Maruman 5 Section Binder

Maruman makes a lot of interesting notebook and office supply products, including the Mnemosyne and Sept Couleur notebooks, this caught my eye at Kinokuniya: a B5 sized black vinyl binder with 5 colored sections (B5 paper is 6.9 by 9.8).


If you use sectioned notebooks for keeping your projects in order, this is a really great idea. The colored tabs on the outside look striking next to the black vinyl binder, while the inside tabs can be further identified and described on this starting page.


There is also space on each tab's main page for further description, or it can be left blank if you want the sections to remain pristine.


What really makes this different is the way you load the paper: the binder unlocks at the bottom white rectangle, and the entire ring system slides out for greater ease. That is one of the sharpest designs I've seen, taking a plain ring binder system and giving it a memorable feature that distinguishes it from every other notebook and binder manufacturer.


Here's a close up of the locking mechanism: the upper ring system has a screw-type nob that fits into the bottom hole, and when you twist the system locks back into place, snaps the rings closed, and there is an additional lock on the bottom of the system that tightens everything. So there's no way the rings can accidentally open, which sometimes happens and sends papers flying all over.

One thing I like about Maruman loose leaf paper is the variety of line widths they offer: 5mm (think Rhodia webbie), 6mm, and 7mm. If you prefer wider lines for writing as I do,the 6mm and 7mm are ideal.

This is a really different tabbed binder system, with the front color coding and inside locking mechanism making it stand out from ordinary binders. Not sure where you can find one, but if you do see one definitely check it ou.

Maruman Notes de Memo

Maruman makes a line of very small (about 3x4) memo pads
called Notes de Memo Baby Color, double ring bound notepad that feature vinyl front and back covers in a reporter-style format. The baby color is pastel, and there are five colors to choose from, including the mint, blue, and orange above.

Not a bad little notepad if you need to jot a line or two. The pad has 13 lines with 6mm spacing, and the top is scored so you can remove the paper without tearing it from the rings (and creating confetti and ragged ends).

There is no hard back to this notepad, so notes need to be kept short or you need to find a surface that will support the paper.

Definitely cute, and pretty easy to carry in a purse or pocket. The Baby Color heading may be too cute for those used to the more grown-up Field Notes and Doane Paper, so these might be of greater interest and use for a younger, budding notebook and paper addict. They are available at Kinokuniya, and likely other stores that carry Japanese papers.

Maruman Sept Couleur A5 Notebook

Maruman's Sept Couleur notebook line features the seven colors of the rainbow in a two-ring notebook that comes in two sizes, A4 (letter) and the smaller A5. Although I tend not to like ringed notebooks or vinyl plastic transparent covers, I've made an exception with these for several reasons.


The biggest problem I have with transparent covers, even if there is lots of writing or pretty pictures, is that everyone can see what's written on the first sheet. So there's an automatic skip to the next page for me. As you can see in the picture above, the Sept Couleur notebook's first sheet is a slightly heavier blank page that acts as a barrier between your notes and the world's eyes. I like that a lot, and so have taken to carrying this with me for quick jots and doodles.


The 7mm line width does make a big difference to me in writing, I don't need to pull my writing into a smaller, cramped style but can let my hand move as it wants. The page has 26 lines and there are 80 sheets of cream-ivory paper that is Rhodia-like but not quite up to it. The paper is so-so with fountain pens, friendly to some ink (Waterman did not breach the pulp) and unfriendly to others (Pelikan 4001 bled like a badly beaten boxer *snicker at alliteration).

JetPens carries this line of notebooks, both the A4 and A5 sizes, although they are slightly higher than at Kinokuniya. If you're in NYC, stop by the store on 6th Avenue between 40th and 41st, across from Bryant Park, and take a look at all the fantastic notebooks they carry as well as these Mauman Sept Couleur.

Maruman Mnemosyne Project Notepad #188

I love the Maruman Mnemosyne line, with the slick black cover and bright neon yellow sheet on the inside explaining who Mnemosyne was (the Goddess of Memory and the mother of the 9 Muses).

The 188 in particular is a favorite, size A5 (almost the same as a Rhodia No. 16, but the 188 is about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch longer) with one-sided gridding of pale brown-gray-green ink that doesn't get in the way of writing or reading. The paper is nowhere near Rhodia quality of 80gsm, but it's fairly close (possibly 70gsm to 75gsm).

I'd actually say this paper is more pencil friendly than ink-friendly, even gel ink will leave a heavy shadow that makes using both sides impossible. The cover and back material are actually a bit thicker than Rhodia and don't wear down as fast or as obviously.

I like the way the pencil looked and felt gliding over the paper as I tested it out with my strawberry Hi-Tec-05 gel ink pen and a Koh-I-Noor pencil. I didn't notice any obvious smearing, either. So the 188 is a good work-day notepad, expensive as all get-out but worth the money if you want something that's sturdy and good-looking for projects of any and all sort.