Ruled Lined Leather Journal Notebook – Professional Journal for Men and Women – Hardcover Executive Notebooks - Daily Journal for Business – Thick silky paper, 200+ pages for writing and note taking, elastic closure, & penloop – A5 (5.75” x 8.5”)

I am a HUGE fan of Scribbles That Matter, and have been for some time. I bought this with the intention of keeping a more personal journal (to be kept at home), with more space to do so regularly. I also wanted to have a bit of fun with my collection of vintage stickers, washi, and ephemera. I used it for about 2 1/2 weeks, and went through 20+ pages, and then abandoned it. I found, when looking back, that many of my pages smeared...and still smear. My favorite pen is the blue/black Uni-ball Signo UM153, I also use Copic Multiliners in varying sizes, Tombow Dual Brush Pens, Pilot g-2, Copic AtYou Spica, Staedtler Triplus Fineliners, Stabilo Point 88, and Zebra Mildliner Brush pens. Nearly all, but the Copic Mildliners, smeared; and still smear weeks later. Not a nice thing to discover weeks after all that writing, and work.That said, I have never had a problem with any of my other Scribbles That Matter journals. I am still dedicated to this brand, and will continue to use them; Just not this particular journal.

I've purchased many STM notebooks since last year. The 2018 paper quality was better than the 2019 paper quality. The 2018 paper was thinner and had some ghosting but at least my Pentel Energel pen didn't smear. This pen never smears on any other paper BTW. On the 2019 paper, all pens smear because of the coating. If you erase, it leaves a mark. If you use the Tombow Dual Brush Pens, you will see the dots through the ink.As for this particular notebook, I was hoping the paper would be different because it's a ruled notebook instead of the dot grid. Also, it's a different gsm. But no, it's the same coated paper. The ink still smears on it. You can hardly see the page numbers and the table of contents! I think my pictures actually make it look better than it is. Will be returning.

Here's the thing..I would've given this more stars if it didn't smudge. No matter what pen I was using it always smudged if it wasn't 1000% dry. Pens that were totally fine with any other notebook. It's something about the paper. There's this layer of something on the top that you wouldn't be able to see, but it's there.If the paper and the smudging weren't an issue, I would have loved this notebook. I loved that there was a table of contents, that the pages were numbered, and that there's this elastic thing that closes the notebook & keeps it all neat and closed...I finished the whole notebook, but unfortunately I don't think I'd repurchase again, sorry.

So, I bullet journal often and belong to groups that praise this brand. When I decided to get a new bujo this year, I went with another brand because they offered B5 journals; and I'm so glad that I did.This is my first Scribbles That Matters, and I'm completely underwhelmed.Pros: This is a great little book for what I bought it for, which is not bullet journaling (thankfully). The price point is great for a cheap lined journal to jot in, comparable to all other journals in its price range. Pen loop is a nice feature I don't have to add myself. Nice cover color and feel. Sturdy pages, with light ghosting.Cons: Both my favorite ballpoint and gel pens smear and take forever to dry. (A bit nitpicky but) I HATE the fact that the card holder in the front is installed lopsided. Also I believe the sentence on the first page is printed with a grammatical error. Another nit pick, but still something that bothers me. Already covered it with a sticker.I would've been very upset if I had bought this for a bullet journal, which I seriously considered after all the graft reviews in my groups. I am not impressed with this brand. Decent for the price, but not special from others. Great for just jotting down recipes and my variations without care to my handwriting.

I have a number of Scribbles that matter journals. I like this one the best. I like the feel of the paper (A gsm 115 rather than the usual 160gsm). The grey lines and page number are visible, but not distracting. The paper color is a light off-white/Ivory. I journal, with the occasional sketch in pencil. (Standard American #2, nothing fancy). These 115gsm pages feel and seem like they smudge less than the 160gsm. I haven't tried any pens, markers or paints in this journal so I have no information on ghosting. It thick paper though, so you'd probably be safe with lighter highlighters and standard pens.The "leather" cover is a lovely shade of brown (Somewhere between a Hazelnut, medium Cognac, or a well worn saddle).To me it feels/looks like a classic journal.Let's talk about price for a minute... An amazing deal (at the time of writing this 12/30/2020). Well worth the price and I have recommended it to my friends/family for their "basic" journaling/note taking needs.I will certainly buy the Lined Ruled Leather Journal Notebook by Scribbles That Matter again.My one wish is that Scribbles that Matter would do a larger size (A4), same colors, same 115. (PLEASE!! =)

I'm totally satisfied with this notebook. The extra features such as pockets inside the covers, elastic band, and pen holder make it very useful. My husband and I (senior citizens) will use it as a health record book, to keep track of doctor appointments, phone calls, and other health resources. I've added erasable tabs to mark different sections.

I was slightly disappointed in the lined paper because I thought it would be college ruled but it appears to be wide rule. It was supposed to be for work but I will try to make it work. I do like the card holder in the front but I’m wondering if that may make it too bulky or possibly damage the spine. I also wish there were at least a couple more pages for the index and I also wish it had a page for a key similar to those in the dotted journals. I do like the pen loop, just not sure if I like it in the spine as in the Lemome or in its current placement.

I like the feel of the paper. I tested several pens on it and it doesn’t appear there will be any bleed through. Can’t wait to set up my reading journal in it.

Everything about this book shouts quality. It arrived well packaged but both the outer box and the journal are shrink wrapped so they should rethink the use of plastic. The black box however is thick and sturdy board and if the journal was being given as a gift, it really elevates the overall look. After removing the plastic, the thing that struck me most was the feel of the journal, it’s not at all like the other STM journals that I’ve had. Don’t get me wrong, I like the feel of those, but this one is something else. I just wanted to keep stroking it. It’s soft and silky and looks so much like real leather. The pages are the quality you expect from STM, ruled and numbered, a couple of contents pages but sadly no pen test page (that’s my only criticism) with the usual feature of a bookmark (only 1) and the back pocket. I usually use a STM dotted for bullet journaling and bought this specifically as a recipe journal I’d really love them to bring out this cover finish in dotted and an array of colours!

This is particularly good if you want a notebook to give as a present. In terms of improvements I would like to see a version with pages with slightly more lines on, a black version and the facility to have embossing put on eg initials or short phrase/motto. This would continue to set this product apart from other smartly produced notebooks. I would buy even more then.

Per my photo, was quite disappointed to discover that there is significant bleed through when using a fountain pen. I'd purchased this item because the pages were specifically described as having no bleed through. The paper bleeds. Almost as much as blotting paper! There is no glazed finish, it's rough textured. Works okay with ball pens.

A few pages into this journal and a few months of owning it, I am still impressed by the fact it feels great to write on. The paper is of a very good quality, especially for the price you pay!The vegan leather is barely any different to real leather. Its smooth to the touch and a pleasure to open up and read or add to it. It's kept its colour so far, and been in plenty of daylight. Considering most brands will charge double the price for a journal of this quality, this line of products is well worth a look into, whether you're looking to use it as a writer, a teacher, an office worker or just for your leisure.Highly recommended.

Not leather, the cover is pvc.