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Doane Paper, it rocks

I’m currently using a pad of Doane Paper, and I think I’ve found a favorite. I whip through notebooks like crazy, and I can often be found carrying both a lined notebook and a grid notebook around the house. Doane Paper combines a grid and lines and is fantastic for notes of all kinds. I tend to plan out sewing and knitting by drawing pictures and charts, and Doane Paper’s grid is small enough to sketch out in an inch-to-square or stitch-to-square ratio. It would have been perfect to have back in the days when I would sketch out website layouts on a regular basis.

The paper is a nice thickness and takes the ink from my favorite pen (Uni-Ball Vision Exact, for those who are curious) smoothly. The pad has a perforated top that allows you to pull out a page cleanly. The only thing that could make the pad better would be a spiral bound top, though I expect that would make it more difficult to have manufactured. As it is I know I’ll be ordering more once I’ve (sadly) reached the last page.


knitting – trying to understand the neck hole shaping

Doane Paper is $8.95 for a 3-pack, and shipping is free if you order three packs or more. For a paper snob like me it’s a decent price and having a stack of clean, new notebooks around is something I find myself feeling romantic about. They take Paypal, it couldn’t be easier.


Scrabble scores

The Doane Paper grid is also available as a free download to print out on 8.25″ x 11″ or A4 paper. How nice is is that?

You can read more about the idea, read their blog and even buy fan-boy Doane Paper stuff at the site.


Moving the ribby cardi neck hole shaping down a bit


adjusting the fronts of the Central Park Hoodie to make one a little differently

· comments [18] · 02-22-2008 · categories:shopping ·

18 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Mrs. Mordecai // Feb 22, 2008 at 9:38 am

    Wow. I would have done anything for that stuff in high school math. I’ll keep it in mind for my son now.

  • 2 Wende // Feb 22, 2008 at 10:25 am

    Your post is an excellent visual reminder as to why I don’t knit. MY paper would feature a bunch of scribbling, that I could never decipher after writing. :D

    But, like Mrs. Mordecai, my son would adore this paper. Thanks for the tip.

  • 3 Gwen // Feb 22, 2008 at 10:29 am

    How come noone ever thought of something so simple & ingenious before? I must have a Doane Pad of my own.

  • 4 BethanyWD // Feb 22, 2008 at 10:31 am

    Well, I think I am in LOVE. I used Moleskin now for everything work related (notes, voice mail, ideas), but I love this grid/lined mesh. I might have to try – the price is certainly right. Here’s my must-have pen. [edited by Megan to shorten a link]

  • 5 Karen // Feb 22, 2008 at 10:51 am

    Best. Paper. Ever. That’s really quite awesome…off to their site now to check it out!

  • 6 Amy in Seattle // Feb 22, 2008 at 11:22 am

    Awesome! I sent an email asking them when/if Spiral is available – important for me.

    I also asked them how stiff the backer board on the notebook was (can you write on the paper in mid-air or does it need to be on a surface) and if they customize the covers on big orders.

    We’ll see what they respond with!

  • 7 MadCarlotta // Feb 22, 2008 at 11:24 am

    Okay you have officially rocked my world with the Doane paper. Thanks!

  • 8 Joleo // Feb 22, 2008 at 11:30 am

    That paper is amazing, and would be perfect for my japanese class. Sadly they don’t ship overseas yet so I’ll just have to long for it a while longer.

  • 9 whitney // Feb 22, 2008 at 11:39 am

    Best idea ever! I just ordered a 3 pack.

  • 10 steph // Feb 23, 2008 at 8:43 am

    amazing!! as a crafter and a science teacher I can think of 1,000’s of uses. thanks!

  • 11 Emy // Feb 23, 2008 at 2:52 pm

    You know, if you REALLY wanted you, you could get those spiral bound at an office supply store or Kinko’s or something….

  • 12 Kimberly // Feb 25, 2008 at 11:33 am

    Sold! I ordered a 3-pack last night. I work in an online advertising department, so I use grid paper a lot for sketching out specs and working out coding issues.

  • 13 RoseCampion // Feb 25, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    regular square graph paper isn’t the greatest for knitting. It’s better than nothing, but a knit stitch is generally shorter than it is wide, so what you graph on the paper isn’t how it comes off your needles. I think you can buy knitter graph paper or even find places on the internet to print your own for free.

  • 14 megan // Feb 25, 2008 at 2:02 pm

    Rose – Thanks, I do take this into account when I’m sketching. The grid makes sense to me just fine when I keep this in mind.

  • 15 Jen // Feb 26, 2008 at 7:36 am

    The Doane people responded to my e-mail question and let me know that they plan to add 5×7 pads to their products around May. Woo-hoo!

  • 16 Kelly // Feb 26, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    I tell you what, in a digital world I still heart paper. This may replace the Rhodia pads that I’ve been running through like water. Mmmm.

  • 17 hakeber // Feb 28, 2008 at 12:49 pm

    Seriously? Are you my twin? I love graph paper and my favorite pen is the Uni-ball Vision Exact… hard to find in stores, absolutely worth the shipping costs. I’m buying some of this paper stat.

  • 18 040808: make creating a habit « // Apr 8, 2008 at 6:14 pm

    […] Have you heard of doane paper? I first heard about it through notmartha – and today I started doodling on my new favorite paper. Print some out for yourself – or purchase a pad of paper. Whatever you do, make creating a habit. (a theme derived from The Sound of Paper – a book I am thoroughly enjoying…) Links […]

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