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- SS CROSSFIELD A5 Grid Journal 7th Ed New TRP
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- SS CROSSFIELD A5 Grid Journal 7th Ed New TRP
SS CROSSFIELD A5 Grid Journal 7th Ed New TRP
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This is the 7th Edition of the Crossfield. It is bound with the "New" Tomoe River paper, crosses are gray.
Please note that all reviews up to 4/4/2025 are based on earlier editions.
Features:
- Flexible, semi-stiff coated fabric cover.
- Smythe-sewn (thread-bound), lay-flat binding
- Gray crosses
- No cover 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 a coated paper, made stiffer through the use of a core board sandwiched between the outer layer 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. Go ahead and bend it backwards! It won't break.
- 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:
- Various vinyl notebook covers
- 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, 16mm thick, (8.3x5.8x0.7 inches)
- White-color (which is really an off-white) Tomoe River "Notebook" paper
- 5mm cross grid (not actually a full grid; rather, 2mm crosses
- 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):
- Rippled pages
- A subtle "waviness" on the edge of the book block
- 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.
Product Reviews
Previous | Showing reviews 11-20 of 86 | Next
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My favorite journal
Posted by Ramie on 28th May 2022
The absolute best value on the market as far as I can tell, but a good price that does not translate to shoddyness in any aspect. To put it simply, I do not know what else I could possibly want out of a notebook.
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I miss the old paper
Posted by Dre on 28th Apr 2022
I will start off by stating I really enjoy the products offered here. I have purchased quite a few of these notebooks over the last 3+ years and do see the difference with the new TRP. The new notebook feels thicker and heavier but the real downside for me is the slickness of the paper. TRP is always finicky with pens but this one even more so. I feel limited to only using a fountain pen because most others skip on the surface and don't write well.
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Hi-Quality Notebook
Posted by alankarma@gmail.com on 23rd Apr 2022
I'm sucker for a grid notebook, and I almost don't even want to write in them. The paper is high-quality in that it works well with the pens I use. The size is nice, too, as it sits away from either extreme. When the electric grid goes out and the Internet is no more, your ancestors will be able to read the measure of your life using this notebook (maybe :-))
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An EDC Journal for Fountain Pen Users
Posted by KDA on 19th Apr 2022
The durability of this journal is amazing and I am not gentle with it! It has withstood being tossed around in my backpack and car as well as being practically dunked in ink.
I've tried numerous fountain pen inks and so far it has shown very limited bleed-through. Though the old 52gsm is still my favorite this is a close second.
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PERFECT for work
Posted by Ryan on 9th Apr 2022
This is my daily journal for work, and I love it. An engineer, I've filled three Crossfields (protected in a Gfeller cover, which has all sorts of character after all that time). It's the perfect notebook for work: the grid keeps notes level and indentations true. I use a mix of ball point and fountain pens and, despite the Tomoe River Paper's thinness (old version of the paper, I'm pretty sure), it has never bled-through and NEVER ripped. There's an insane number of sheets for the thickness, the book stays flat when open, and the binding has never shown an iota of wear. It literally is, in my experience, the PERFECT work journal.
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Game changer
Posted by Unknown on 31st Mar 2022
You're not going to be able to find a product like this with 480 pages with such a small footprint. I use it everyday for project management and it gives me an advantage. There's a huge benefit to having an entire years worth of notes in the same notebook. I've already filled two to capacity and I just bought two more. Great product.
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perfect!
Posted by C. J. on 11th Feb 2022
I’ve purchased several different versions of Crossfields over the years. This is the best version, and it’s making me wonder if there’s any room for improvement. I also recommend the Hertz leather covers made for the Crossfield. Perfect combination.
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Decent but not perfect replacement for old TR
Posted by Unknown on 27th Jan 2022
I went from the old TR to new TR back-to-back, so the difference in notebook thickness was quite prominent. My ruler says the thickness increase is closer to 2mm than 1mm (measured with compression) and my wrist definitely feels the difference. The new TR also feels rougher under my needlepoint nib than the old TR paper using the same ink. I'll probably get used to the new notebook after more use and it's still the best paper available, but I really miss the old paper.
That said, the value can't be beat and the shipping was super fast. The crossfield grid is still superior to regular dot grid, and the print is light enough that it blends easily into the background when the page is filled with words. The binding is strong and the signatures are small, so the notebook lays very flat. Overall, a great notebook that falls short of perfection because Tomoe River changed their paper, which is not Nanami's fault.
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Next best thing to Tomoe's 52gsm.
Posted by Karen on 25th Jan 2022
Nanami paper has pivoted nicely to the 68gsm paper and this notebook is now my EDC (every day carry). More fountain pen friendly than the Zen paper. It can take a blob of ink and not bleed through. The binding is really durable and can take being folded back on itself - no problem.
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Long lasting daily journal
Posted by Richard on 23rd Jan 2022
I bullet journal and the fantastic Tomoe River paper means I get a full 2-3 years out of a single easy to package journal.
Previous | Showing reviews 11-20 of 86 | Next