KAMI notebook with linen cover

The KAMI Linen Notebook is a fully handcrafted book from Berlin – made in a social workshop and designed according to the golden ratio. At 21 × 13 cm it sits at A5 height, but noticeably narrower: a proportion that makes the book feel more slender and lively in the hand than a standard DIN format. Natural linen on the outside, satin-finish 90 g paper on the inside – the contrast between the rough surface and smooth paper is no accident, but intentional.

Features

• Natural linen cover: Warm, slightly textured feel with characteristic fabric texture. The stiffness is deliberately positioned between soft and hardcover – the book flexes but springs back with noticeable resistance.
• Proportion according to the golden ratio: 21 × 13 cm corresponds to the ratio 1:1.618. The format appears more slender and dynamic than A5 (148 × 210 mm) and sits balanced in the hand.
• Hand-sewn text block: The signatures are hand-sewn, not glued. This allows completely flat opening down to the spine – both sides of an open page lie flat on the table.
• Copper-coloured edge: Applied by hand, warm and metallic in tone. Gives the book its own character without being obtrusive.
• 90 g paper, satin-finish, unruled: The smooth, slightly cream-coloured surface takes ink with nuanced colour – lines remain sharply defined, colour nuances come fully into their own. The paper is very opaque: 75 g paper allows writing on the reverse to show through, this one hardly at all.
• Completely handcrafted in Berlin: Every copy is made in a social workshop – not a mass product, but bound by hand piece by piece.

Use & Tips

• Fountain pens and inks: The satin-finish paper is the real strength of this notebook for ink writers. Inks set down with sharply defined lines, shading and sheening come distinctly to the fore. With very wet nibs or broad stub nibs, a strip of blotting paper between pages is recommended.
• Pencil and fineliner: The even writing feedback of the surface – slightly gliding, not slippery – makes the paper pleasant for pencil and fineliner too. The stroke doesn't become roughened but remains controllable.
• Markers and brush pens: Thanks to high opacity and 90 g/m², opaque markers or brush pens can be used without the reverse becoming unusable. With very wet brush pens like water-based ink markers, blotting paper underneath helps.
• Sketches and hand lettering: The unruled, cream-white surface is ideal for sketches, layouts or lettering designs. The format – narrower than A5 – works well for vertical lettering and double-page widths in landscape orientation.
• On the go: The semi-rigid cover keeps the book form-stable in a bag but remains flexible enough to fit into narrow inner pockets.

For Bookbinding Enthusiasts

The text block is sewn through the fold using thread signatures – a classical technique in which multiple nested sheets (signatures) are joined with thread through the spine before the cover is attached. This method allows completely flat opening without the glue strain at the spine that restricts opening in adhesive bindings. The natural linen cover is laminated to board whose thickness creates the characteristic middle position between flexible softcover and rigid hardcover. The copper-coloured edge is not a foil print but applied by hand with paint – making each copy a small unique piece in colour distribution and intensity.

Technical Specifications