The SS Standard is back! Now with the Sanzen Tomoe River notebook paper, 52gsm!

Please note that all reviews prior to August 2022 refer to older versions, which used TRP from the Tomoegawa company.

What we mean by "Standard": Plain, regular, no-frills. No lines on the pages. Simple, tough, no-nonsense design. It's a blank canvas, ready for your personal touch. But at the same time, it is so dense with capacity, and its paper is so thin and receptive, that by the simple act of adding ink you physically transform the book in a way that is real and tangible. That much will become apparent as you go through more and more pages. We think it is better for capturing your thoughts, vision, aspirations, art, work, and whatever else you choose to put down, than any other notebook. And even if you're the type to throw away old notebooks, you'll probably want to keep this one long after it is filled.

Features:

• Flexible, semi-stiff coated fabric cover.
• Smythe-sewn (thread-bound), lay-flat binding
• White Tomoe River paper - lots and lots of it
• No printing or branding except for the back end sheet
• Comes with a kraft slip case

The pages are "thread-bound", which is a very old and still the best production method of bookbinding. Thread-bound pages are sewn (with a special sewing machine) into signatures, which are gathered to form a text-block, which is then cased into a cover. This method allows the journal to lay flat with no stress to the spine, and for that reason it is the absolute best method for binding a book (including a library book) that sees the daily rigors of opening, closing and pressing down with the hands. It can even be folded back on itself. If you were to go on an around-the-world trip over the course of many months and needed to document your experiences in great detail, this journal would certainly be up to the task.

The paper size is A5 (148x210mm or 8.3x5.8 inches), and 15mm thick. The cover is made of buckram, which, aside from leather, is the absolute toughest flexible cover material available. The cover has also been made stiffer through the use of a core board sandwiched between the buckram fabric and the end sheets. You can use the book as-is, or put it inside a leather, cloth, paper, vinyl, fabric, etc. outer cover.

Tips:

• The notebook will lay flatter if you bend it back on itself a bit. Don't be afraid to do this - the binding is top notch.
• If you use a fine-to-medium fountain pen, the ink will generally dry fast enough. If it doesn't, close the book on the included pink blotter sheet.
• If you use a pencil, softer leads such as 2B and 3B work well.
• Pencil marks erase very cleanly from this paper, and using a high quality eraser is pure pleasure. Don't be surprised if you find yourself making mistakes on purpose.
• If you find the book a bit thick for your writing style, please read this.

Recommended accessories:
 

• Clear Notebook Cover
• Seven Seas + Gfeller Kip leather cover
• Herz of Japan Italian leather covers
• Super Clips and Mini Clips
• Hard or soft writing mats - Order size A5; larger works well too
• Blotter paper - Order size A5 (please note that the notebook already comes with one sheet)

Specifications:
 

• Size A5, 210x148mm, 15mm thick, (8.3x5.8x0.7 inches)
• White-color Tomoe River "Notebook" paper
• 480 pages (240 leaves), no lines, rounded corners
• Lay-flat thread binding
• Flexible, tough, thin water-resistant coated-fabric cover
• Ivory-colored end sheets
• Comes with one A5 blotter paper
• Made in Japan

ABOUT MANUFACTURING VARIATION: We've found that Tomoe River paper, and thin paper in general, is unlike working with "regular" weight papers such as 20 lb bond, laid, wove, etc. papers (we have actually be unable to find any binders in the US that are willing to work with TR paper). Tomoe River paper is very sensitive to humidity, and when bound in a thick book by machine as ours are, some unexpected variations can occur. So far, we've experienced the following (also please see the pictures):

1. Rippled pages
2. A subtle "waviness" on the edge of the book block
3. Dog-eared pages (rare)

None of these issues will affect the writing surface or quality of the writing experience, and it's not practical for us to go through each book page-by-page (these issues can be quite random). However, if for any reason you are not satisfied with the book you receive, please let us know (dave@nanamipaper.com) and we'll do our best to rectify the situation. Thank you for your understanding!

For more information and design goals, please read the Seven Seas Journal Fact Page.

If you'd like to compare this journal to the cost of other journals, please see our notebook value comparison.

Did you know that Hemingway wrote with a pencil? We like to think that, had he known about the Seven Seas Standard, he would have used a fountain pen. Here's the full story.