Dingbats - Earth Dotted A5 Medium Notebook, Glicine Arctic - Hardcover - Cream 100gsm Ink-Proof Paper - Numbered Pages, Index & Key Pages

I've been previously using a Leuchterm for bullet journal and I loved it but I wanted to try the Dingbats journal out. I'll be using that as a benchmark for comparison in the pros and cons I discovered:PROS:It's amazing to write on! I use Sakura Pigma Fineliner pens and they practically glide over the surface and don't smear at all. When previously writing in the Leuchterm, I found these pens to be the best to prevent smearing. However, even then, I'd have to wait around a minute and always worry that I'd accidentally brush over what I just wrote with my hands and smear it. In this journal, the pens dry within a couple seconds and it feels much better writing on them.There is also no leakthrough for those who like drawing. In the Leuchterm, I notice that the pages are thinner so you're able to see through the backside, especially when coloring with ink. The Dingbats journal has thicker pages to prevent this from happening.Price wise, it's cheaper ($2-4 difference) than the Leuchterm while having some extra benefits. Like the Leuchterm, it has the back pocket and the bookmark attached, but it's also slightly larger ( 29 x 40 vs 28 x 39) and it has a built in pen strap.CONS:The biggest downside is the number of pages. Dingbats has 192 pages compared to Leuchterm's 250. This allowed me to use the Leuchterm for 2 years when bullet journaling, but with 192 pages, I can't do that. (This is probably because the pages are thicker though, to prevent any ink leak-through)There are two other minor downsides I can think of. The first is that there aren't any page numbers, but those could be easily written in, especially for avid journalists. The second is that the pages are closer to beige than white compared to the Leuchterm, so using whiteout for any mistakes can stand out a little more.On every page of the journal there seems to be an almost invisible dotted line close to the center, presumably to allow the pages to be easily removed if you ever want to tear one out. I don't particularly care for this feature as I don't tend on ripping any pages out, but it's good to know for those who might want to.Conclusion:All in all, I find the Dingbats journal superior for the writing experience alone. All the downsides are things I can put up with, but knowing how easy it is to write without smearing or leaking will have me coming back the next time I need a new bullet journal. Also, I almost forgot to mention: the designs are pretty cool!

I liked the quality and sturdiness of this notebook. I like the dots on the page because I use it to tangle (art) using the dots to train my hand and brain.

Worth it and durable product

I think I have bought three of these now. Having a notebook like this has been a part of my life for decades. And the size, quality and feel of these are just what I like.

First and foremost, I want to say that Mo and the people at Dingbats went WAY WAY WAY above and beyond to resolve the problems I encountered with my order. They stand by their product and go out of their way to make sure you're happy with your purchase. I've never had such a positive experience as a retail customer in my entire life. I'm still shocked by their customer service.Paper: The paper is 100gsm, coated and cream colored. It is SO silky smooth to write on. Every pen glides like a dream. As expected, you have to make sure you give the ink time to dry before you close the book or move on to the next page but it's a small price to pay for such a luxurious writing experience. The dots are of medium visibility with the standard 5mm spacing.I purchased the Wildlife line because every page is perforated. I had issues with the first notebook I received but once I had an undamaged notebook in my hands, I was so impressed with the perforations. The pages won't fall out with regular use or even a mild tug. However, if you take care not to just YANK the page out, it will tear away neatly.Ghosting is minimal; about on par for what I would expect with 100gsm paper. Nothing bled through, not even fountain pen ink.Design and Construction: The Wildlife notebooks are not numbered and do not have an index page (these are pluses for me.) They DO have a cover page where you can write your name and information as well as a back pocket. One ribbon bookmark is built in, as is a pen loop. The pen loop is sturdy and I'm not worried about losing any pens. Additionally, the elastic included to keep the notebook closed is also sturdy - nice and tight without being inflexible.The journal lies very very flat. The cover is a wonderfully pebbly faux leather. I LOVE the cute paw print paper on the inside covers. The print is dependent on what animal you get (bear paws / elephant feet / duck feet.) It's such a fun touch.As long as you're expecting to get what you see in the description, you'll get it. There are no what-ifs or cons here. You get what they advertise and what they advertise is a lovely notebook that will get lots of use.Caveats: The first notebook I received had an issue with the binding, which came apart when I tried to use the perforations to take out a page. It was disappointing, and I contacted Dingbats hoping for a resolution. They sent out a replacement VERY promptly. The Amazon warehouse seems to have had issues handling the replacement and it arrived with quite a few dings and dents. I did NOT expect Dingbats to be responsible for this as it was 100% not their fault. They did so anyway. I can't rave enough about how much they cared that I was happy with my notebook.

I buy this for a gift. So I keep it on the plastic wrap.

Sturdy paper, easy open spine, nothing flashy or gimmicky- just a great blank book.Very good for making your own calendars and weekly planners. I'm about to buy my fourth one. I tried a different brand this year and greatly regretted it.

Great journal

Bought for Bullet Journalling. Had everything I wanted in a journal- dotted square grid, pen holder, pocket for lose paper at back, elastic to hold cover together, integral bookmark. Really like the quality of the cover and the paper. Many other journals I have looked at (including other well known brands like Moleskin) have had far inferior quality paper and without all the other features.Just so you know, this is a genuine review (a rarity on Amazon these days). I don't usually write reviews so that tells you how happy I am with my purchase.

Ich benutze es als Bullet Journal wie so einige hier. Für den Preis ist es ein sehr schön aussehendes Buch, es hätte keine Fehler oder Einschlüsse im Papier sowie im Cover. Es fässt sich sehr schön an und der Gummizug ist stabil. Die kleine Tasche hinten ist ebenfalls fest verklebt und bietet Platz für genügend Material.Das Papier ist so unglaublich glatt und fässt sich so schön an, da könnte ich stundenlang drüber streichen. Die Punkte sind in einem 5 mm Abstand zueinander, klein und Mittelgrau, also sichtbar aber für mich persönlich nicht störend. Jede Seite ist heraustrennbar aber trotzdem sehr stabil, so, dass man keine Angst haben muss versehentlich Seiten herauszureißen :-)In den Fotos habe ich ebenfalls meinen persönlichen Pen Test hinzugefügt. Wie bereits gedacht, gab es bei den Copic Ciao alcohol based markers, win bleeding auf der Rückseite.Der Füllfederhalter ließ sich wunderbar benutzen. Das Schreiben damit auf dem glatten Papier war eine Freude. Es gab kein bleeding und nur sehr minimales ghosting. Allerdings benötigt die Tinte sehr lange zum trocknen, weswegen die Schrift dann leider verschmiert ist und beim Schließen des Buches auf die gegenüber liegende Seite abgedruckt hat. Ist für mich jedoch kein Mangel, da man einfach ein Stück Löschpapier nutzen kann, um die überschüssige Tinte abzunehmen :-)Alles in allem bin ich sehr zufrieden mit dem Buch und werde mit Freunden darin zeichnen und schreiben.

After much research, I selected an orange tiger Dingbats journal to start bullet journaling with for the first time. It's now been in use for a little over three weeks and I love it. The paper is a beautiful light cream, which is slightly easier on the eyes than a bright white and is lovely and smooth. Even with two layers of marker and my fountain pen (Waterman, with Harmonious Green, for reference) I see next to no ghosting and no bleed-through at all, and the ink should last a long time, as it's acid-free. The elastic is nice and firm, the pocket strong, and even the ribbon is high quality. The top right corner of the cover had a very slight crease to it when it arrived, but this seemed to be due to the way it was packed/handled in the Amazon box and it doesn't bother me at all. The colour is beautiful and I love the little paw prints inside the covers. The fact that it's both handmade and entirely Vegan is a huge bonus. Overall, it's a beautiful book, well worth the money.

This year I wanted to treat myself to a new notebook to increase my chances of success in bullet journalling. I knew I wanted an A5 book and dotted pages work well as flexible guidelines for journalling without the restrictions of lines or the lack of support from a blank page. I was also keen to get pages that were of good thick quality and a hardback cover for protection as this journal is going to be taken to and from work daily....After a bit of research I finally decided on the Dingbats journal. I’m not going to lie, the elephant on the grey front cover probably sold it to me but I am certainly not disappointed. The quality of this notebook is far superior to other books I have used previously. The cream paper quality is the perfect thickness to ensure no ghosting or see-through from the page before. The notebook also has a bookmark, elastic closure, built in pen holder and folder at the back for storing small bits of paper like receipts etc....As well as being super awesome on the paper quality and features front the brand is hugely environmentally friendly in the paper and the making of the products....I would have no hesitation in recommending this to other people and will certainly purchase again next year. Thank you Dingbats

After having bought the tiger cover in January 2019, I decided to stick with the Dingbats dotted journals and got the purple hippo cover. I chose to get the same brand again simply because the quality of the first one was of a high standard and I’ve had no problems with it.Each page is perforated so you can tear out pages without disturbing the journal’s spine and causing other pages to fall out. All the perforated pages remain in place and doesn’t tear away on its own and it’s barely noticeable. Oh except for when you are going over it, then there’s some bleeding but again, barely noticeable.The pages are pretty thick and it’s 100gsm as stated. It would be good if the paper was thicker because I use the staedtler triplus felt tips and it ghosts. However, when I’m using it on the same sheet but on opposite sides, the paper remains intact and doesn’t bleed through to create a tear in the page. Besides this, I’m really happy with this journal, my 2019 one has held up for the whole year and is in mint condition. I’ve added some photos so hope it helps anyone who’s considering this journal.