Dotted Grid Notebook/Journal - Dot Grid Hard Cover Notebook, Premium Thick Paper with Fine Inner Pocket, Black Smooth Faux Leather, Pen Loop, 5''×8.25''

this is not just the best dot journal that's "affordable", but in my opinion, it is The Best Dot Journal.though the pages don't automatically lay flat when you open it, once you start writing it in for a few minutes, they pretty much stay open/flat by themselves. the paper quality is Insane !! it's so thick and i get honestly pretty much no ghosting or bleeding. for context, i use crayola super tips, muji pens, and pilot g2 0.38mm for my day-to-day journaling + planning. it's lasted me for months (bought in may 2019, reviewing in april 2020) and pretty much daily use. i even rip out pages occassionally (because i'm a perfectionist), and the spine/binding has stayed in wonderful quality!the color is not a bright white, more of a off-white, which is of my preference! and the dots aren't super light, but honestly i hardly notice them after using this journal for so long. i also don't mind the dots being a bit darker and i kind of think they add a nice touch in the whole layout.the only thing i would say is that the quality of the cover isn't as good as you'd get with a brand with actual / better quality leather (ofc, since this is probably PU / fake leather and is also like <$10 post-tax, in comparison to journal brands that go up to like $30 for a single journal). it's not that bad, but it did get some "dents" from being in my backpack a bit. but you can easily cover things up with stickers, and i personally don't mind that much. it's gives it a little bit of character? maybe? haha also because it was so affordable, i don't feel as bad when it gets a bit banged up / wear and tear.i wish they would offer these in different colors too !! like a nice, warm yellow or something :')i tried looking at other journals with more color varieties, but it just seems like (based on reviews) that the paper quality wasn't as good as the one in this journal, so i might just stick to this one to repurchase and come up with some way to decorate the cover!i can only hope they haven't changed anything about the paper quality since i last purchased it in may 2019 when i do end up repurchasing it

First time bullet journal, heavy on coloring/lettering. This is the best journal out there in my opinion & it's going to take a lot to get me to switch to another brand. Very high quality & sturdy, paper holds up to whatever you throw at it. At 120gsm, this is the heaviest paper of any journal I've found so far. There is one other at 100 gsm, but your typical weight is in the 70-80gsm range. Very, very little ghosting & no bleed through so far. Water-based pens show the most ghosting, but understandable. As a comparison, water color paper is 220gsm weight. Included is a 30-day warranty card for refund for any reason as well as info to join users club. This journal fits perfectly in a purse or bag. Paper quality is excellent with a fantastic "tooth". Holds up perfectly to pencil erasing (erasers - kneaded, art gum & plastic). A dream for calligraphy pens! I just abuse the heck out of this thing & it just doesn't miss a beat. I am glad I found out how to properly open/break in first without breaking the spine & would like to see that included for newbies like myself. To learn how, go to bulletjournal dot com & search for "how to break in a notebook" I have two of these now & made the mistake of tearing a page out, which messes up the folio binding, duh. But, darn if the thing is still holding together anyway.I'm no expert, but here's a list of pens I've tried that work well in hopes of helping those new to bullet journaling like myself, little to no ghosting:FriXion erasable, Precise V5rolling ball, faber castell PITT artist💟, Staedler tri-plus fine liner💟, Office depot fine liner, powerline 2200 pastel highlighter, faber castell drawing pencils, uniball gel, tombow dual brush💟. Any can be purchased here on Amazon. Even kid's crayola markers & cheapies from dollar stores are not to bad if you're really careful not to saturate too much. Tip for coloring, don't color over & over in the same spot, which will bleed through. Colored pencils are the exception, no bleeding or ghosting. Do not use alcohol inks as they will bleed right through.I highly recommend & will be using this journal from now on & comfortable enough to recommend to family & friends!

The media could not be loaded. I think I might’ve found my new perfect journal! I’m in love!I’m new to bullet journaling but have been journaling all my life. I’ve had Moleskines, used heavyweight sketchbooks as journals because I also draw in them, enjoy smooth gliding of my Pilot pens or zebra pens, and tombow markers.With quarantine, I’ve picked up bullet journaling and this one lets me do it all. I found this one before I looked at Archer and Olive, Notebook Therapy for pages I could paint on. I’d consider those my next journal for design, page thickness (160gsm) and colors, but this is such high quality and affordable and still thick, possibly lighter in weight to carry around.- I can write smoothly with no ghosting. Paper is super thick and high quality. The best paper in a journal I have currently which isn’t a heavyweight sketchbook.- Tombow markers work like a dream on this. You can see my vibrant illustrations and bullet journal spreads.- The dots are not too dark and just enough to guide you.- The cover is a very soft textured black leather but also resistant to scratches. I plan on taking mine with me everywhere so this is important. I can tell it’ll last for years.- I wanted to test watercolors on it (since I’m trying an all-in-one approach with this journal so I don’t keep starting new ones, and though the paper does wrinkle and doesn’t look as beautiful as 160gsm or heavier (this one is 120gsm), for bullet journaling this is great. Once my pages dried, I noticed it flattened out a bit. The lemons and the Totoro pages were done in watercolor.- Pretty lightweight. Very pleased.- Great size, not intimidating to complete pages.