Archive for Product Spotlights
Brause Advanced Calligraphy Set
Brause nibs are in the toolbox of many modern artists,
calligraphers and people who enjoy writing with a steel pen.
“Brause was founded in Iserlohn, Germany in 1850. It was a region famous for the quality of its steel and skill of its craftsmen. Brause manufactures a complete set of calligraphy nibs considered to be one of the best on the market by professionals. They are strong yet flexible, a balance seldom achieved by nibs of lesser quality.” Continue Readering »
How will you use your new Clairefontaine Twinbook?
This spring, Exaclair will begin importing the new Clairefontaine Twinbook – a dual purpose notebook! They contain 96 pages of 90g graph paper which are divided into two tabbed sections. Use them for two different school subjects or personal projects and lighten the load in your bag.
How will you use yours?
Rhodia Weekly Notebooks Update
In 2009 Rhodia introduced a Weekly Notebook. It features the week on the left, and a full page for notes in the famous Rhodia grid. The large size is made with 90g paper, and the pocket version with 64g paper. They are very slim and light.
Although the paper and cover materials come from France, it is made for Rhodia by Quo Vadis in Hamburg, NY. Quo Vadis does not consider it a Quo Vadis planner. It is a Rhodia product. While only offered now in the U.S., I understand it may be picked up by Rhodia for other countries including France.
We sold out two printings completely by September 2009. We could have reprinted a third time, but couldn’t get cover material in time from France.
The standard Weekly Notebook runs from January-December. This year we are introducing an academic year version that will run August-July.
If you plan to attend CAMEX, the college bookstore show in Orlando in March; the National Stationery Show in May, or the DC Pen Show in August, Rhodia Weekly Notebooks will be on display for you to see and examine.
As always, your comments and thoughtful suggestions are much appreciated.
What is your favorite size Bloc Rhodia Pad?
Image © Biffybeans All Rights Reserved
My first exposure to Rhodia was about 5 years ago when perusing the selection of Bloc Rhodia pads in my local Blick Art Supply store. The first pads I ever bought were a pair of the 3×4″ N° 11′s, and I kept one in my backpack everywhere I went. As a writer, I found there were certain bits of information I wanted to easily reference and that’s where I kept it – jotted down in my always close-at-hand N° 11. Continue Readering »
New for Spring 2010: Rhodia Dot Pad!
I’m really looking forward to seeing these in person- I bet they will be great for doodling.
Functional black stapled notepad with a dot grid for creative minds! An alternative to traditional lines and boxes, the dot grid is a favorite for graphic designers, architects, artists and everyone looking for a subtle grid. Perfect for notations and sketches, the dot grid offers great results with scanners and photocopies. Continue Readering »
On notebooks and randomness
Leah from Quo Vadis here, coming to you from Karen’s account to blog about my new favorite product, the so-called “Clic Bloc” mousepad-cum-notebook by Rhodia.
I thought I’d worked out a pretty decent system for keeping track of work-related tasks: my planner holds my appointments, while a Steno pad on the side of my desk houses a running project to-do list. Various other notebooks are dedicated to specific projects or assignments, like interviewing sources or jotting down story ideas. Continue Readering »
Rhodia Reverse Book – Have you tried one yet?
Image courtesy of margaret mendel
The Rhodia Reverse book is one of the few Rhodia products I’ve yet to try. I can’t hep but wonder how the square format and gridded paper might lend itself to drawing the mandalas that I am so fond of – and also for teaching others how to make them. Is it a notebook or pad? Pad or notebook? It’s versatile because you can write using spiral on the side or at the top. (I’m fairly certain I’d use them with the spiral on the top.) I also like the fact that the pages are micro-perforated for easy removal.
I’m going to have to get my hands on one of these… Have you tried one yet? If yes, how do you use it?
User Review: Gail Young on the Exacompta Exafolio
Elegant and intelligent, Exacompta products follow a French philosophy that even simple tools should be good quality and a pleasure to use. Recently, Gail Young took the time to review her new Exafolio, a “green” product whose design provides features for organizing, filing, and storage. Continue Readering »
Triomphe
Most people associate Clairefontaine with their notebooks, but they also make many other paper products, including stationery.
Pollen is bright-colored stationery in different shapes and sizes, and Triomphe stationery consists of blank and ruled tablets in two sizes with matching envelopes.
Triomphe stationery has been around for about 60 years. Christine Nusse, president of Exaclair and a member of the family that founded Clairefontaine, remembers Triomphe as “the paper used around the house” by her mother and other family members.
Image courtesy of Biffybeans © All Rights Reserved
It was not fancy social stationery, she said, but good quality paper for everyday writing and correspondence. The philosophy behind the manufacture of Triomphe writing tablets was the same as Clairefontaine notebooks: good paper goes with a respect for good writing tools, and both together make writing a pleasure.
Triomphe pads are made with the same 90g super smooth paper as Clairefontaine’s notebooks. The blank ones are especially popular, but not so much for correspondence as for the practice of hand-writing.
One person who helped to make Triomphe pads known among calligraphers and pointed penmen is Michael Sull, who uses them himself and in his workshops to practice Spencerian script and “Offhand Flourishing” for ornamental penmanship.
Michael Sull is a Master Penman, engrosser and lettering artist who is known internationally for his work and abilities in the field of American Ornamental Penmanship. He is considered America’s foremost penman and teacher in the art of Spencerian Script. In 1980-81 he had the opportunity to apprentice with Paul O’Hara, the last living master penman from the America’s Golden Age of Penmanship (1850-1925).
One last bit of trivia: the name “Triomphe” comes from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Read Biffybean’s October 28, 2009 review of Triomphe pads here.
Visit Michael Sull’s website here.
Does anyone have any special uses for Triomphe pads? Sketching? Use the sheets to make your own journal?
New Clairefontaine Graf it Sketch Pads – Have you tried them?
Image courtesy of Biffybeans © All Rights Reserved
These spiffy new Clairefontaine 90g Graf it pads are sitting on my “To Review” pile. I’m wondering how the paper compares with the paper in the Clairefontaine Sketch Pads. (Which I like.) Continue Readering »
Rhodia Pencils in Your Pocket…
Photo courtesy of Flickr member Lesli.
Looking for an inexpensive item for a Holiday Gift Exchange? How about a few brightly colored Rhodia pencils? Continue Readering »
Users Review The Exacompta Sketchbook – Is it THE Ultimate Art Journal?
Image courtesy of Sophie @ All Rights Reserved
As Karen mentioned in Thursday’s blog post, Exaclair imports a number of products under the Clairefontaine umbrella – including the Exacompta Sketchbook shown above. Also known as the Livres d’Or “Basics” line of journals, they contain a 100g laid paper made at the 400 year old Schut Mill (owned by Clairefontaine) in the Netherlands. Continue Readering »
The Rhodia Meeting Book
The Rhodia Meeting Book is a unique notebook. 
The design was created by the CEO of Clairefontaine Rhodia, Jean-Marie Nusse, to help him keep track of decisions and plans–and the discussion behind them–from all his meetings. The pages are pre-printed with Date, Notes + Action. They are both a record and working document.
In my position as board secretary for East End Lighthouses, I have shifted over from a standard Rhodia pad to the Meeting Book to take notes for Board minutes. It does help me keep track of all the various inquiries, requests and projects different board members have volunteered to take on and complete by the next meeting.
One person who tried and liked the Meeting Book described it to me in this way: “My life is all about meeting lately, and having the notes at hand with action items organized is really critical. ”
“I like that it stays flat,” she said, “or I can fold it over on the binding to save room on the table, if necessary. I really appreciate how the notes and action items are separated so that your action items stand out at a glance and you don’t have to read back through all your notes to find those critical items.”
Read more about the Meeting Book here.
How do you take notes at meetings or client appointments? Are paper notebooks still preferable to a laptop, mini laptop, Netbook, or other electronic device?
Buy in Bulk?
In the last week we have received emails from two people asking us if they could buy writing pads in bulk. Here’s a quote from one of them:
“Hello. I am employed as a judicial law clerk in the federal judiciary. As such, I spend my day researching the law while writing and typing notes. I use fountain pens for all of my research notes. The paper provided by my employer is not well suited to this purpose. I have, therefore, decided to contact your firm for suggestions…Presently I am using approximately 50 – 60 pages of 8.5 x 11 paper a week. I am looking for pads similar in size with excellent paper.”
Of course, we would be happy to suggest Rhodia or Clairefontaine!
These emails are not isolated inquiries–we seem to be getting more of them, largely from people who cannot buy Rhodia in an area store and want to stock up.
Here’s my question: would you take the opportunity to buy Rhodia pads in bulk? If so, how many would you order?
I would like to gather information from Rhodia customers before we approach some retailers around the country to see if they would be willing to implement bulk purchases with a break on price and/or shipping charges.
Thank you for any ideas and suggetions you can give us.
Blank Rhodia Pads
Someone in the office mentioned to me that we had received an inquiry asking if we offered blank Rhodia pads. That question was a prompt for this post.
A few years ago we started to import these pads for people who prefer a blank sheet for writing, sketching or both together. While graph paper is still the overwhelming favorite, Rhodia does offer pads with ruled or blank sheets.
Blank Rhodia pads are available in three of the larger sizes: No.16 – 6 x 8 1/4″; No.18 – 8 1/4 x 11 3/4″; No. 19 - 8 1/4 x 12 1/2″. 
