WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT A DEN JOURNAL?

When I began journaling 15 months ago, I wasn’t looking to make my own notebook. But, as I used several different ones, I noticed that none of them quite appealed to me for what I wanted in a journal.

So what’s different about a DEN Journal? What makes it unique?

It’s a common question. It’s a fair question. There is a seemingly endless supply of various journals and paper products wherever you go. Surely, the world isn’t in need of another one. 

Against your average writing notebook, a DEN journal will truly lay flat while you write. It has an elastic enclosure band to keep your journal closed and secure. It also has a nice, soft, elegant leather feel to the front cover that many people seem to be enjoying. 

However, the most common comparison is currently toward a classic Moleskine. So here are six ways our first journal SKU is different than a Moleskine. (Note: We hope to soon have a variety of journals with various covers, colors, sizes, interior content, etc)

(1) Table of Contents with Numbered Pages

In a DEN journal, you can begin logging the contents of your journal with our handy DIY table of contents. With pagination and space for you to tag your content on each page, our journal helps you create an index that will allow to quickly find what you want long after you wrote it.

(2) Stickers

Again, this is another of DEN’s indexing features. We provide a sticker sheet with 3 labels for the notebook’s spine and two stickers for the front/back cover. I’m sure these can be used in a variety of ways, but we included them primarily for you to quickly identify journals on a shelf by the date or content listed on the spine so that you can more easily access what you’re looking for.

(3) Thicker Paper Quality – Write on Both Sides

This much I know about writers – they are almost always partial to a particular pen. And more times than not, this pen is gel-based, using much more ink than, say, your typical Bic pen. I know I prefer a thick pen. However, most paper can’t handle thick ink well and it renders the backside of the sheet useless. Even if the ink doesn’t fully bleed through, the “ghosting” (industry term) is too significant to be able to read if you try to write on both sides. 

Not so with a DEN journal. Write on both sides. The paper is thicker and can absorb every gel-based/thicker ink pen I’ve tried. I’m sure there are a couple of pens that the journal might struggle with … but I haven’t found them yet. 

(4) Thicker Paper Quality – Eliminate Smearing

The other nice feature about thicker paper quality is it absorbs ink faster and better. So ink is less likely to smear if touched by a finger, hand, arm, or even another page. As any journaler/writer knows, smearing is very frustrating. 

Is it still possible with our journal? Yes. But you have to run your finger across it almost immediately whereas other journals can still smear 15-30 seconds after the ink first touches the page. 

(5) Wider notebook – A5 size

The DEN journal is a little wider than the average comparable journal, which allows for more writing per page. And in my opinion, it allows for a better rhythm to writing as you spend more time writing on each line before you have to drop down. It’s subtle. But sometimes, the beauty of something is in the subtlety. 

(6) DEN Gives Back

I hope our journals standalone as a quality journal and a useful tool for you. But, as we’ve written about already, you can make a significant impact with every journal you purchase. Read more here and here. 

Ultimately, journals are a matter of preference. There are a lot of good ones out there, with Moleskine being at the very top of that list. Find the one that works best for you. If it ends up being ours, then great. 

Either way, find something (even if it’s digital) that helps you linger deeply in God’s Word.