The new dotPads are coming! Previously only available with a black cover, they will now be available in orange. Considering that orange is pretty much Rhodia’s signature color, I find it interesting that the first dotPads were only available in black. I was a big fan of the black cover on the first dotPads because I felt it really made a statement of “something totally new” for the brand.

As the orange dotPads make their way to your favorite retailers, will you be buying them or buying more of the black?

PS: We will be giving away a bunch of these at the end of April. Stay Tuned!

Playing around in one of the new Clairefontaine Carnet de Voyage Travel Albums – not yet for sale in the US. (Soon….) It’s noted as 180g (83lb) “drawing paper” but that wouldn’t stop me nor Sandra from trying a multitude of art supplies on its medium textured surface.

I used artist grade watercolors, colored markers and black ink pens to create this piece which I call, “Objects of My Affection.” The page did slightly buckle with the watercolors but I’m fine with the results and wouldn’t have a problem working on the reverse.

I’ve been working a lot lately with acrylic paints and I can see myself laying down a nice flat layer of black gesso and then working with Neocolor Crayons over top, or with additional thin layers of  acrylic paints.

These books come in two sizes: 8 1/4 x 11 3/4″ (shown above) and 6×8 1/4.” I like the idea of the smaller book for travel and also for working “in hand.” The back cover on each is stiff and includes an elastic band to keep the book closed when not in use – a feature I really like.

The paper is white (to my eyes) though noted as “ivory” in the Exaclair catalog. 30 sheets/60 pages of acid free paper are noted as “excellent for drawing, sketching as well as light use of wet media.”

Ask your favorite retailer to stock these!

At 2×3 inches, the No. 10 Bloc Rhodia pad is the perfect go-anywhere tablet. It will fit into the tiniest wristlet purse, front pocket, bike bag, lunch box… you name it. You can use it for making animated flip books, handing out your phone number and website address in lieu of a business card, and for the tiniest love notes to be hidden and discovered.

They make great party favors for adults as well as children and would fit nicely into a gift basket amongst the apples and oranges.

Do you use our No. 10′s? How do you use them? Carry them?

The No. 10:

•  2 x 3 inches (5.2 x 7.5 cm)
•  Micro-perforated
•  160 pages (80 sheets)
•  Top Staplebound
•  80 g Extra White Paper
•  Graph or Lined Paper
•  Black or Orange Cover

When I first saw these folios in the 2011 Exaclair catalog I thought they were so cool. Knowing that I am typically a mess of small bits of paper & receipts I asked Karen if she might send me a few to test and review.

Silly me initially thought that they were meant to be used flat like this -

- although no one says you can’t use them in that way,  if you keep adding more papers to it the scored bottom starts to fold out and it forms a little box.

This small folio holds a fair amount of stuff – including notes I take on my 4×6″ Exacompta index cards.

The Exacompta Basic Pocket Size Portfolio is a small and handy size at 4 3/4 x 6 1/4″ – the perfect portfolio for people on the go and to keep in one place all your receipts, notes, etc.

It is made of sturdy hardboard portfolio with 3 flaps and 2 elastic closures. It comes in 4 assorted colors: tan, black, red & green and matches the Clairefontaine Basics line of products.

A larger (9 1/2 x 12 1/2″) version is also available.

Check out Office Supply Geek’s Review of the Pocket Portfolio.

Be sure to ask your favorite retailer to stock these!

Friends, your voices have been heard.

We are manufacturing a 2012-2013 Rhodia WebPlanner academic edition in pocket and large. They will be available in black or orange covers.

We are also bringing back the orange cover for the 2013 calendar year edition.

The academic year editions will begin to ship to retailers in early May; calendar year by mid-June.

We are completely sold out of the large 2012 WebPlanner….right down to the two samples we had in the office!

If you want the planner of your choice, please see your retailer early in the season.

Stephanie will host some WebPlanner raffles when they roll off the presses so stay tuned!

A couple of people have written to us asking when Rhodiarama Rhodia will be available in the US.

Rhodiarama Rhodia is a new product for 2012 – it basically 15 colored versions of a pocket Webbie.  Colors include:  black, chocolate, taupe, beige, anise, turquoise, sapphire, iris, purple, lilac, raspberry, poppy, tangerine, orange and yellow.  The paper is 90g, and the size is 3 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ or A6.

You can see them on the French Rhodia website here.

Here’s the biggest reason we are not carrying them now:  they aren’t made yet.  What you see on the French site is a prototype.

We expect the manufacturing to be done this spring, and hope to have some samples on hand at the National Stationery Show (May) and for Book Expo (June).

If there is sufficient interest by our retailers we may bring in some? all? of the colors to have on sale by June or July.

They are expensive—and will retail somewhere between $18.50-$20 each.  Are you willing to pay that amount for a pocket journal?

If so, what colors do you like?

Thank you!  Your votes make a difference!

If you’ve ever wanted to view all of the Rhodia products currently available in the US, be sure to visit rhodiapads.com where you can also search for a local or online retailer.

Located in New York City, Exaclair is the exclusive US distributor for Rhodia products and also the other brands under the Clairefontaine umbrella which include: Clairefontaine, Quo Vadis, J. Herbin, Exacompta, G. Lalo, Brause, Mignon and Decopatch.

If you have questions concerning product availability in the US, you can submit your question here.

If you have questions about Rhodia products outside the US, please submit your question here.

Karen recently received some questions about Herbin’s Perle Noire ink. Since this is one I have reviewed and regularly use, I’d be happy to respond.

Is this ink a really dark black? While I haven’t tried every black ink on the market, I have used quite a few across brands such as Noodler’s, Sailor, Pelikan, Aurora and Diamine. It was important to me to find a very black ink and I was happy enough with the Perle Noire that I stopped looking. I’ve heard of Noodler’s having a number of different black inks that I have not tried. (I’ve only ever used their Bulletproof Black)

I also tend to place a certain amount of importance on the smell of an ink- Herbin inks have a slight sweet odor that I find completely acceptable. Some inks have more of a chemical scent which I try and stay away from.

Second, is this ink pH-neutral? From JHerbin.com: “Herbin uses all natural dyes in their fountain pen inks. This natural composition is reflected in the very neutral pH of the inks.”

Third, is this pen a ‘wet’ or ‘dry’ ink? In my own personal experience, I would call this a “wet” (quite free flowing) ink – and is probably the “wettest” of all the Herbin inks. (I’ve tried them all)

Fourth, which pens would be best suited to the J. Herbin ‘Perle Noire’, or will it work well in ALL fountain pens? It’s going to be a matter of personal opinion of which pens would be best for this ink. It’s suited for all pens, but one must consider the  pen/ink/paper combination as a whole. Since it’s a fairly “wet” ink, I’ve found that I like it best in a thinner nib on quality writing paper.

Lastly, what is the drying time of the Perle Noire ink? This will depend on the paper you are using as well as the relative humidity of where you are doing your writing. Fountain pen friendly papers tend to slightly resist inks which mean a slightly longer drying time. I’ve never noticed that this ink took longer to dry than any other. (As much as I can remember anyway… I’ve tested a lot of inks and I’m getting old.)

Click here to read my original review of Perle Noire
Click here to see a comparison of 4 black inks including Perle Noire

Are you a fan of our Rhodia Drive Facebook page? Yesterday it was revealed to our Facebook fans that something new will be blooming in the Spring with our new orange covered dotPads. Are you excited? We had many, many requests for these.

What other kinds of Rhodia products are you hoping to see in the new catalog?

This wirebound Multiple Subject book by Clairefontaine features 60 sheets in pale pastel colors: blue, pink, green & yellow. It is graph ruled and includes 12 tabbed sections- this medium size is 6 3/4″ x 8 5/8.” Small (8 tabs) and large (4 tabs) versions are also available.

With 12 tabs, my first instinct would be to use this book in a yearly fashion; one month per tab – but how could we use this book? I’d love to hear your most ingenious ideas.

Check these out! Exclusive to Levenger are the new Circa Rhodia Meetings books!

From the Levenger website:

• Annotation margin is compatible with the Cornell method of note-taking
• 60 Circa-punched sheets of 90-gsm Clairefontaine paper, milled in France
• 1/2-inch Circa discs can hold up to 80 sheets
• Durable translucent cover with Rhodia orange cover sheet
• Pages are printed in Rhodia’s signature purple
• Printed and assembled in the USA
• Junior: Paper, 5 1/2W x 8 1/2H; cover with 8 discs, 6 5/8W x 1/2D x 8 5/8H
• Letter: Paper, 8 1/2W x 11H; cover with 11 discs, 9 5/8W x 1/2D x 11 1/4H

So what do you think, will you buy one? I myself am a big fan of the Meeting Books and also of the idea that I can rearrange things at will.

Based on the amount of feedback and emails we have received, we are reintroducing Rhodia WebPlanners for the 2012-2013 academic year. 

Any last-bits of advice on changes, enhancements, etc.?

One of my favorite non-Rhodia products from Exaclair is the Quo Vadis Habana. They are a slightly different animal than Rhodia’s Webbie. First off, they have stiff, but not hard covers – take note that the cover on the small Habana is stiffer than on the large.

The paper in the Habanas is an 85g off-white versus the 90g off-white found in the Webbies and from what I’ve found so far, the 85g appears to be as fountain pen friendly as the 90g.The Webbie sizes are 3.5×5.5″ and 5.5×8.25″ and the Habanas 4×6.3″ and 6.25×9.25″. Webbies are made in France, the Habanas in the USA. Habanas are available lined or blank with 80 sheets (160 pages) the Webbies come lined, blank or dot grid and have 96 sheets (192 pages.)

Each has an elastic closure, a ribbon bookmark and rounded corners. (I am a big fan of rounded corners as they don’t dig into your hand as you reach the bottom of the page.)

The small Habana is my book of choice for when I travel as I prefer its slightly larger size to the small Webbie. For an every day journal, I prefer the large Webbie to the large Habana though some of that had been due to the fact that the last time I tried a large Habana, they had white paper (I prefer off-white) and wide ruling. I’ve got a new one to try and am eager to dig into those blank off-white pages.

Have you tried a Habana yet?

Large Rhodia and small Habana outfitted with Quiver leather pen holders.

We hear….

-Rhodia will be introducing a No. 18 Dot Pad.

-Dot Pads will be available in several spiral sizes, including the popular No. 13 and No. 14.

-There will be a Dot Pad cover in orange.

More soon….

The R by Rhodia, our new premium pad, is scheduled to arrive in the U.S. the third week of July.  This means it should be at retailers by early August. 

The R was a hit at shows this spring – National Art Materials Trade Association (NAMTA), the National Stationery Show and Book Expo America.  People loved the richness of the paper and the new “soft touch” cover.

The R by Rhodia features blank or ruled 90g ivory paper.  It comes in three sizes – No. 12, No. 16 and No. 18. The covers are orange and black.

Rhodia Drive will offer a “R by Rhodia” giveaway to 20 lucky winners later this summer.

Yesterday I mentioned moving into a Quo Vadis Habana. Did you know that the new Habanas with 85g ivory paper are now available? I’m very much looking forward to trying one of these as I prefer ivory paper to white and I like the sizing of the small Habana for travel. If you missed the story on why the paper was changed, you can read about it here.

Wondering if this 85g paper will stand up to your favorite fountain pen and ink? According to Brian Goulet of Goulet Pens, it will indeed. Other than the color of the paper changing, the width of the ruling has been modified as well. In the large Habana, the ruling was 8mm and it is now 5.5mm. Fine nibbed users rejoice! In the small Habana, the ruling changed from 5mm to 5.5mm.

One more thing- there had been several different versions of the Habana in the US versus the rest of the world. The Habanas are now standard all over the world. 85g off white and 5.5mm ruling in both the large and small versions.

Much thanks to Brian for putting together this detailed video review of the new Habana which references the changes from the older versions.

A short while back when we were looking for bloggers to review Exaclair products, David from the blog David-Wasting-Paper responded that he would like to try one of the 8×8″ Clairefontaine sketchbooks. (One of my favorite Exaclair products because the round mandalas that I draw happen to fit nicely into a square page.)

“I really like this sketchbook and look forward to filling it up. The paper takes a nice smooth pen line even though it is medium toothed and also handles watercolors well without much buckling. The heavy back cover is definitely a plus.”

David’s review struck a chord with me because I am partial to product reviews which a ton of photos. Especially ones that showcase a plethora of art supplies. You can see David’s review in it’s entirety, here.

I know you wanted it, and now you can finally get it! Junior sized Circa Rhodia Notebooks are available right now, only at Levenger. When Circa met Rhodia, it was a match made in heaven. Pairing Rhodia’s classic orange and black notebook with the convenience of Circa organization is a win-win note-taking combination.

Features of the Circa Rhodia Products:

• Annotation margin is compatible with the Cornell method of note-taking
• 60 Circa-punched sheets of 90g  Clairefontaine paper, milled in France
• 1/2-inch Circa discs can hold up to 80 sheets
• Durable translucent cover with Rhodia orange cover sheet
• Pages are printed in Rhodia’s signature purple ink
• Printed and assembled in the USA
• Junior, 6 1/4W x 1/2D x 8 3/4H
• Letter, 9 3/8W x 1/2D x 11 1/4H

Have you ever tried Circa products, or any other brand of disc-bound notebooks? I have, and I love the having the flexibility of moving the pages where I want/need them when working on a writing project.

The new “R” by Rhodia notepads contain a 90g Ivory Clairefontaine paper and are available both blank or lined. I am most definitely looking forward to seeing these! For writing, I prefer off-white paper. For drawing, I prefer white but not a super bright white. How about you? What’s your preference for writing or drawing?

Look what showed up in my mailbox today! dotWebbies! These were shipped special from France so Karen & the Exaclair folks would have them for NAMTA, the National Stationery Show and the Book Expo. If you are a retailer visiting one of these trade shows, you will be able to see (and order!) the dotWebbies at that time. Otherwise, it will be a little while until they are available from your favorite US retailers. (Late Spring maybe?) Karen promised I could give a bunch away as soon as she can get her hands on more.

Off-white paper with gray dots.