Indra Medium Embossed Leather Notebook

Paper High have this notebook embossed by hand in India, using small individual tools worked across the leather one strike at a time. Because the pattern is applied that way, the depth of the impression shifts across the cover, and the design that arrives may differ a little from the one photographed.

Inside are 30 pages of unlined khadda paper. Khadda is a handmade cotton paper spun in Rajasthan from offcuts left over from the Indian garment industry, and only unbleached cotton is used, which is what leaves the sheet acid-free. It has a light tooth that suits a pencil or a ball-point. A fountain pen will feather on it.

The paper is made by a charity working on women's education and social standing in the rural villages it comes from.

At 16 x 11 cm it sits between the pocket size and the desk size: large enough for a proper page of notes, small enough to go in a coat rather than a bag.

How to Care for an Embossed Leather Cover

Keep it out of damp. Leather that is allowed to stay wet swells, and a swollen cover loses the crispness of the tooling permanently. Dust it with a soft dry brush worked along the pattern rather than a cloth, which snags on the raised edges. If the leather dries out and begins to feel papery, a trace of neutral conditioner will restore it, applied thinly, because balm settles into the recesses of the embossing and dries darker there.

Cover: Hand-embossed leather
Pages: 30, unlined handmade khadda paper (recycled unbleached cotton)
Dimensions: 16 x 11 cm
Country of manufacture: India
Note: Not recommended for fountain pens