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iA physical (paper) notebook
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Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
Dec 8, 2023 at 03:48 PM
Well I hadn’t seen this one coming; and it looks good:
https://ia.net/topics/ia-writer-in-paper
Posted by Paul Korm
Dec 8, 2023 at 06:48 PM
Interesting move out of the virtual world, deep into the past.
Posted by Ken
Dec 8, 2023 at 06:50 PM
Alexander Deliyannis wrote:
Well I hadn’t seen this one coming; and it looks good:
>https://ia.net/topics/ia-writer-in-paper
I am going to bite my tongue and hold back the comment I was going to make, but I am going to ask - is there really a market for this kind of product?
—Ken
Posted by satis
Dec 8, 2023 at 08:09 PM
‘Watermark lines’ like these are nothing new in the stationery world, but they’re niche. A couple of years ago Ghost Paper sold an “embossed line” notebook that looked very similar, and other manufacturers (like Rhodia and Doane, if I remember correctly) periodically sell light grey paper notebooks with white lines.
This may be a result of what happens when you hit the wall on sales, your software is purposefully limited in its design philosophy, and you have continuing dev costs and no subscription revenue. (In 2017 I paid $14 for both iOS and macOS apps; that price is now $100)
It still amazes me that in 2023 IA only lets you use one of three built-in fonts and either their implementation of white-on-black or black-on-white. This purposeful limitation definitely puts a limit on user interest and sales, and the fact that their own site and in-app pop-ups use additional fonts underscores that such restraints are too limited. (The link in the OP’s post is set in IASerifDay and ISSansDay, which aren’t available in their own app. And its emails have used various fonts including Arial and Helvetica Neue.)
Posted by Amontillado
Dec 9, 2023 at 05:15 AM
I wish iA Writer allowed custom ordering of files in the Library pane. That would make it like a minimalist Ulysses.
As far as relevance for the iA Writer paper notebook in a digital world, I’d say it’s unexpected but not such a bad idea. Lots of writers think with pen and ink. Neil Gaiman writes the first draft of his books with fountain pens. I believe he favors the Pilot Custom 823, moderately priced for a bespoke writing instrument at around $300.