Review: Canteo Notebook. Now if we could only get our hands on them...

The almighty Canteo Notebook with nice attention to detail. This is the current version of the book, as it will soon be undergoing some slight modifications. Per Rolf at the Biella Group: "The production lot for 2009 will be made with a more resistant cover material - longer lasting. What means: better. And some slight revision on the silver embossing seal on the back. But the functions, the goodies and the 100grs FSC-paper will of course remain the same."



A full line of notebooks are available in A4, A5 and A6 sizes, in plain, lined or squared versions. The also make diaries, address books - it's really a very complete lineup.

192 pages of 100gm cream colored paper.



Logo on the bottom rear of the book.



The diagonal elastic closure acts as an ingenious pen clip. Goodies included with the Canteo include a pencil, and a package of page clips.



Canteo clips. I love the little illustration on the package that shows how to use them. :o)



Cover has rounded edges, but the paper corners are square. I prefer rounded edges on paper because as I get to the bottom of a page, squared corners tend to dig into my palm.

Cover is an Efalin fine linen. The manufacturer will be modifying the cover material on the new *improved* Canteo for better longevity.



Cover is stiff, but has a bit of flex.



Inside front pocket



Inside back pocket, which I am assuming can hold a piece of A6 paper that's been folded in half. Otherwise, I'm not sure how to use it....



The book lies absolutely flat. The book has a long printed ribbon bookmark which does not look as though it will fray.

The ruling is 6mm versus 5mm in a large Moleskine, or 8mm in a large Habana. 6 seems manageable to me. Ruling is a darker gray, and I personally find it a bit darker than I'm used to. I would probably want to use the plain book as opposed to the ruled.



A5 Canteo next to a large Moleskine.

While an A5 book is only slightly wider than a large Moleskine, I'm not used to that size and it initially seems to make writing a bit difficult for me when I don't use it on a flat surface. (I often like to sit in an easy chair with a book propped on my knee.) I could get used to it.



Moleskine on top of the Canteo to show the difference in paper color.



The Canteo paper is SO-MUCH-SMOOTHER than Moleskine paper, but it is not impervious to fountain pen ink. There was minimal bleed though (mostly with the .07 CI and the Midnight Blues ink) and only the slightest feathering. (Needed a magnifying glass to see it.)

Did I say how smooth the paper is? It's not shiny like a Clairefontaine, and ink doesn't seem to take as long to dry as it does on Rhodia/Clairefontaine.

It also seemed to take watercolor paint fairly well but there was a little bleed through and strangely, the paint would sometimes resist the paper. (Look closely at the purple part to see what I mean)



Reverse of the page

Note: writing on the reverse of the page is as smooth as the front, unlike Moleskine which is a crap shoot...



Close-up of minimal bleed-through.





In closing, there are currently no US retailers carrying this product, and I had a very difficult time trying to decipher where they might be available online in the rest of the world. The updated version is to be available online (US) in the summer of 2009.

I also wasn't able to figure out how much they would cost in US dollars. It seems as though it's somewhere in the $20-$30 range, which makes them fairly pricey, but if you appreciate a well made product (with only the most minor need for improvement) then it's probably worth the money- because overall, it's a pretty nice writing experience.

***Updated information on the Canteo, from Rolf at the Biella Group: "First, there's one thing I have to state more precisely: The Canteo journals are not made in Switzerland. The brand is swiss, the range is developped in Switzerland. And it's predecessor is the legendary "Bundesordner - Classeur fédéral" - product range. All swiss. But in Switzerland, there is no more manufacturer that would be able to produce Canteo as it is. So, we had to find a fitting partner to offer Canteo-journals with the attributes it should have to be Canteo. We found that notebook-production-partner in Corea. I visited this factory in summer 2007. And I did never see such state-of-the-art technical equipment for printing and thread stitching in Europe. Thread stitching is the best possible technique to bind books. It allows the book to lie absolutely flat and to avoid securely a loss of sheets during use. The factory combines technical advance with a quality consciousness which is on the same level as the swiss. This is why they are the perfect fitting production-partner for this range. We know, there are other countries where one could source books cheaper - but with the well-known limitaitons in quality. No option for us.

The lever arch files, dividers and document folders (other products from the Canteo-range) are indeed swiss made - Because for these product families, Biella's own facility is one of the leading on the market.

About the details in your review:
_The silver embossing on the back cover will remain silver, but it will be modified. Just a question of design.

_The index Clips will wear the logo of CANTEO - instead of the swiss cross. We want to establish more the brand name CANTEO.

_The back-pockets are built-in for putting the available supplemental booklets into it: monthly planner, address-booklet or blank notes.

_The print of the ruling: We will try to print the lines even thinner. Or if that doesn't work, we'd choose a lighter grey. We already work on that.

_Canteo WILL be available online in the US in 2009. Preciser data will follow in the newsletter.

_The price-range you describe is quite correct. But it is not yet precisely defined. We work on these issues actually with the importer."

Thank you Rolf!

Link to a previous review of the Canteo on the Fountain Pen Network