Leather, size, cover, paper, binding and the small details decide how a journal feels to write in and how long it lasts. Here is what to look for, and which of ours suits which job.
see the journalsFull-grain leather is the top layer of the hide with its natural grain left on. It is the strongest grade, and it darkens and softens with use. Top-grain leather is sanded and refinished to look even; bonded leather is scraps glued under a plastic coating, and it peels. Every Leatherpress journal is full-grain African leather, smooth or pebbled. How our leather is cut and bound.
A large journal, about 5.4 by 8.5 inches, gives you a full page to think on; a pocket journal, about 3.8 by 5.8, rides in a jacket or a bag. The Heritage Classic comes in both, with the pocket in Tuxedo Black, Cacao Brown and Biscotti Tan, and so do all seven Inspire notebooks. The Quintessential is 5.9 by 8.6 inches, the Traveler's 6.1 by 8.5, and the Creator's sketchbook opens wide at 9.3 by 8.3.
A hardcover gives you a firm surface wherever you open it: the Quintessential, the Inspire notebooks and the Creator's sketchbook all have leather over a hard board. A softcover bends with you and travels light: the Heritage Classic is soft full grain with no board beneath it. The Traveler's journal closes with a single leather string wrapped twice around the cover.
Paper weight is measured in gsm: the higher the number, the thicker the sheet and the less ink shows through. Ours run from 80 gsm in the Heritage journals and Inspire notebooks, to 100 gsm in the Quintessential and Traveler's journals, 120 gsm in the refill inserts and 150 gsm in the Creator's sketchbooks. Then pick the ruling for the job: lined for writing, numbered pages and a table of contents in the Quintessential for keeping a record, blank or dotted for sketching and planning.
A Smyth-sewn journal is folded into sections and stitched together with thread, not glued at the spine. It opens flat, so you can write right to the inner margin, and its pages stay put as the book ages. Every Leatherpress journal is Smyth-sewn.
Small features decide how a journal lives with you. The Inspire notebooks close with an elastic band and keep an accordion pocket in the back cover. The Creator's sketchbook has a magnetic closure and a pen loop. The Heritage Classic has gilded edges and a ribbon marker, the Quintessential numbered pages and a table of contents, and the Refillable cover takes a fresh $9.99 insert when the last one is full.
Smyth-sewn signatures, full-grain leather, up to four hundred pages.
from $55
Shop the Artisan collectionSoft full grain, gilded edges and a sewn ribbon — desk size or pocket.
from $19.99
Shop the Heritage collectionPebbled hardcovers with an elastic closure, for the bag and the every day.
from $14.99
Shop the Inspire collectionquick answers
The Heritage Classic: soft full grain, 234 numbered, lined pages in the large size. Or an Inspire notebook, if you want a hard cover and a back pocket. See the Heritage Classics.
The Traveler's journal: 400 narrow-lined pages of 100 gsm paper, wrapped shut with a leather string. For something smaller, an Inspire pocket notebook. See the Traveler's journals.
The Creator's sketchbook: 112 blank pages of 150 gsm paper, a magnetic closure and a pen loop. See the sketchbooks.
The Quintessential: 400 pages, 394 of them numbered, with a table of contents, double-sleeved and ready to give. See the Quintessential.
The Refillable journal: a full-grain cover you keep, with 160-page inserts in lined, dotted or blank for $9.99 each. See the Refillable journals.
Yes: ten journals or more, for gifts or to sell in your shop. Ask for a quote on our bulk and wholesale page.
