Products — Notebooks & Journals
Journals, planners and branded notebooks built like proper books: sewn blocks of 80–120gsm writing paper wrapped in PU, cloth or genuine leather, finished with blind deboss, foil, ribbon markers, elastic closures and gift boxes. Factory-direct from Guangzhou since 1995.
One bindery covers the range — a single leather journal design to a full stationery line with dated planners. Select a format to see it.
A notebook is judged by hand before it is judged by eye: the cover grain, the way it opens, how the paper takes ink. These are the parts we control in-house.
PU in dozens of grains and colors, woven book cloth, and genuine leather for the top of the range — soft-cover or over board.
Blind deboss for the quiet look, metallic or pigment foil where the brand should catch light. Dies are cut once and kept for your reorders.
Signatures sewn through the fold so the notebook opens flat at every page — the difference between a journal used and a journal abandoned.
80–120gsm in ivory or white, ruled, dotted, grid or plain — specified to resist bleed and ghosting under fountain pen ink.
Elastic closures, ribbon markers and pen loops, color-matched to cover and edges — single or doubled where the spec calls for it.
The expandable rear pocket for receipts, tickets and loose notes — folded and glued in-line, not an afterthought.
Gilded edges for gift editions, sprayed color to match a brand palette, or plain trimmed edges where the paper speaks for itself.
Belly bands, printed sleeves and rigid gift boxes — barcoded and shelf-ready for retail, or built up for corporate presentation.
Stationery has quietly become a brand business. D2C labels sell notebooks the way others sell candles or coffee, and companies have learned that a well-made journal outlives every other piece of merchandise on the desk. The economics work because the factory stays invisible: your name in the deboss, our paper underneath it.
We run these programs factory-direct — one line for the cover, the block, the branding and the box, with a finished sample in your hands before you commit to a run. Dated planners get scheduled backwards from the on-shelf date; undated lines reorder whenever stock runs down.
Start a private-label lineFactory pricing on your own specification — cover, paper and packaging chosen line by line, with dies and tooling held for reorders.
Boxed journals with debossed logos, packed and labeled by recipient list where needed — annual runs on a standing specification.
Dated planners have one selling season, so artwork, proofing and the 15–25 day production window are planned backwards from it. Undated lines simply reprint.
A branded sample in your materials within 3–5 days of artwork — approve the deboss depth and paper feel before the bulk run starts.
Quantities, artwork, paper and the packaging decisions that actually move a notebook quote.
Notebook runs typically start around 500 copies, where die-making and press setup begin to spread across the run. Unit prices step down at the usual tiers — roughly 1,000, 3,000 and 5,000 — because the setup work stays the same while the run grows. We quote two or three quantities side by side so you can see where your order sits.
Vector files — AI, EPS or a PDF with outlined fonts — at final size. Fine lines and small type need a minimum stroke weight to stamp cleanly, and we will flag anything that won't survive the die before it is cut. The die itself is kept on file for your reorders.
Ballpoint and pencil are forgiving; almost any 80–100gsm sheet works. Fountain pen ink is the real test — it wants a smoother, better-sized sheet at 100–120gsm to control feathering and bleed-through. If your buyers are pen people, say so and we will sample the block with the heavier stock so you can write on it first.
Work backwards: sampling takes 3–5 days, production 15–25 days after approval, and sea freight adds roughly 3–5 weeks depending on port. For a planner that must be on shelf in the autumn, artwork should be final by early summer. Air freight can rescue a late start, but it is far cheaper to begin on time.
Yes — that is the intended sequence. We first send samples of past work in your chosen materials, then a pre-production sample with your own deboss or foil, block and fittings, in 3–5 days. Check the stamping depth, the lay-flat opening and how the paper takes your pen. Bulk production starts only after you approve it.
Retail usually wants a belly band or printed sleeve with a barcode — enough to carry the brand and scan at the till without adding much cost. Corporate gifting leans the other way: a rigid box, tissue or a ribbon, sometimes a printed card. Both come off the same line, so a single order can split between the two.
Format, page count, cover material, branding and quantity — or just what you know so far. A factory quote comes back within 24 hours.
info@qicaipress.com