You may have noticed that Staples.com has been actively promoting a new range of notebooks, journals, and office supplies from the “TRU RED” line, which I first reviewed a couple of years ago. I’ve been seeing these products featured everywhere, and as expected, they eventually reached out and asked me to take a look! While my review package contained a couple packs of standard rollerball and gel pens, what truly caught my eye was the large hardbound journal dubbed the “Starter Journal,” from the TRU RED “Expert Notetaking Collection.” It didn’t disappoint.

The front cover of the Starter Journal includes a slot to hold business or index cards.

Quality hardbound (or casebound) notebooks are relatively difficult to find, especially at an accessible price point. While some people dislike them because they don’t lie flat, I appreciate the format because they offer a reliable, not to mention attractive, way to archive your notes and journals long-term: alongside your books on your bookshelf. When I saw that the Starter Journal actually included a peel-off sticker that you can use to label and organize your notebooks for posterity, I was intrigued.

Other features include a sturdy elastic band to keep the notebook closed, as well as another loop to hold folded paper, tickets, etc., and a pen loop.

The journal/notebook itself measures 8” x 10” (in-between A5 and traditional “letter”), and the grey textured hardcover is thick and has a nice “hardback book” feel to it. The Starter Journal also includes various elastic straps to keep the journal closed in your bag and secure loose papers and a pen, and contains 192 pages of what is described as narrow-ruled “premium heavyweight paper” (more on that below) which alternates every five pages between perforated to-do lists and sketching pages. It’s a useful format that strikes a nice balance between structure and flexibility.

It’s no secret that we at T.G.S. are big fans of notetaking, and especially enjoy getting into the nitty gritty (some would say “minutiae”) of notetaking techniques and methodologies. The promotional material provided by Staples.com alongside this review sample therefore grabbled my attention when they indicated that the team at TRU RED “spent two years studying note taking techniques of the most brilliant minds like Leonardo da Vinci and Charles Darwin and innovators like Richard Branson.” Now does this mean that the same notetaking techniques that worked for some famous person will automatically work for you? No, of course not, but I enjoy products that make an effort to teach something, or at least offer some guidance with integrated tips and tricks that might encourage more efficient and useful notetaking. In addition to the Starter Journal, the TRU RED “Expert Notetaking Collection” includes three additional styles (Pocket, Expert and Mastery) all tailored to complement different styles of note taking.

So how about the paper? Honestly, it performed much better than I would have expected from a mainstream notebook at this price point. What TRU RED describes as “premium” paper will work best with gel and ballpoint pens, though I had absolutely no issues with TWSBI fountain pen ink, and Iroshizuku Ajisai had only some minor “pinpoint” bleed through that wouldn’t prevent me from using both sides of the page. I would offer a caveat to this evaluation: My experience has been that TRU RED paper can be inconsistent with how it handles fountain pens. One product might work fine, others not so much. That’s to be expected in a larger line where the paper is likely not obtained from a single source or milled by the company directly. In short, I wouldn’t purchase this journal/notebook expecting to be able to use it with every fountain pen ink out there - especially those that are extremely wet or super-saturated - but standard inks should be ok. (In my experience, rollerballs bleed through pretty much everything. This paper performed better than most, and while there was some slight bleed - moreso than with fountain pens - it again would not prevent me from using both sides of the page.)

Takeaways and Where to Buy

TRU RED has made a very nice hardcover journal/notebook. Though I personally would not use all of the various notetaking features, those who attend a lot of collaborative brainstorming sessions, sketch in their notebooks, and regularly have to summarize action items and talking points may find this to be a helpful addition to their workflow. I’m certainly glad to see this level of creativity coming from larger, “mainstream” office supply companies like Staples and Staples.com.

Currently priced at $17.99, the “TRU RED” Starter Journal (and all of the TRU RED products, for that matter) strike a nice balance in terms of price and quality. If you’re interested in reading further and trying out one of these notebooks, check out Staples.com. Select items from the TRU RED lineup may also be available in stores.

Disclaimer: This product was provided by Staples.com for review, free of charge. I was not otherwise compensated for this review. This post does not contain affiliate links and The Gentleman Stationer does not earn from any referrals.

Staples surprised me a couple of weeks ago by reaching out and asking whether they could send me some products to review from their “TRU RED” lineup, which ended up including two spiral-bound notebooks and an assortment of gel pens, permanent markers, and highlighters. Knowing that Staples has, in the past, been capable of sourcing inexpensive, relatively fountain pen-friendly paper, the notebooks interested me the most. On the whole, I wasn’t disappointed, and one notebook was excellent, though I predict there will be inconsistency in paper performance for those who want to exclusively use fountain pens or wet rollerballs in these notebooks.

The inside of each TRU RED notebook features a “catch-all” folder, which I find useful for work.

The TRU RED notebooks come in both softcover and hardcover variants, in medium and large sizes. Both notebooks sent to me by Staples were mediums (6.5” x 9.5"), which roughly equate to an A5 size. These spiral-bound notebooks look and feel premium-quality and durable - the hardcover notebooks feature a heavy chipboard cover, while the “softcover” versions sport a flexible plastic cover similar to what you would find on a Miquelrius notebook. The double spiral bindings feel like they will hold up in a bag, and haven’t bent despite some rough treatment.

The covers are thick and durable, and the double spiral binding should hold up well.

The paper is a mixed bag, and the packaging on these notebooks doesn’t provide much specific information other than that they are made in Taiwan. (The only information regarding weight, etc. is the designation as “Premium Heavyweight Paper,” which the Staples website indicates is 27-32 lbs.) Staples offers several different ruling options, including narrow (college) ruled, blank, “meeting”, and “project”. I’d personally love to see dot grid, but I’ll happily use a ruled notebook as long as the ruling is narrow enough. The best part? Perforated pages. For the notebooks I use at my day job, I need to be able to shred/scan/file notes, and the ability to easily remove pages is essential.

The first notebook I tested (the softcover) performed exceptionally well with fountain pens.

Not a hint of bleedthrough - or even show-through - on the reverse, despite the fact that I was using a very wet medium gold nib with an ebonite feed!

So what about paper quality? Well, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The first notebook I opened (the softcover) had me really excited, because the paper was excellent, showing zero bleedthrough or feathering even with very wet fountain pen nibs. That initial thrill was tempered a bit when I tested out the hardcover notebook, because the paper - while OK - wasn’t nearly as good as the paper in the softcover notebook, despite the softcover notebook costing less money and nothing on the label to indicate that the two notebooks contained different paper. To me, the discrepancy in performance suggests batch variability, meaning that Staples is purchasing the paper for these notebooks from multiple sources, which makes perfect sense given the numbers. If you’re producing tens of thousands of these things, it’s unlikely that a single paper supplier will be able to meet demand.

On the hardcover notebook, the paper bled through, especially with a stub nib fountain pen, though it remained well within my “zone of usability” for everyday work purposes.

Good thing I don’t write with a stub nib at my day job.

Takeaways and Where to Buy

It’s hard for me to offer a single verdict on the “TRU RED” notebooks given the inconsistency in how the paper behaves, but on the whole I will say they are good for the price point. I’ll probably run by Staples this weekend and pick up one or two more of the black softcover notebooks, and if the paper is consistently good in that version, stock up because it’s some of the best inexpensive fountain pen-friendly paper I’ve used recently. Regardless, I’d wouldn’t hesitate to pick up more of these notebooks for work purposes, especially given the durability, professional look, and the attractive $9.99 price point for the medium softcover.

You can purchase these notebooks at Staples, either in their brick and mortar stores or online. Though it looks like the promotion ends today, Staples is currently offering a coupon code for 15% off purchases of $75 or more from their “Business Essentials” line. I have a few more of these products queued up for review, so stay tuned!

Disclaimer: Staples provided me with the notebooks featured in this review free of charge, for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review.