With pages made of stone, the RockBook is something special

Ever since wood pulp replaced papyrus, people across the world have written on paper. Now, there is a new material in town.

• Notebooks have seen some impressive innovation in recent years. For instance, many now sync with the cloud.
• Another example is Lockbook — a security-conscious journal that can only be opened by your fingerprint.
• With pages made from stone, RockBook is a remarkable new offering. It makes your notes waterproof.

In our digitally-minded world, there are many reasons to like paper. It’s nice to receive physical feedback as your pen wanders over the page. Paper also has texture and a far higher contrast ratio than any touchscreen. Some bookworms even like the smell of the pages. But for all the benefits, paper does have some practical disadvantages. In particular, most notebooks are vulnerable to water, and their pages tear easily. But you won’t have any such problems with the imSTONE RockBook. With pages made from wafer-thin rock, this innovative notebook offers something special.

Smart stone

In the search for a paper replacement, most of us wouldn’t instantly think of stone. It’s usually pretty hard and inflexible. Plus, carrying a sliced boulder around in your pocket doesn’t sound that appealing.

But the imSTONE notebook is nothing like that. In fact, you wouldn’t ever realize these pages are made from rock. They flex and fold just like paper. You can write on them with a normal pen and even add your own prints.

[tweet_box] With pages made from wafer-thin rock, this innovative notebook makes your doodles waterproof.[/tweet_box]

However, the stone does have some major advantages over paper. Firstly, the surface is entirely waterproof. You can spill your coffee over this notebook umpteen times and never lose your work. The pages are also very durable, and they are naturally white. As a result, no unpleasant chemicals are used in the production process.

Totally waterproof

That’s not the only eco-friendliness going on here. Using rock is far more sustainable than cutting down trees. The folks at imSTONE use only stone powder, air, water, and glue to create their notebook. The end result is a remarkably clean and pragmatic product.

Something special

The full-size A5 RockBook offers 228 pages, bound within a striking marble cover. Inside you will find lines, dots and grids.

One major advantage of stone paper is that it works really well with Frixion pens. For the uninitiated, these brilliant ballpoints deliver ink that can be scrubbed away using the integrated eraser. With the RockBook, you can capture notes using a document scanning app and then remove your work. So in theory, this notebook is endlessly reusable.

Versatile and reusable

There are three sizes of RockBook to choose from. Along with the A5 and A6 versions, there’s the Passport RockBook, which measures just under four by five inches — a good compromise between portability and writing room. Meanwhile, the new RockBook Anti-Theft Binder offers a safe home for your note-taking archive.

Tearable pages

It’s recommended that RockBook owners stick to using ballpoint pens with oil-based inks. This may be a problem for certain creative people, such as typographers and illustrators. But for most of us, stone looks like the new paper.

“Like writing on paper? Hate cutting down trees? Well here is some great news just for you:

We figured out how to make a whole new kind of notebook using nothing but stone powder, air, glue and just a little bit of water.

The result is a 21st century product that’s smoother, stronger and way more eco-friendly than the paper of the past.” — imSTONE on Kickstarter

Set in stone

We really like this idea. A pen offers a deeper connection with your thoughts than any keyboard, and this notebook makes handwriting truly pragmatic.

Future upgrades

We would love to see a version specifically for artists and designers. That said, this new version works perfectly with pencil, and there is more room for creativity than ever before.

Availability

– Kickstarter: Until 18th March

– Pledge: $39 USD

– Delivery: September 2018