Product Review: Alabaster Notebook
In the year 2018, Alabaster Co. launched their grey paper notebook which serves not just a tool, but “a beautifully crafted object that inspires us towards reflection, contemplation, and deeper spiritual thought” (Chung et al., 2018). Their project was then fully funded in Kickstarter a few weeks after their launch date and their journals were delivered around December of that year.
The Alabaster Notebooks come in size A5 (5.8 inches by 8.3 inches) with either a softcover or hardcover option and they currently offer three colors to choose from: tan, light grey, and dark grey. They also come in three different layout options: blank, lined, and dotted (perfect for bullet journaling). There are a total of 80 light grey sheets with a flat-lay design by smyth-sewn binding. The paper weighs 80 GSM, made with Japanese high-grade acid-free paper using advanced machinery from Germany.
The journal can be closed by the elastic band and also includes one ribbon marker to reference a frequently visited page. And the corners/edges are curved with the cover itself slightly bigger to protect the pages inside. The interior portion of the back cover has an expandable pocket to support other items like loose leaf paper, receipts, memorabilia, stickers, and etc. However, there are no page numbers, but you can easily number the pages if that is your preference.
In terms of the dotted pages, there are a total of 27 dots horizontally across (26 cells) and 39 vertical dots (28 cells) and are spaced 5 x 5 mm -- these features are the same as the Leuchtturm 1917 dotted grid journal in size A5. What makes this journal unique is the color of the paper: grey! Quite commonly are journals made with white or cream-colored pages, which sometimes can create a high contrast against black and colored inks. Interestingly, the grey pages allows visibility of white inks, thus giving the user a platform for greater creativity and expression than with white or cream-colored paper. And as far as ink bleeding, feathering, ghosting, I can honestly tell you that these characteristics are similar to the Leuchtturm 1917. But because of the grey pages, you can barely see any ink ghosting! One of these days I’ll do an ink test and I’ll post it.
<3 Sole
If you are interested in purchasing the Alabaster Notebooks, please go here.
Reference:
Chung et al. (2018, July 18). Alabaster Notebook: A New Beautiful, Gray Paper Notebook. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alabasterco/alabaster-notebook-a-new-beautiful-gray-paper-note
