Plotter is an intriguing Japanese planner system I’ve been salivating over since at least 2018– apparently without ever having actually written a blog post about it! I was always frustrated that I couldn’t figure out how to order one of these notebooks for US delivery, so I was thrilled to see that the brand is now launching stateside as Plotter USA. Various influencers in the pen and paper community have been enlisted to promote the launch– I, alas, was not among them so I had to sign up to be notified like a mere mortal!

I recently got an email announcing that that the Plotter USA website was open for a limited soft launch. I was excited! But also a bit dismayed, thinking “oh no, I’m going to spend way too much money on yet another leather looseleaf notebook that I’ll never use.”

Once I viewed the offerings, I continued to be excited and dismayed: dismayed that they aren’t offering their full range of sizes (at least not yet), and excited that I could hang onto a little more of my hard-earned money. (Or at least relieved.)

The Plotter USA launch, so far, offers binders in 3 types of leather, and 3 sizes: A5, Bible, and Narrow.

I was almost tempted to try the Bible or Narrow size, but with prices starting at $110 for just the binder, I just can’t do it. If I can’t fit my favorite size leather binders into my notebooking lifestyle, then I doubt I will start making use of a larger size that I’ve never used otherwise. I started to think that maybe I could surprise myself– since I’ve used some notebooks for work that didn’t fit my usual preferences, I wondered if I could use the A5 size as a work notebook. But those binders start at $155, and since I now work from home with my work notebook sitting open on the monitor stand part of my desk, it really wouldn’t fit my needs.

In Japan, Plotter sells binders in 5 sizes. The two smallest ones are “Mini 6 hole,” at 10x14cm, and “Mini 5 hole,” at 8x12cm. The Mini 6 hole size is pretty standard, with rings spaced the same as in looseleaf notebooks I already own from Filofax, DaVinci, and many other brands. The binder is wider than my favorites, but because the leather is flexible, it would probably take well to being overstuffed. (Or maybe I’d have to embarrass myself going to a tailor or leathersmith for notebook alterations again…)

I also noticed that Plotter offers an additional two styles of leather in Japan. In the US, they are offering “Liscio,” “Pueblo,” and “Shrink.” In Japan, “Horsehair” is another option, with a beautiful texture. And they sell the Mini 5-hole in “Bridle,” which has a waxy finish.

So I feel like I’m off the hook on buying a Plotter binder for now… but I still think their stuff is really gorgeous and will covet it from afar. I’d love to hear from any readers who have taken the plunge and are using a Plotter notebook!