Design your way

When it comes to writing or drawing, nothing beats a pencil and paper. If you are a fan of traditional writing methods, you will know that among the best notebooks in the market, those of Moleskine is very remarkable, but we do not always have the resources to acquire them.

That should not inhibit you from giving yourself a literary taste, and that’s why we present you some Moleskine alternative that will satisfy that writing desire.

It may sound old-fashioned that, at the era of cloud technology, with applications like Evernote available anywhere for our use, we prefer a physical medium for our notes, but the truth is that this is still the best option for a large public.

If you are still riding the classic train of paper notes, then follow us with this small list of notebook paper (and some digital options) worthy of acquiring.

What should a Moleskine alternative have?

If we want to continue in line with the best available notebooks, we have to look for certain criteria to meet a minimum:

Look for a professional finish: just because it’s a Moleskine alternative does not mean that we should neglect the quality of its finish. This must be professional and made of resistant materials so that the internal sheets are kept immaculate.

The weight of the paper is important: by this, we mean that it must be able to withstand the use of strong writing tools, such as markers or pens, in such a way that the ink does not seep into other sheets.

There is nothing written about the ruled sheets: remember that the sheets can be ruled or without these lines. This is already a matter of likes and needs, but it is important to check the notebook before purchasing it.

Search something that does not create a hole in our bank account: the best journals do not have to be excessively expensive. There are aspects that we can sacrifice to acquire a more economical product.

Look for notebooks with non-toxic sheets: the use of chemicals, in general, can compromise our strokes. If we need to keep our work for a long time, the sheets should be non-toxic.

Check out the best notebooks and pick the best Moleskine alternative for you

An elegant design with Clairefontaine Basic Large Clothbound Notebook

We started this list of the best notebooks with a great favorite.

The Clairefontaine Basic Large Clothbound Notebook offers us good quality in all the aspects that we mentioned previously, and it does it with great style.

The cover is soft and has an amazing textured finish, but this does not mean it is not resistant, being ideal for work or studies.

Each of the thick sheets is made without chemical agents, which means that we can write with ink and it will not be leaked to the adjacent pages nor will it be erased by the rubbing of other sheets.

The thickness is so perceptible, that it is almost impossible for us to skip any page since it is easy to feel and pass them.

As an addition, it has an elastic strap that firmly holds each page of the notebook, so we can easily write in it without fear.

Design with tranquility in the Piccadilly Essential Notebook

If we seek to capture all the ideas of drawing that we have in our mind, this Piccadilly paper notebook is perfect.

In total, it has 240 pages, all made with high-quality graphic paper, so we can give strong expressions with the marker without it being seen on the other side of the page.

The brand is not only limited to these designers notebooks; If we need more standard options for writing, they also have a good range of ruled and unruled notebooks.

Whatever the case we choose, all their designs guarantee a quality standard thanks to a resistant cover, with a finish similar to leather.

Prepare field notes with Field Notes Kraft Ruled 3-Pack

If our thing is to take notes, then this Moleskine alternative will be useful. Three books with 48 pages each one makes up this ideal setting for people who need to write quick and spontaneous notes.

Both the outer cover and the pages are thick, giving it a very resistant finish. Despite this, its size is ideal to carry in any pocket, being a warrior of the news. As a final point, highlight that it is easy to grasp, being very comfortable to write and placing it high on the list of the best pocket notebook

Get ready for business with the Rhodia Orange Meeting Notebook

If what you need is to be prepared to face the business world, this business book cannot be missing in our portfolio. Its exterior design is everything you would expect from a notebook designed for business: elegant and durable.

Additionally, the pages are specially made for writing, guaranteeing that the ink or graphite will not be erased over time and that we will be able to write precisely thanks to its margins. The very good absorption of the sheets means that we do not need to fill the ink pen several times to leave our work.

The lateral is formed by a metallic spiral, which allows the pages to be easy to pass. However, beyond its design, the most important aspect of this book is definitely its resistance to water (without exaggeration).

German sewing is present with the Leuchtturm Medium Notebook

When we talk about the best notebooks, we cannot ignore those made in Germany. Leuchtturm brings to the market a whole craft in regards to notebooks, with a hardcover of high quality and with pages that are joined to the spine by a thread.

The pages come in an immaculate white, which makes them ideal for drawings and writings alike. In addition, internal perforations allow pages to be removed easily without damaging the integrity of the notebook.

An additional of the manufacturer is the inclusion of stickers on the back cover, a detail that is appreciated and adds an additional value to the product.

Take advantage of 100% of your notes with Baron Fig

If there is something annoying about the small notebooks, is that, when they are opened, they are folded, making part of the sheet unusable or very uncomfortable to write. Baron Fig seeks to solve this problem in a simple way and without increasing the costs of the notepad.

According to Adam Kornfield, the company wanted to make a notepad that was hard enough not to bend, but that was comfortable to use. It indicates that this small notebook is as practical as its appearance proves.

This Moleskine alternative comes in three presentations of different engravings: totally white sheets, ruled sheets, and squared sheets. There is an ideal option for each user. Fine-grain paper without chemicals allows it to preserve what you write or draw for long periods of time.

A unique detail of these notebooks is that, on the back, they include 12 perforated pages, so if we want to remove a sheet, we can do it with total freedom.

Forget the budget with Fiorentina

Granted, this may go against the principle that a notebook is accessible, but definitely, if we can afford the luxury, the best notebooks we can choose are those of Fiorentina. Their price is high, yes, but they also include a high-quality leather cover.

Fiorentina is a direct rival of Moleskine, being both from the same country. The sheets of the Fiorentina notebooks are made in Florence, and they are so durable that we can use fountain pens in them.

As expected, they offer alternatives to almost any Moleskine product, such as, for example, the Ciak line of portable notebooks. These journals are comfortable, small in size, and elegant, and they have a leather cover. They are also somewhat expensive, $16 per unit.

Other of its products are MOOD and SMILE, which also include leather covers (in the case of SMILE, recycled leather).

Support a good cause with myPAPERCLIP

Direct from India comes this manufacturer that, in addition to providing good quality products, donates part of their income to children’s education. myPAPERCLIP is a protector of the planet as far as paper notebooks are concerned.

The manufacturer uses materials that are friendly to the environment, and offer a large number of personalized products, such as magazines or newspapers. Additionally, they have their own products of excellent quality, such as City (hardcover note pads with Munken Polar Rough paper).

Support the future with Cast Iron Design

Following the ecological movement, Cast Iron Design is a manufacturer that similarly uses recycled materials to take care of the planet.

Focusing mainly on graphic designers, Jonathan Black indicates that the intention of Cast Iron Design is positioning itself among the best paper producers in the market, but with ecological practices.

They seek to offer designers options that help to create awareness, not just at the paper level. Jonathan says that, of the best ecological practices that a graphic designer can have, making prints on recycled sheets is one of the most influential.

Code&Quill offers us a notebook for all occasions

Funded as a Kickstarter project, Code&Quill notebooks seek to satisfy multiple needs with a single product.

At the construction level, we are facing a strong book, with a hard cover and thick sheets that do not allow ink to leak. It has a paste that makes that the pages are always upright regardless of whether it is the left side, right side, the beginning of the notebook or its end.

Design and writing are possible with the notebook they offer since the printing on the sheets are unique in its style. By this, we mean that the pages on the left side have a dotted grid style, perfect for drawing, while the pages on the right side have a vertical indentation at 5 millimeters so that all the notes are in order.

Do not miss any detail with Whiteline

Has it ever happened to you that you are writing on a notebook sheet, and out of nowhere, you lose sight of what you wrote because it looks a lot like the guideline? Whiteline offers a creative solution to this problem.

Whitelines notebook have pages that are not completely white but have a slight gray tone that allows them to have almost invisible lines, but still, serve as a margin. In this way, our lines will never be confused with the margins.

However, this is not all that the company offers. In an attempt to combine the physical with the digital medium, it has an application that will allow us to take pictures of the pages of our notebook and send them automatically to our mail or cloud storage service, to have an additional backup of our notes.

We do not have to spend much to express ourselves in a notebook

Every designer or journalist needs a notebook in which to be able to write or draw spontaneously, and this means that it must be resistant to all our desires. Do not let the poor quality of a notebook be a limitation.

If you enjoyed reading this article about the best notebooks which include a lot of Moleskine alternatives, you should read these as well:

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