The this notebook from Japanese stationer MD Product is made to be smudge-proof and ergonomically unobtrusive. Writer and editor Krystin Arneson explains why it’s the best notebook for journaling and more that she’s found over the years — especially if, like her, you’re a lefty.
I displayed the first symptoms of becoming a writer at an early age. One of the very first was a tendency to accumulate notebooks, then never (or rarely) use them. As young as 7, I experienced an undeniable pull toward eye-catching covers and ruled pages fresh with possibility, especially if they came from Hallmark or Lisa Frank or Claire’s.
Like a lot of people who love words, I also love the blank pages that might carry those words, and tend to outpace myself in terms of notebooks bought versus pages used. Most of the time they wind up in one of two desk drawers, just sullied enough by former thoughts and former selves for me to justify a new notebook.
But here’s the rub, literally: As a left-handed writer, writing longhand quickly turns annoying. My hand smears the still-damp ink, leaving smudged thoughts. Then my ink-stained hand stamps whatever white of the page is left.
As a walking cliche (American, writer, living in Europe), this destroys my dream of mysteriously scribbling away on creative work in run-down cafes or chic cocktail bars, depending on my mood. How am I supposed to become at least a voice of a generation if I hate the medium for my art?
This is a tiny, atom-sized gripe in a world full of much larger and more urgent problems, but I am only here to say that we no longer have to live like this, left-handed comrades.
The best notebook for left-handed people
MD Product’s A5 notebook is the solution to all of our problems as left-handed writers. Its design genuinely makes writing longhand a joy again, instead of an exercise tinged with annoyance.
I have been waiting an undisclosed but respectable number of years and a significant fraction of my career as a professional word person to find a notebook like this. Having stumbled upon the MD Product A5 notebook in a neighborhood shop, knowing nothing of its secret powers, I was shocked to discover when I got home that it is essentially perfect.
Why I’m obsessed with the MD Product notebook
The paper is the key: It’s smooth but textured at the same time, designed to be so absorbent that it’s compatible with a fountain pen. That means my regular ballpoint-pen ink has no problem settling in comfortably before I even move on to the next letter.
Plus, the textured, thread-stitched binding lies fully flat, with the covers and pages relaxing downward on their own, meaning the side of my left hand doesn’t press into spiral bindings as I write, nor do I passively keep wrestling the cover into the desk. After two months, there are zero signs of wear.
All this, and it costs $15.
I’ve tried many a notebook over the years, from iconic ones like Moleskine to stylish Scandi brands, but this is the only one I’ll ever buy again. It’s the only time in my life I’ve been able to write without smearing ink all over, and it’s honestly a joy. I’m writing more, journaling more, and spending way less downtime on my laptop after a day spent using it for work.
The MD Paper A5 gets my vote as a writer for best notebook for left-handed people, or anyone else who appreciates well-designed, high-quality stationery at a not-unreasonable price.
