The innovative disc-binding system used in Atoma’s notebooks gives you the best features of wire-bound books and ring binders in a single convenient notebook.
Sheets can be easily removed and added, just like a ring binder
Folds back on itself to save desk space, like a wire-bound pad
Wide-edged discs hold the pages together
Mix types of paper in a single book
Add smaller sheets to larger books
Use the punch to add your own paper or printed sheets
Atoma are so renowned in their native Belgium that the name is often used as a general term for notebooks of this type - an atoma, in the same way we refer to any vacuum cleaner as ‘a hoover’. But why settle for a copy when you can have the quality of the original Atoma system?
Adding and Removing Pages
To add pages, just lay one or more pages along the book, and push down on either side of each disc - the paper should slip neatly into place. Try with one or two sheets first - you can add quite a few at once when you’ve got the hang of it.
To remove pages, just peel a few pages at a time from the top, pulling directly away from the remaining pages. Try with just one or two sheets at first - they should pull away fairly easily.
Pages can be removed and inserted quite a few times with Atoma’s own paper. Paper you’ve punched yourself is likely to be less resilient, and won’t last as long.
Uses for Atoma Notebooks
With a system this flexible, you can really use it however you like - we’re all different, so we don’t all need the same notebook.
You can make perfectly good A4 or A5 notebooks, with just one single type of paper, with the added advantage that you can remove used sheets to file away or recycle, and add more pages whenever you need to. Make the book as thick or thin as you need, and don’t carry 50 used pages of notes if you don’t need them.
Mix paper types - maybe you sometimes like to sketch or doodle, but you always need to take notes. If so, keep some blank pages at the back of a lined notebook. If you want a small sketchbook, but also want your shopping list in there, add some lined sheets at the back of a plain notebook.
You can even mix sizes. Have an A4 notebook for meetings, but keep a few A6 sheets on the front for quick corridor notes, or scribbling down something to peel off for someone else.
Other Disc-Binding Systems
Once the patent on Atoma’s disc system expired, many other companies started making copies. In the US, Levenger’s Circa system is popular, and here in the UK, the Staples Arc system is better known. Atoma is the original, and is probably the best quality of its type, with over 65 years of experience at making a system that works well. Real Atoma paper is made with longer fibres, at 90gsm, so it’s stronger. Why buy copies when you can have the quality of the real Atoma system?
History
Georges Mottart had led “Papeteries Mottart”, a paper wholesaler, since the 1920s. André Thomas and Andre Martin developed the disc binding system there in 1948, and their surnames gave it a name - ThOmas and MArtin, giving us Atoma. The success of the system led the company to refocus purely on making Atoma notebooks.
80% of their production is still carried out in Belgium, to maintain the quality of their products.
Michael Jecks
Author Michael Jecks, known as the master of the medieval murder mystery, loves using these notebooks, and loves the flexibility of the system. See more about how he uses them here:
Atoma was founded in 1948 in Belgium, and you can find them in Dilbeek, just outside of Brussels. They are a bit of a Belgian institution and are a certified supplier of the Belgian Royal Court.
What makes Atoma different?
Atoma creates notebooks with a ‘system’. They are disc-bound, which means they open flat and won’t close on you if you take your hand away. It also means you can add, remove, or re-order the pages in your notebook, or add a mix of different types of paper - lined, squared, dot-grid and plain. Remove used pages that you’re done with, add more paper as you need it, so one notebook can live forever. Their A4 notebook also uses 11 rings, whereas a normal notebook uses 12. We can’t figure out the significance of that but they talk about it a bit, so we thought we would share.
Recommended Atoma products
We particularly enjoy the Atoma Tutti Frutti range of notebooks. They contain 74 sheets of high-quality 90gsm paper, that can easily be supplemented with refills. However, it’s the colourful cover and rings that are the main feature of this range. There are lots of options for the covers, all made of recyclable polypropylene.
If you already have an Atoma, then you should have a look at the refills or accessories to see if you can find something to help you get more use out of your notebooks.
