My Elaborate and Over-kill Notebook Archival Process

Real, paper notebooks. Maybe you use them, maybe you don't. You probably have a few lying around that are half full of notes, ideas, and resolutions that fizzled out. One thing that I've actually been successful at for the past couple of years (amidst hundreds of things that weren't so successful) is the self-control to actually finish a notebook to the very last page. This rule that I imposed on myself came from having too many notebooks and an unquenchable desire to buy more notebooks. Something had to give.

Skip forward a couple of years, and here we are. I routinely go through about one Field Notes book a month and consistently write in other books until they're finished. I've been very pleased with the outcome. I like opening a drawer on my cabinet and seeing a stack (or pile) of used, weathered notebooks that were my faithful companions for a spell.

So, why all this talk about finishing notebooks? Well, all these finished notebooks are what compelled me to find a way to keep these old books with me wherever I happened to be

Many times after finishing a book, I'd think of some little scrap of information that I wanted to use. I knew which notebook -- even which page -- but had no way of looking it up until I got home. My immediate solution was to make a new reminder in my current notebook to look up my inquiry when I got home and was able to get out my old notebooks. Not the greatest.

At some point, I started hearing talks of people scanning their notebooks into their computers. These solutions sounded either destructive (actually cutting out the pages to put them through the scanner), or impractical (scanning two pages at a time). I didn't want to destroy my books, and I wasn't motivated enough to stand next to my scanner and go through the process of opening the lid, turning the page of the book, aligning the book, closing the lid, pressing the button, and waiting for it to scan.

One Saturday when I was at home, I decided to photograph all my books, just as a backup. After photographing them, I had the idea of reducing the size and creating a PDF so they were easier to browse. Then, I had the best idea of the three: put the PDF files in Dropbox so I can view them anywhere from my phone or iPad. Genius.

Shortly after I started doing this, the Doxie Flip was announced. This scanner looks like the perfect solution for archiving notebooks with much less work than my process. Brad did a good review of the device that you can read.

My process is completely overkill. I did it on a whim, and I used the tools that I had at my office at my disposal. It just so happens that I'm also a freelance photographer., so I have lots of photo gear for those jobs. By no means should anyone buy the things I mention here in order to archive old books. It would be much more economical to just purchase a Doxie Flip. But I had the tools and an open afternoon, so this is what I did (and continue to do).

First things first -- the camera. It doesn't really matter what camera I'm using, but I'll tell you here. I use a Nikon D300s with a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 lens. The camera settings I used were ISO100, F11, and 1/100s. If that's gibberish to you, don't worry. Just set up the camera how you normally do to take pictures.

I use a tripod to keep the camera steady at the awkward angle required to photograph a flat object on a table. My tripod was a hand-me-down from my dad. It's functional, but some of the "perks" no longer work. The main function (holding the camera steady at a certain angle) still works, so I haven't upgraded. I've been tempted many times, but I don't use it enough to justify a new one.

Then, I set up an external flash on a flash stand to the right of the camera, although the side doesn't matter. All that matters for the flash is that it's aiming directly at the notebook and not blocked by anything else. If you don't have an external flash or a flash stand, just use the flash included in your camera.

The last part of the camera setup is the remote triggers. This will be a bit technical, so feel free to skip. I have a couple of pairs of remote radio triggers for my cameras and flashes. I normally use these triggers to move the external flash off of my camera to create artistic or dramatic light. Since the light is no longer attached to the camera, the triggers fill the communication gap so that the flash goes off at the exact moment I press the shutter button. It's a little bit of magic and always makes me smile to see it work.

I attach one trigger to the camera, one trigger to the flash, and hold onto another trigger. This last trigger stays in my left hand and allows me to fire the camera and flash without touching the camera. Pretty magical, right?

Okay, enough of the advanced photography mumbo-jumbo.

Set up the frame

The steps from here on out are pretty simple. The next thing I do is secure the notebook to the table with a couple of small strips of clear tape. I've learned that I shouldn't apply the tape very strongly to the Field Notes covers, or else they'll rip a little when I remove the tape. Just a word to the wise.

After the book is secured, I frame up the camera on the tripod and take a couple of test shots to make sure I'm not cropping off any of the edges. I also take a quick glance to make sure the photo looks good, but I always use the same settings so there hasn't been an issue yet.

Take the pictures

Here's the easiest and simplest part of the process. Snap a picture, flip the page, and repeat 23 more times. I'm usually done with a book in 30 to 45 seconds. I normally leave a finger or two from my right hand on the notebook pages so they don't flip up suddenly while I'm taking the picture. Sure, you can see the tips of my fingers, but I don't cover up any of the information. It's my notebook, anyway!

Load pictures onto computer

This section and the next section are completely optional. This is just my process. After the photos are taken, I import them to my computer with Adobe Lightroom. This is the tool that I have and feel most comfortable with for all of my photo-related tasks, so it's what I use. You can use any other program for importing and editing photos. If your camera is taking JPG files, you don't even have to do anything. Just skip to the section on Creating a PDF in Preview.

Adjust in Lightroom

After importing, I do a couple of small adjustments for my personal preferences. I convert the pictures to B&W (I don't know why -- I just prefer the look) and increase the contrast so it's easier to read.

When I'm done, I export all the pictures to my laptop drive in small JPG format. By small, I mean I export at about 30% quality to reduce the file size.

Create a PDF in Preview

Okay, the rest of the steps aren't optional. 1. Open all the jpg files in Preview and click File > Print. 2. Change the page orientation to landscape. 3. Click the PDF dropdown in the lower-left corner and select Open PDF in Preview. 4. Click File > Save in the Preview window that just opened, and save the new file as a PDF. 4. Click File > Print (again). 5. Click the PDF dropdown in the lower-left corner and select Save as PDF.

You now have a PDF with a neat, orderly collection of your notebook pages. Magic, right?

I take one additional step after this. I click File > Export and select a custom Quartz Filter that reduces the size of the PDF without degrading the readability of the file. I found that the provided "Reduce File Size" filter rendered the file unreadable. If you'd like a copy of my filter, just let me know.

An additional note -- I name my PDF files with the following convention: BeginningMM-DD to EndMM-DD YYYY

Add the PDF to Dropbox and iBooks

I'm almost done. Next, I copy or move the new PDF file to a folder in Dropbox. That folder for me is /Notebooks, but you can put it anywhere you like.

After Dropbox finishes the upload, I open the Dropbox app on my iPad and open the notebook PDF I just added. From there, I tap the export button and open the PDF in iBooks, where it will live in a "Notebooks" collection.

And that's my long, tedious process for making sure I always have my old notebooks with me. I doubt this process is for you, but I think some people will find it interesting. Even if you don't adopt the entire crazy process, you might be able to glean something useful for your own workflow.

(You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution, Twitter, and App.net.)

Guest Review: Oxford Stone Paper Note Book

(This is a guest post by Eli Rogers. You can find more from Eli on his blog DadToLibbs.com)

Out of the pen/paper reviews I’ve written so far, this is my favorite. Sometime in early June I was in Walgreens to pick up a prescription. Like in most stores, I decided to peruse the office supply aisle. Most of the time when I do this, no matter the store, I find nothing. It gets frustrating. Well, Walgreens surprised me.

I happened to see a small notebook with one of those little flaps on the front that describes what the notebook has inside. This one? It said the paper was made of stone. STONE!!!! “Really? How does one make paper (that’s made from pulp) from stone?” I asked myself. I was skeptical. I just thought it was a ploy to get me to buy the Oxford Stone Paper Note Book, since the pitch for this was that it saved trees, energy, etc, which would be better for the environment. Feeling the paper, it DID feel different, but that could just mean they processed it differently. Oh, and it smells…different. I like it, because it adds to the different-ness of the notebook.

All my various pens got to touch this glorious paper.

Of course, though, I had to get it. How could I pass up the opportunity to own something different from anything I’ve ever owned? It was hard not to pick up all they had, but I wanted to try it out before I splurged.

It takes to most pens very well. The only one I tried that wasn’t great to write with, was my Zebra Sarasa. All other pens pretty much just glide across the page. One thing you have to be careful with though, is it usually takes most inks a while to dry. So don’t go rubbing the paper (why would you anyway?) after you write. Even a couple minutes later, some inks STILL aren’t dry. And that may be a dealbreaker for many. Not me.

That’s right, I tried to burn it…

…and succeeded. It still burns, but you wouldn’t want to build a fire with it. The highlight of the paper (well, one of the highlights) for me?

The paper is tear-resistant. You try hard enough, you’ll tear it, but it’s hard to start it. It tears more like a thin sheet of plastic than a piece of regular paper. Then, once you get past the initial struggle to tear it, it tears smoothly, again, feeling like a piece of plastic.

Lastly, take a look at this:

Yes, I put the paper under a water faucet, then just simply under water. (I love taking pictures of moving water.) What’s amazing is, if water is run on one side of the paper, the other side barely gets damp. AND, if you only get one side wet, you can STILL WRITE ON THE OTHER SIDE!!!!

Under the faucet, a few inks ran off the page, but after the initial washout, there was practically no fading, just less ink, making most inks a little less vibrant. The Pilot Hi-Tec-C, Precise, and AcroBall, as well as the pencil and Sharpie writing, all held up almost perfectly. Like I said, others ran, but they just look a little duller. The one that didn’t hold up well at all: the Zebra Regal NR5. But I doubt that many people have this pen, so it’s all good.

Oh, and after it dries from you clumsily dropping it in the river while writing down how awesome you are at fishing, it takes ink like it did before it got wet. Fanfreakintastic.

I promise, the other side is wet. And the two pens still wrote beautifully.

Clearly it’s made for the outdoors-y type, since it takes a lot to destroy this paper. You could drop it in the river, and as long as you can find it, you’ll be fine after it dries. That’s the only type of person (besides people who love notebooks) I think would like this. And even if you’re not one of those two types, I suggest getting one. Walgreens is the only place I’ve seen that has them. They also have actual notebook sized paper in the same type of notebook.

Review: Action Cahier by Behance

The Action Cahier by Behance in its packaging glory.

I recently went to Montreal, Canada, which has a very strong French influence, which means CLAIREFONTAINE. Anyways, besides loading up on Clairefontaine notebooks, I also visited a particular stationery store called Papeterie Nota Bene. Located near McGill University, this stationery store is perhaps the best stationery store that I have visited in that it has a large variety of... well... stationery. (Not so much in the pens department, but they do carry the full line of Diamine and J. Herbin inks.) I had a wonderful experience and highly recommend anyone who is visiting Montreal or from the area to go acquaint themselves with the store. Regardless, among the many things that I purchased there, I also got these Action Cahier notebooks by Behance. I saw these online and was particularly interested in them because the idea behind them reminded me of the Rhodia Meeting Books. They also look pretty nice from a design stand point, as their slogan seems to be "Designed by and for creative professionals." While I don't fit really into  this category, it was quite appealing.

Unwrapped and back of packaging with logo sticker.

The Action Cahier is part of the line of Action Notebooks by Behance, which follows their Action Method that aims to increase the productivity and efficency of indivuduals (particularly "creative or non-creative" individuals).  It's kind of a nice idea and such, but it really just seems like you're paying for a product to help you organize yourself that looks pretty when really you can use anything (and I got sucked into it). While they have the Action Cahier, they also have an Action Pad (think desk pad version) and Action Notebook (their fulfledged version with an extended layout). Anyways, back to the Action Cahier.

The spread. Looks nice, right? It doesn't lay flat, though, which is somewhat expected.

The Action Cahier is a collaboration between Behance and the green oriented NewLeaf (100% ecofriendly and recycleable!). It comes in two color schemes, blue or orange; I got the orange because that's all that what they had at the store at the time. As I said previously, the design is pretty nice. On a spread, you see that one side has their designed boxes and checkboxes and such for you to put your "actions" (aka to do list) and on the other side you have basically a dotpad for you to "put info on how you implement your ideas." There is also a nice, usable back pocket. While the boxes are nice, I feel as if I am always in a situation of find it really hard to fill them all up or have enough boxes for my actions. However, I love that the back is a dotpad because you can have structure but freedom when drawing diagrams and such. Each page is also perforated so you can just tear out the sheet and stick it somewhere else, which is convenient and thoughtful. However, I somehow wish that you wouldn't have to turn the page to elaborate on your ideas and could just use the left side. Of course then this is a problem with perforation, but yeah, just wishful thinking. This is not the largest problem of the notebook.

Writing sample on one sheet of paper (back on left, front on right).  The quality of the paper is pretty good, except for the waxy layer on the front side of the sheet making it unfriendly for fountain pens.

I tried a variety of instruments to test the paper of the notebook, and it's great on all writing instruments I tested, except fountain pens (well, the ink of the fountain pen that I used). It seems as if the paper has some kind of waxy layer on the top or something as to make it really not want to absorb the ink from the pen (at all; although it appears fine, this dried for like.. 8 days). There is also some "bubbly" effect for fountain pen ink in that the ink did not want to interact and spread on the paper so much it'd rather interact with itself and form mini droplets on the paper. Additionally, there was very mild bleed through on the back side with the fountain pen. So, fountain pen users should beware! However, the waxy layer does not seem to be present on the back so if you want to be stubborn and buy this and you are a fountain pen user, you can go crazy on the dotpad (although most fountain pen users would go for Rhodia I'd imagine). Besides this, the paper has a nice feel to it and is substantial (aka not like the Moleskine Cahiers). The waxy-ish layer seems to add to the design in that perhaps the papers are meant to be ripped out, and the waxy layer can thus protect whatever you are writing or the integrity of the sheet itself.

The back of the notebook has "New Leaf" and "Behance"(not in focus) embossed.

While the Action Cahier looks aesthetically appealing (and can therefore make you look really cool by using it - I can imagine an artsy hipster using this if they decide that moleskine is not unique enough, haha), it is not worth its value in my opinion because of its inability to take fountain pen ink on the front and confinement due to the  premade boxes (it's actually a bigger problem for me than it seems). While I've never used a Rhodia Meeting Book before, it seems a lot more useful and practical in that there is more space to write and you don't have to confine your ideas to 7 boxes and the like (the Rhodia Meeting Book seems to overlap in function with the Action Cahier). I'd expect that the quality of the Rhodia Meeting Book is different in that it can take common fountain pen ink, as well. The Rhodia Meeting Book seems to accept more flexibility for people with tons on their to-do list. However, what I do like about the Action Cahier is, if the purpose of the cahier includes ripping out each sheet, the design is very thoughtful. The size is small and convenient, the perforation allows for the easy of tearing, and the quality of the paper gives increased durability. 

I got this for 9$ at Papeterie Nota Bene, but apparently they sell it for 7$ at the Behance website. Not cheap for the student budget. Other products of their Action Method line can be found on Amazon.