Lucchetti True Flat Sketchbook Review: A Lay-Flat Sketchbook Built for Wet Media

Introduction

The Lucchetti True Flat Sketchbook has been circulating heavily in artist communities, and for good reason: it is claimed to be the thickest, flattest sketchbook you can buy, and it sells out in waves so frequently that buyers often have to join a wait list just to get on the pre-order list. It also carries a $49 price tag, which sounds steep for a sketchbook until you compare it with premium watercolor paper.

We put it to work with heavy wet media to see whether it lives up to the hype.

What Makes It Different

The unit tested here is the cold press 8 by 8 inch version with 44 pages of 600 GSM acid-free paper, and the signature claim is that every spread lays perfectly flat with no gutter. That means a single piece of artwork can run across both pages as one seamless composition, something conventional sketchbooks can never really achieve because of the dip in the middle.

The paper is genuinely remarkable to hold. Each page is thick enough that it feels closer to the backing board of a regular sketchbook. This is the first lay-flat sketchbook that is also this thick, and it is a combination that does not really exist elsewhere.

The Wet Media Test

Lucchetti promotes this book as handling heavy watercolor, gouache, acrylic, ink, and pencil. To stress-test it, the paper was loaded with acrylics applied as heavily as watercolor, which is about the harshest treatment paper can receive.

The results were impressive. With lots of water involved, some lifting at the tape edges and a slight bend in the paper were expected and did occur, but there was no warping, no bubbling, and none of the peeling or disintegration you sometimes get when paper falls apart under a wet brush. Once dried, the page stayed flat enough to paint comfortably on the reverse side.

How It Compares to Regular Watercolor Paper

Typical watercolor paper sits around 140 lbs, or 300 GSM. The Lucchetti paper is essentially double that thickness, and it shows in practice.

The comparison point is Arches, widely regarded as one of the best watercolor papers available. Arches pads run roughly $20 on sale for 12 pages. The Lucchetti sketchbook costs $49 but offers a leather binding, small-batch production, and effectively 22 sheets, meaning 44 separate surfaces if you paint on both sides, which the paper’s thickness easily allows.

Things to Consider Before Buying

There are a few caveats worth knowing. The paper dries out a brush quickly, so paint needs constant reapplying, and it is not the easiest surface to paint on for that reason. Availability is the bigger issue: the book was still on pre-order at the time of testing, with restock dates announced in waves and regular sell-outs, so patience is required.

Shipping has also been genuinely unlucky for this small company, with shipments delayed in customs and even containers lost overboard during a severe storm en route to port. The company communicated order updates clearly throughout, which speaks well of how they run the business.

Is It Worth the Price?

At $49, this is unquestionably a premium sketchbook, but anyone who has priced Arches watercolor paper will not be shocked. For the quality, the binding, the page count, and the true flat spread, the price feels fair.

Conclusion

This is one of the most impressive art products released in recent memory. It works exactly as promoted: spreads lie flat with barely a visible fold, pages refuse to warp under heavy wet media, and the paper quality is exceptional. It earns a solid 10 out of 10, and it is one of the rare review products that will keep seeing real use long after testing is done.