iA physical (paper) notebook
Started by Alexander Deliyannis
on 12/8/2023
Alexander Deliyannis
12/8/2023 3:48 pm
Paul Korm
12/8/2023 6:48 pm
Interesting move out of the virtual world, deep into the past.
Ken
12/8/2023 6:50 pm
Alexander Deliyannis wrote:
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
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
satis
12/8/2023 8:09 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.)
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.)
Amontillado
12/9/2023 5:15 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.
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.
NickG
12/9/2023 9:42 am
Amontillado wrote:
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.
He does love the Pilot Custom 823 (so do I - I have 3!!) but I remember him saying that he uses a Lamy 2000 for his day-to-day writing and the 823 as a signing pen. But that was some time ago.
satis
12/9/2023 10:58 pm
It should be pointed out that nowhere in IA's post about its upcoming notebook does it say that the paper is fountain pen-friendly. And when you're talking about a niche notebook like this, if it doesn't say it's fp-friendly you can probably expect to see feathering, bleed, and/or spread.
Nothing wrong with fountain pens, although it easily becomes a rabbit hole one jumps down when deciding on the best combination of section thickness, nib choice, ink type and fp-friendly paper. I've gone through many experiments over the years, and despite finding combinations that I enjoy writing with I still keep handy gel pens for use on cheap paper and Post It Notes. Some modern gel pens are so pleasurable to write with and so convenient with random paper types that I use fountain pens much less than I used to.
The fact that ink flows via capillary action in fountain pens and doesn't require pressure on paper makes long bouts of writing easy and less tiresome, but it doesn't make writing with a regular pen prohibitive.
Lamy nibs are butter smooth, maybe too smooth - part of that rabbit hole is sometimes discovering that you like the pencil-like feedback of a nib like those on Sailor pens. I've become partial to pens with large ink capacities, and these days you can get excellent results with cheap pens that have large reservoirs like the sub-$30 TWSBI Go.
Nothing wrong with fountain pens, although it easily becomes a rabbit hole one jumps down when deciding on the best combination of section thickness, nib choice, ink type and fp-friendly paper. I've gone through many experiments over the years, and despite finding combinations that I enjoy writing with I still keep handy gel pens for use on cheap paper and Post It Notes. Some modern gel pens are so pleasurable to write with and so convenient with random paper types that I use fountain pens much less than I used to.
The fact that ink flows via capillary action in fountain pens and doesn't require pressure on paper makes long bouts of writing easy and less tiresome, but it doesn't make writing with a regular pen prohibitive.
Lamy nibs are butter smooth, maybe too smooth - part of that rabbit hole is sometimes discovering that you like the pencil-like feedback of a nib like those on Sailor pens. I've become partial to pens with large ink capacities, and these days you can get excellent results with cheap pens that have large reservoirs like the sub-$30 TWSBI Go.