Launched on Kickstarter in December 2016.

DotsPlus was inspired by my own dissatisfaction with conventional dot grid notebooks. I like the grid concept, but dots alone make me cross eyed. So, instead of dots, I created a 1/4-inch grid of crosshairs—or plus signs. I found this pattern mush less visually obtrusive than traditional graph paper, while making it much easier for me to write in straight lines and freehand draw tables, charts and graphs.

I then added back the dot grid, and offset the dots so they're positioned at the center of the squares defined by the crosshairs. This helps me center letters, numbers and symbols inside the squares, and makes it easy to add finer details on my tables, charts and graphs.

The 1/4-inch spacing is intentional — it's the traditional "narrow ruled" format for lined paper here in the USA. For me, it economizes on space without being too tight for everyday note taking.

I tried several different colors for the pattern—including traditional "graph paper" blue and "engineering grid" green—and concluded light gray is the most unobtrusive.

The resulting "super grid" of dots and crosshairs is easy on the eyes and remarkably useful for keeping my notes and charts neat and tidy. DotsPlus is great for writing, sketching, designing and doodling—and I think you'll find it especially useful for bullet journaling and do-it-yourself planner layouts.

Our DotsPlus Notebook measures 3.5" by 5.5" — "Field Notes size" — the most common size among popular pocket notebook brands. The notebook is comprised of 52 pages of our luxurious FPF60 paper—60 lb (89 gsm), bright white, opaque, super smooth and fountain-pen-friendly. The cover is heavy-duty 100 lb jet black cover stock. The notebook is securely bound with three black staples and finished with rounded corners.

The notebook starts with a Contents/Index page, and ends with an Endnotes page. All of the 50 pages are sequentially numbered. I include title and date blocks at the top of each page, and our page referencing arrows at the bottom of each page for long lists that continue on multiple and non-sequential pages.

A special sticker sheet is included, with a title block sticker for the outside front cover, a nameplate sticker for the inside front cover to identify the book as yours in case you misplace it, plus color-coded stickers to differentiate multiple notebooks at a glance.