Notebooks & Journals
4 Notebooks for People Who Actually Fill Them
Two numbers matter for a heavy writer and they pull against each other: how heavy the paper is, and how many sheets fit in the book.
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Somebody who fills notebooks has a different problem from somebody who owns one. They are going to reach the last page, and how long that takes is a real specification rather than a hypothetical.
That puts two numbers in direct tension. Heavier paper handles ink better; heavier paper also means fewer sheets in the same thickness of book. You cannot have both.
Quick picks
Ranked for the person doing the buying. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image Rhodia Webnotebook A5, Dot 90 gsm Clairefontaine ivory vellum, which is the heaviest mainstream notebook paper in this comparison by a clear margin. | A fountain-pen user, without qualification | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 2 | No image LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook 80 gsm paper, 251 numbered pages and a printed contents page, which is why this is the default recommendation in every journaling forum. | The bullet-journal standard | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 3 | No image Moonster Refillable Leather Journal with Pen Full-grain buffalo leather, 320 pages and a pen holder, for the recipient who wants a journal that looks handmade. | A rustic-looking journal with real hide | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 4 | No image Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover The notebook everyone knows by sight, on 70 gsm paper that is lighter than its main rival and honest about it. | The recognizable one | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
1. A fountain-pen user, without qualification
Rhodia Webnotebook A5, Dot
90 gsm Clairefontaine ivory vellum, which is the heaviest mainstream notebook paper in this comparison by a clear margin.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
90 gsm is the number to buy this for. Against 70 gsm Moleskine paper that is roughly 29 percent more paper between one page and the next, and that is where fountain-pen show-through stops being a problem.
The trade is page count. 160 pages against 251 for the Leuchtturm1917 at a similar size - heavier paper in a book of the same thickness means fewer sheets. That is physics, not a cost saving.
Ivory rather than white is a real preference axis. It is easier on the eye under a desk lamp and it flattens the contrast of a photograph, which matters if anyone is posting pages.
| Paper weight | 90 gsm Clairefontaine brushed ivory vellum10 gsm above the Leuchtturm1917 and 20 above the Moleskine Classic.Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia A5 Webnotebook, Dot, Black |
|---|---|
| Pages | 160 (80 sheets)Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook, A5 |
| Size | A5, approximately 5.5" x 8.25"Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook - A5 |
| Fittings | Leatherette cover, inner pocket, ribbon page marker, elastic closureSource: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook, A5 |
| Page numbers | Not publishedNot numbered. Rhodia does not target the indexed-journal use case. |
What it does well
- 90 gsm Clairefontaine paper, the heaviest here, and the safe choice for fountain-pen ink.
- Ivory stock is comfortable under artificial light.
- Soft leatherette cover, pocket, ribbon and elastic as standard.
What it does not
- 160 pages, roughly two thirds of the Leuchtturm1917's count.
- No page numbers or contents page.
- Less recognizable as a brand than the other two, which matters in a gift.
Skip this: if the recipient keeps an indexed bullet journal. No page numbers means hand-numbering, and at 160 pages they will run out sooner than they expect.
2. The bullet-journal standard
LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook
80 gsm paper, 251 numbered pages and a printed contents page, which is why this is the default recommendation in every journaling forum.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
Numbered pages plus a printed contents page is the whole reason bullet journaling settled on this book. An index needs page numbers, and printing them saves the user writing 251 of them.
80 gsm against the Moleskine Classic's published 70 gsm is a 14 percent difference in paper weight, and it is the difference most people notice as ghosting on the reverse of a page.
Two ribbons is not decoration in a journal that has an index. One marks the index, one marks today.
| Paper weight | 80 gsmSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
|---|---|
| Pages | 251 numbered pages, with 8 perforated detachable sheetsSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Size | A5, approximately 5.75" x 8.25" (145 x 210 mm)Source: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Fittings | Blank table of contents, two page markers, gusseted rear pocket, elastic band, archival stickersSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Binding | Thread bound, opens flatSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
What it does well
- 251 pre-numbered pages and a blank contents page, ready for an index.
- 80 gsm published, the heaviest of the three mainstream hardcovers here.
- Thread bound, so it lies flat from the first page.
What it does not
- Still not fountain-pen-proof; 80 gsm reduces show-through, it does not eliminate it.
- The dot grid is fainter than some users want for straight-line work.
Skip this: if the recipient has never mentioned journaling. A 251-page dotted notebook handed to a non-journaler is 251 blank pages of obligation. See how to pick a journal as a gift.
3. A rustic-looking journal with real hide
Moonster Refillable Leather Journal with Pen
Full-grain buffalo leather, 320 pages and a pen holder, for the recipient who wants a journal that looks handmade.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
Real hide is the difference here, and it behaves differently from the polyurethane covers elsewhere on this site: it marks, it darkens, and after a year it looks like it belongs to somebody.
320 pages is a lot of journal. Combined with a full-grain cover that will outlive the paper, this is a book somebody keeps rather than fills and files.
The unpublished paper weight is the caveat and it is a real one. Rustic journals in this class are typically lighter stock; a fountain-pen user should assume show-through until proven otherwise.
| Cover material | Hand-cut full grain buffalo leatherSource: Amazon listing - moonster Refillable Leather Journal |
|---|---|
| Pages | 160 sheets, 320 pagesSource: Amazon listing - moonster Refillable Leather Journal |
| Ruling | A5 linedSource: Amazon listing - moonster Refillable Leather Journal |
| Included | Interior pen holder and a silver ballpoint penSource: Amazon listing - moonster Refillable Leather Journal |
| Paper weight | Not publishedNot stated, which is the norm for this style of journal and a real limitation for pen users. |
What it does well
- Genuine full-grain leather that ages rather than wears.
- 320 pages, more than double the Rhodia.
- Pen holder built in, with a pen supplied.
What it does not
- No published paper weight.
- Lined only, so no dot grid for bullet journaling.
- The rustic look is a strong style choice that not every desk suits.
Skip this: if the recipient writes with a fountain pen and cares about it. Unpublished paper weight plus a lined-only ruling is two guesses in one gift; the Rhodia removes both.
4. The recognizable one
Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover
The notebook everyone knows by sight, on 70 gsm paper that is lighter than its main rival and honest about it.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
70 gsm versus 80 is the entire technical argument between this and the Leuchtturm1917, and it is a real one: lighter paper shows more of what is on the reverse. Whether that matters depends entirely on what the recipient writes with.
What Moleskine has that its rival does not is recognition. For a gift that is worth something concrete - the recipient knows what it is before they open the card.
No page numbers and no contents page. For freeform notes that is irrelevant; for an indexed journal it is 240 numbers to write by hand.
| Paper weight | 70 gsmMoleskine publishes this, and it is 10 gsm under the Leuchtturm1917.Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
|---|---|
| Pages | 240Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Size | Large, 5" x 8.25"Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Paper stock | FSC certified, acid free (pH neutral)Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Page numbers | Not publishedPages are not numbered and there is no printed contents page. A bullet journal user will number them by hand. |
What it does well
- Universally recognized, which does real work in a gift.
- FSC certified, acid-free paper with a published weight.
- Slightly thinner block than the Leuchtturm for the same page count, so it carries better.
What it does not
- 70 gsm ghosts more than 80 gsm with gel and fountain pens.
- No pre-numbered pages or contents page.
Skip this: if you know they use a fountain pen. Buy the Rhodia at 90 gsm instead and spend the difference on ink. See Leuchtturm1917 versus Moleskine.
Paper weight against page count
| Notebook | Weight | Pages | Weeks at 2 pages a day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moonster leather journal | Not published | 320 | About 23 |
| LEUCHTTURM1917 A5 | 80 gsm | 251 | About 18 |
| Moleskine Classic Large | 70 gsm | 240 | About 17 |
| Rhodia Webnotebook A5 | 90 gsm | 160 | About 11 |
That last column is straightforward division rather than a claim about anybody's habits, and it makes the trade concrete: the best paper here lasts about half as long as the biggest book. For a daily writer that is the difference between two notebooks a year and four.
Which side of the trade to buy
- They use a fountain pen: paper weight wins. Buy the 90 gsm and accept the page count. A book that ghosts is unusable at any length.
- They write in ballpoint or pencil: page count wins. Neither cares much about weight, so buy the longest book.
- They use gel: 80 gsm is the balance point, and it is the reason that middle option is the most-recommended notebook in this hobby.
- They index what they write: printed page numbers matter more than either. Only one book here has them.
The features a heavy writer notices
Small things that do not matter in a notebook used occasionally become significant in one used daily.
| Feature | Why it matters daily | Which of these has it |
|---|---|---|
| Lies flat from page one | You stop holding the book open with your other hand | Thread-bound hardcovers, stated by LEUCHTTURM1917 |
| Printed page numbers and a contents page | An index is impossible without them | LEUCHTTURM1917 only |
| Perforated tear-out sheets | Removing a page without wrecking the binding | LEUCHTTURM1917 publishes 8 perforated sheets |
| A rear pocket | Receipts and loose notes go somewhere instead of falling out | All of the hardcovers here |
| Two ribbons | One marks the index, one marks today | LEUCHTTURM1917 |
What we would not buy for a heavy writer
- A pocket notebook, unless you have seen them carry one. People who fill notebooks fill A5 ones.
- A prompted journal. Somebody with something to say does not need a printed question.
- A notebook with no published paper weight, if they use a fountain pen. That is a coin toss you are asking them to take.
- Anything with a quote about writing on the cover. They have seen all of them.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best notebook for a writer?
It depends on the pen. A fountain-pen user wants 90 gsm and accepts fewer pages; a ballpoint or pencil user should buy the longest book they can find.
How many pages should a journal have?
At two pages a day, 251 pages is about eighteen weeks and 160 pages is about eleven. Work backward from how fast they actually write.
Why do heavier notebooks have fewer pages?
A book of a given thickness holds fewer sheets when the sheets are heavier. It is physics rather than the maker economizing.
Do printed page numbers matter?
Only if they index what they write, and then enormously - an index is impossible without them and nobody wants to hand-number 251 pages.