Paper Guardian | The Perpetually Refillable Eco Notebook
Created by Piorama
Paper Guardian is a notebook designed to reusepaper, save trees, and help take care of our environment.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Production Update
almost 4 years ago
– Tue, Aug 30, 2022 at 09:52:28 PM
Hi There,
We received the Paper Guardian Notebook pre-production sample 10 days ago for final inspection and production approval. The rivet problem mentioned in the last update has been solved, the fit is good, and the bottom metal bar is now very straight. However, we conducted additional testing and ran into some other issues.
Corrosion Test Issues
Although we were pretty much set to sign off on production, we decided to conduct an additional corrosion test just in case. Since our background is in travel accessories, and these types of tests are normal in bags, they are always considered by the manufacturer. However, since the manufacturer for Paper Guardian is a new partner for us, and they did not conduct this test, we decided to conduct it from our end and found out that the C brackets on the lid ran into problems. Paint started falling off and the exposed metal started to show rust. These salt water corrosion tests help emulate an extended (2-5 years depending where you live) exposure to coastal climates where there is more salt and humidity in the air. Since we want Paper Guardian to last as long as possible, this is something we need to fix.
Also, just to give you guys a bit of the backstory to this bracket - although it should have been a simple piece to produce, due to the low quantities, many factories we initially contacted rejected our order or have produced sub-standard parts (even worse that what we currently have and were also previously rejected by us). Minimums for parts like these are usually in the 100K range but we are asking for 10K pieces, which is still more than what we need. With this quantity, and despite offering to pay additional charges to compensate, support from suppliers has been limited. We're not mentioning this as an excuse, since this project is already late, but just to help share some insight on how challenging producing a new product can be!
However, we have spoken to our current supplier, they understand the importance of this piece, and are currently working on finishing this properly - with 3 layers of electroplating - so that Paper Guardian can last a long time.
Pre-Production Sample Images
Also, we wanted to share some additional higher res pictures of our Paper Guardian current pre-production sample. Just FYI, there are other components here that are not final as well and will be corrected in production. However, these won't add to the production timeline as these parts are easier to produce.
New Shipping Date: Sept 25-30.
If we run into any further issues along the way we will let you know. Otherwise, the new shipping date is Sept 25-30.
Thank you again for your support and please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.
Kind Regards,
Paper Guardian Team
Production Update
almost 4 years ago
– Thu, Aug 18, 2022 at 09:23:14 PM
Hi Guys,
Hope everybody is well. According to our last update - shipping should have already started so we appologize that we are not there quite yet.
Our factory is facing yet another delay from a detail that is seemingly minor and insignificant. They have been waiting to receive a new rivet (which they mispelled as revit) to secure the bottom metal bar. Something is off in the ones that they ordered and they don't quite match the area where they sit. This is causing tension and bending of the metal bar. With this final rivet placed they could send us the T1 sample for inspection and approval. The T1 sample is a sample produced with the plastic molds and this one would include all the components such as the coil spring, magnets, bottom metal edge, metal brackets on the lid - as well as this rivet.
The "Revit" Problem
We're attaching pictures they sent of this T1 sample. Please note that the texture and surface finish on the plastic is not final and this is the last thing that will be added to the molds prior to production. Also, we're sorry for the bad quality pictures (sent to us by the factory) as well as finger prints on the products. We repeat, the final texture and material will be different.
T1 Sample
Once this new rivet is received we could move forward with approving the sample, adding the texture, as well as moving into production. The good thing is that all the components are already ordered and in stock.
Please give us a few more days to confirm a new production schedule and we appreciate your patience once again.
Kind Regards,
Paper Guardian Team
Production Update
almost 4 years ago
– Sat, Jul 09, 2022 at 01:50:46 PM
Dear Backers,
We're happy to announce that we finally have a new delivery date confirmation for Paper Guardian.
New production finishing date: August 10, 2022
Please note that once production is finished we'll need about 5-10 days to pack things up and ship things out to our fulfillment center to start fulfillment.
We want to appologize for not sending out an update sooner and we did see all your requests for updates. We had to work through some last issues and wanted to make sure this new date was realistic for us.
If there are any questions or comments feel free to let us know.
Thank you again for your support!
Paper Guardian Team
Production Update
almost 4 years ago
– Sat, Jun 11, 2022 at 01:45:29 AM
Dear Backers,
We hope everybody has been doing good these past couple of months. No matter where you may be it seems that the world is going through some unique and challenging times right now. However, it’s always important to look to the future and never forget to take care of our environment and home - which is what Paper Guardian is all about.
We’d like to start off by sharing a render of Paper Guardian’s final version including all the branding and graphics. We’re not sure if this was sent earlier but this is pretty much what the final production version will look like.
Production Update
Production has been moving along and the good thing is that our factory is providing us with a lot of engineering support to get everything right. However, we are currently facing a new setback. Our current design is running into warping issues. After speaking with our factory, this seems to be one of the more common issues when working with injection molded parts but there are many ways this can be remedied.
One of the suggestions is to make the entire product 1.5-2x thicker but that would just not work as it would just be too heavy and the product would also have to be way bigger. We are currently discussing and testing additional options which will either not have any impact, or have the least impact on the product's aesthetics.
We will provide a new update next week to see how this will affect our delivery date and we are looking forward to delivering Paper Guardian to you soon.
Once again, thank you very much for your patience and support.
Paper Guardian Production Update
about 4 years ago
– Thu, Apr 28, 2022 at 03:27:54 PM
Hey there,
It’s been a while since our last update and we’d like to let you know where things are at with Paper Guardian. As some of you may have heard, China is currently experiencing Covid lockdowns. The lockdown rules vary from city to city and in the strictest cases everyone has been asked to stay home - preventing factories and businesses from operating. This is something that is greatly affecting our production.
These lockdowns started in March, we were hoping they’d be lifted by now, and there hasn't been a clear indication on when they will end. We’ve been in constant communication with our factory and they are estimating a 6-8 weeks delay with the production of Paper Guardian (hopefully no longer than this). This means that we have to postpone our shipping date to July.
We’re extremely sorry about this news and know that you are all looking forward to receiving your Paper Guardian. So we'd like to thank you very much for your understanding and patience.
