I’m sure we’ve all seen that iconic aqua discbound notebook by Martha Stewart for many years. Exclusive to Staples, I tried searching for it when I was in the USA back in 2022 but couldn’t find it. This time I still couldn’t find the aqua cover but I did find a navy version so it’s time to finally try out the notebook for myself! I also purchased the inserts and was very tempted by the bullet journal kit.

I had trouble finding the Martha Stewart range, it was in a separate section to the rest of the stationery and some Staples stores didn’t have it at all. I found the notebook at the Staples in South Burlington, Vermont.

See my itinerary from latest USA trip in this post: USA Itinerary: Dallas, Chicago, Boston, New England, Pennsylvania and Washington DC (3 weeks)

This is not a sponsored post. I purchased the notebook myself and all opinions are my own.

Martha Stewart Discbound Notebook

The notebook comes in 2 sizes:

6.375″ wide x 9″ high which fits US letter size paper (5.5″ wide x 8:5″ high)
9.25×11.25″ which fits US letter size paper (8.5″ wide x 11″ high)

The same cover designs are available in each page size.

Linen cover
Cover colors available: navy (the one I purchased), grey, gold, baby pink
- There were also poly covers (flexible material, not as sturdy as the linen cover) available in floral designs
Disc binding
Plastic discs
Half US letter and US letter page sizes available
60 Double sided lined pages inside (bright white paper)
Built in pen loop
Built in business card and pocket
Plastic double sided pocket folder
Weighs 400 grams

Price:

Half US letter – $32.19 USD
US letter – $35.29 USD

In store, the gold cover was a few dollars more but online the gold cover appears to be few dollar less.

The notebook is sold exclusively at Staples.

The notebook is about 1.5cm / 0.59″ thick.

There’s some space left on the discs – you could probably add another 10 or so pages before upgrading to a larger dics (expander discs are sold separately).

The plastic discs are 2.2cm / 0.86″ diameter discs which is unusual sizing as most brands offer 0.75″, 1.5″ etc.

As the discs are plastic, make sure you thoroughly check the condition of the notebook before purchasing as I saw many with dirty covers and scuffed discs (showing the original black color underneath where the gold had chipped off).

The notebook comes with a built in business card holder and pen loop, as well as a removable / repositionable double sided clear pocket.

Inside there are 60 double sided lined pages.

The line spacing is approx. 7mm (0.275″) and the paper is bright white.

Some discbound notebooks can be difficult to move the pages around but I had no problems turning multiple pages at once with one hand. As with all discbound notebooks, the notebook lays perfectly flat and can be folded back on itself to view only one page at a time.

Pen Testing

I tried the usual ballpoint, gel, fine tip and marker tip pens. Disappointingly there was a lot of indenting and show through on the back side of the page. Stamps and dot markers bled through and the highlighters came close to doing so as well.

The paper feels smooth and was easy to write on, but the Frixion erasable pens didn’t erase as cleanly as I was expecting.

Pros of the Notebook

Portable size (and a larger size if you prefer it)
Multiple cover colors to choose from
Expander discs available if you need them
Bright white paper
Built in business card holder
Comes with a pocket folder and pen loop

Cons of the Notebook

The linen cover isn’t as easy to keep clean as a poly, laminated or hardcover notebook
Gold had chipped off the discs of other notebooks in the shop, so I’m not sure how long the gold coating will last

Would I use this notebook?

Yes, I’m yet to find a discbound notebook I haven’t liked and this one stands out for it’s linen cover.

If you already have a discbound notebook I wouldn’t rush out to buy this one. You’re paying more for the Martha Stewart name and gold coated discs. Discbound notebooks with poly covers are cheaper, as well as the original Arc notebook. And I do wish the paper quality was better.

Disc compatibility

Here is some ARC and Levenger Circa paper in the notebook so you can see it’s compatible.

So while there isn’t a Martha Stewart discbound punch, if you don’t like the refills you can add your own printables by using the ARC or Levenger punches.

Accessories

There were various accessories available in both half US letter and US letter size versions including:

Divider tabs
1.25″ Discs
Undated refill pages
Notes pages

I purchased the undated refill pages which also came with gold stickers

Martha Stewart Inserts

If you don’t want to purchase a printable or make your own inserts, Martha Stewart has some that perfectly fit the discbound notebook. The inserts pack comes with 2 page monthly calendars (notes pages on the back), and a 2 page weekly spread.