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.