Let's face it: The Seven Seas Writer, and the Seven Seas Standard, both filled with Tomoe River paper, are pretty expensive as far as journals go. With shipping, they are about the same cost as a fine bottle of wine, a salon haircut or a tank of gas. They will probably last longer than any of those, but still, are quite a few bucks.

That doesn't mean they aren't a good value - they have LOT of pages, so the cost per sheet is on par with or better than many excellent notebooks. If you would like to compare them with other notebooks in terms of "writing surface area", please see our notebook value comparison table..

Still, economy and page count are hardly everything, so in order to help people make an informed decision we thought we should give more information on the design, construction and finer details of our notebook:

• Approach - The basic design goals were these: It had to be well-made (with quality materials and manufacturing processes), have a certain "heft", and be simple enough to not call attention to itself. It could not be "too nice", because I've often heard people say they hesitate to write in a new notebook out of fear of having nothing important to say (which is a nonsense reason - not everything we say may be important, but we all have something important to say). In essence, it had to be a tool for recording one's thoughts, but like any other quality tool, it should enhance and not hinder that process. To these ends it is a very basic notebook.

• Binding - The notebook had to have a thread binding. Thread binding is a method of sewing pages together with a sewing machine (a very large, heavy, expensive machine), which secures the paper while allowing the book to lay flat without stressing the spine. It is also the most durable and reliable binding method for journals that see frequent daily use by opening and closing and pressing down with the hands and so on.

• Cover - Although there are many options for cover material, we decided that the cover should be thin, flexible and trimmed to the same size as the paper itself. Why? First,  this many pages really shows off the softness of the Tomoe River paper - right down to its edge - and it's fun to just idly fan through the pages. You can only do that with a flexible cover. Second, a trimmed cover gives you lots of options to change the notebook's appearance; it can be used as an insert for a leather, vinyl, plastic, paper or fabric slip-on covers. Third, a thin cover adds very little bulk - it's about the same thickness as the Life, Apica and Tsubame covers. Finally, because it can bend around objects, a flexible notebook generally travels better in a tote or briefcase.
  
  The cover also had to be strong and durable, so in this latest generation we've employed a tough library-binding material called "buckram". Buckram is a very old and traditional treated fabric which, aside from leather, is the most durable flexible cover material made. It has proven itself over and over in millions of books throughout the world. Our particular brand of buckram is made in Japan.

• Pages - To make the most of the properties of Tomoe River paper (specifically its thinness) a high page count was a must. With 480 pages it has more than twice as many as most notebooks of similar thickness (15mm). It's like carrying two books in the space of one.

• Lines - The lines in the Writer had to be as refined as the paper itself. They are thin and undistracting with enough visibility for guidance.  Spacing is 7mm, which is the most popular spacing for journals of this size.

• Dimensions - The notebook is a true A5 size (which some say is perfect for journaling), measuring 210x148mm (8.3x5.8 inches) and 15mm thick. Many notebooks of this approximate size are slimmer (around 5 inches or even less), but when handwriting, width is important and we didn't want it narrower than a standard size. If you need a wider space, you could turn the blank Seven Seas Standard 90 degrees and use it like is is A4 - about letter size.

• Details - Rounded corners are a nice touch for thin paper; they reduce dog-earing and lend a refined look. And for you fountain pen users, we include a sheet of blotting paper, which will give you a surprising amount of peace of mind. There are also a number of compatible accessories (purchased separately) such as clips, sticky tabs and covers made of plastic, vinyl and leather.

• What's missing? - Two main things: Some may see the overall design as sparse. That's intentional. We left out all text except for our company name, which is printed on the back inside cover. 

As a final design note, in keeping with the continuity of the Nanami Paper product line, the Seven Seas journal is Made in Japan. Tokyo, actually - by a third generation binding factory.

Thank you for making it this far. I think I covered all of the major design points, so I'll close by saying this is a very unpretentious, simple journal insert with a clear purpose: to be written in. Over the course of weeks it will start to mellow; the pages will soften with use, the cover edges will fray, and overall it will develop a certain wabi-sabi quality or imperfect beauty that compels you to record your thoughts, no matter how important, profound, outrageous, silly or ordinary, whether in words or pictures or both.

Happy Writing,

Dave

October 2014

Irvine, California USA

P.S. Here are some pics of the journal after several months of use. It was carried around in a briefcase, used in meetings, tossed in drawers, written on while folded back on itself, spindled, and generally man-handled. I even left it in a book bag that, unbeknownst to me, contained spilt coffee (thus the edge stains and wrinkled cover in the last few pics). The notebook would still be in use except that every single page has been filled with writing or my daughter's art work.