Keen eyed US readers may recently have spotted that some unusual format binders from Plotter were on offer at the San Francisco pen show.
One was the Mini 5 Square format (which, for some, would warrant a dedicated discussion), but the one that really caught my eye was their 3-Ring format.
Both of these have been available in Japan for some time, but are little known elsewhere. I’d spotted the 3-Ring offering a while ago and fell instantly in love!
I just find them irresistibly cute, being smaller than the Plotter Mini 5 or the Filofax Guildford Mini Extra Slim. Plotter describe them as “the smallest specification of PLOTTER’s Leather Binder line up…so far!”. (I can’t wait to see what might be even tinier.)
Here is a photo comparing the 3-Ring to the Mini 5 (left):
Three-ring formats have been around for a while – Filofax have the M2, which is discontinued but still supported for refills. Lefax also had a model called Soho (sadly long obsolete), which used a half-size personal paper.
Filofax today produce mini jot pads, which are of a similar size too.
The beauty of these three-ringed leaves is that they can fit into many of the other ring-bound formats.
For the Plotter models, the dedicated leaves are a “business card” size. Rhodia also offer lovely, punched refills in Japan that are still a perfect fit, but provide some extra writing space. They match the width of Filofax personal size, which appeals to me.
These five sizes are compared below (clockwise from top left Lefax Soho, Rhodia Organizer, Plotter Card Size, Filofax Mini Jot Pad, Filofax M2.):
Plotter and Rhodia pads:
Here’s the Plotter 3-Ring alongside a Filofax M2.
This particular 3-Ring binder is made of Liscio (“tanned, oil-smooth authentic Italian”) leather, nominally blue but actually green in appearance. It has 11mm silver Krause rings and a pink gold backplate. I think it was a limited edition, which came with a matching “ring supporter” to help prevent indentations from the rings. The design is very minimalist, but you can purchase a leather card holder insert to provide a pocket if desired.
I’m currently finding the combination of a Plotter 3-Ring with a personal size binder is hard to beat.
Thank you Max for sharing the details of this binder with us and our readers.
Fifty years ago, I made a little cover for WH Smiths spiral bound "Memorandum Book No 1" notebook (with my mother's assistance with the sewing machine), using some black vinyl leatherette fabric, leftover from some of the covering of some little schooldesks my parents made for me and my sister. Also made a pencil case. I still have both, and the desk is at my parents house, still much as it was when I left home in 1982...
ReplyDeleteThe little notebook measures 62mm x 103mm. I still have two 'spare' notebooks from the time, plus one in the cover, which has just a few pages used.
I think this attests to my liking the _idea_ of notebooks like this, but not actually _using_ said notebooks...
Kevin
Good nostalgia Kevin.
DeleteI agree that we can buy into the idea of something rather than the reality, when a more sensible mindset might be “that’s lovely but I’m not sure what I’d use it for”.
"That's lovely but I'm not sure what I'd use it for," has never stopped me. ;)
DeleteThis reminds me that I had gotten a tiny Levenger Circa disc ”jot book” of similar size years ago. Not sure if they still make it (seems like it came in a 3-pack, and were very tiny). I never could get into discs but the size was great for a pocket or small purse. Had not thought of that in years until seeing this (and now I’m wondering what I ever did with them?).
ReplyDeleteI had to investigate when I saw this Tracy.
DeleteLooks like two sizes are available:
- Circa Jotlet for 3 discs (127 x 76mm)
- Circa Micro Notepad for 2 discs (92 x 54mm)
The second one is very similar in size to the items in my post here.
GMax, Thank you so much. During Pen Addicts Live on Twitch I almost received the Plotter Mini5 Monthly inserts from a member that attended. I absolutely love the paper, but what if a M2 never makes it my way. Ive seen some M2s for sale, but the deluxe leather or other materials conditions are not a good investment. Jessie #TULee83
ReplyDeleteYes Plotter inserts are lovely.
DeleteShame that there are no M2 binders from the 1980s, when the materials were better.
Thanks for your post, Max. I had not seen this Plotter model before, and it brought back memories of the Lefax Soho binder I bought from their shop in Covent Garden sometime in the late eighties!
ReplyDeletePlotter are steadily proving that there is still strong demand for fresh designs and quality build.
Hey Gerard - yes lots of good products in this vein coming out of Japan still.
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally a Lefax Soho marketed by Tiffany was sold on eBay US last week for $180.