a link to the Moleskine Volant if you have not see that yet:
http://officesupplygeek.com/notebook-review/moleskine-volant-mini-notebook-review/
And welcome…Its nice to have another person who is addicted to office supplies.
I’ve had one of these in my purse for months, and I didn’t yet clue into the fact that you should fold back the cover until I read your post.
Think I am going to retrofit it with a binder clip as you suggested.
@Cheryl – It was not immediately obvious to me either, especially when I had only seen pictures online before getting one. Glad the binder clip suggestion was helpful!
Looking for something like this but in a larger size, like 7×10 or an 8×10 and I can cut down. Any ideas email me. info at theblackbeauty dot com
@Karl Kirchner – I emailed you info on where to find some larger sizes at shopwritersbloc.com