Let’s start this article with an admission: I have a notebook problem. The result is this, there are several stacks of notebooks on my desk, some gracing my bookshelves, and some in a storage container under my bed. A few more are in a fancy shoebox and my sisters and friends are often recipients of notebook care packages to share the love or make room for new ones, depending on who you ask.
I used to give myself a hard time about this. How many notebooks does one need? Why can’t I be like the people who buy one notebook, fill it up, and then get a second? Why can’t I be like my partner who keeps everything he writes, be it lists, notes, ink swatches, what have you, in one notebook?
But then I realized that I find great joy in writing in many different sized notebooks. I love the hunt of finding new ones I “have to have” and I get immense pleasure from filling lots of pages. I don’t want to run out of paper, not in this lifetime (or in the next hundred years!) which given the state of the stacks right now, is insured.
Seeing that this “problem” has been going on for about four decades at this point, I was thrilled when Galen asked me to write a short article about how notebooks are sized and what they can all be used for.
But first, a tiny bit of history.
Notebooks have been around for nearly 2000 years and while they have been used by artists and writers all over the world since then, it’s the 19th century that gave birth to the modern notebook that appealed to and was priced for the masses.
The first pocket notebook we know of was filled with diligent notes kept by Lewis and Clark as they explored and traveled west. The 1860’s introduced Europe and then the world to the composition notebook, whose marble pattern was inspired by early Chinese and Japanese printing techniques. In 1888 left over scraps were made into the first legal pad for a judge with a love for yellow paper.
In the 1920’s sizing was created and introduced in Germany. By the 1970’s this “A” sizing was widely used and considered standardized sizing around the world. While not considered a world standard, “B” sizing followed to describe sizes in between the “A” sizes and is used in most countries globally.
Note: As they are one of the largest producers of stationery and notebooks in the world, it should be noted that Japan’s “B” sizing does not coincide with standard “B” sizing.
Additionally, sizes have been introduced by manufacturers through product offerings that have gone on to become part of others’ lines. Most notably, Traveler’s Company Standard or Regular size is now often found in other manufacturer’s lineups and is nearly always sized at 110 x 210mm (4.33 x 8.25 inches).
Galen has taken some of the most popular standardized sizes and added them to their Tomoe River Notebooks lineup.
With beautiful cardstock covers in bright colors and a vintage design, these books can be carried as they are or combined with a coordinated leather cover.
I’ll take just a moment to say that I absolutely love carrying and using these notebooks. These are always at my fingertips and the variety of sizes makes it easy to incorporate into any organizational system and daily use.
The smallest of the Everyday Books is the Card Notebook.
At 55 x 90 mms (2.16 x 3.54 inches) this is a perfect (albeit tiny,) top-bound notebook to keep in your pocket, pen case or bag, for quick lists, to jot a simple note, to note anything you might be tracking (I personally use this notebook to log the heartrate of my 3lb. long-haired Chihuahua!)
Its compact size makes it easy to transport and it is quite convenient to take notes that can then be transferred to larger books kept at home.
The passport size notebook is called a passport because it is the size of a standard - go figure - passport! It's 90 x 125 mms (3.54 x 4.92 inches) and is another great on-the-go notebook. Many people use this as a travel journal, daily diary or agenda. It is also a wonderful size for keeping a record of memorable quotes.
The Pocket Notebook is the size of a 3 x 5 flash card. At 90 x 140 mms (3.5 x 5.5 inches) this size was popularized by the Field Notes Brand and is a most popular size. While it can be used similarly to the Passport, it offers just enough extra space that it is useful as a daily to do list, grocery list or a place to make quick sketches and ideate. This also makes a nice book to keep in your pen case for swatching inks. They fit nicely in our leather pocket notebook covers.
The standard everyday book is 110 x 210 mms (4.33 x 8.26 inches) and can be useful for both horizontal and vertical layouts. The size was popularized by the Traveler’s Company TN (Traveler’s Notebook,) and has been carried all over the globe to document travel. It’s unique size lends well to scrapbooking photos and ephemera, planning and journaling.
The B6 notebook size is 128 x 182 mms (5.03 x 7.16 inches). This is the notebook size that I used to take notes for this article. It is my Everyday everyday carry. A former Hobonichi user, I’ve found that this notebook takes its place and simplifies what I need to take with me. I use it to keep appointments, to take notes for work and bullet journaling. It is just big enough for what I need and just small enough to be practical. It’s like my perfect Goldilocks and the Three Bears notebook: just the right size. View all B6 notebooks.
For those who want a slightly taller and slimmer notebook than the A6, this notebook is an elegant alternative. Popular applications are the smaller version of the Jibun Techo planner and the Midori MD notebooks.
A5 notebooks are offered by Galen in many formats: the A5 Tomoe River Notebook, an A5 leather notebook, a 400-page version, a top bound pad and the slim stitch-bound version. All of these formats can be utilized similarly to the B6 and at 145 x 210 mms (5.70 x 8.26 inches) are also great for carrying into a meeting or as a school or work notebook. The leather version is truly something special. It makes a wonderful journal or a research book. I’m using mine to keep notes on some artists’ materials I’ve been making, and it feels so luxurious and formal in the best way. View all A5 notebooks.
Made to slip easily into bags and portfolios, this size notebook is most commonly found in the form of the Jibun Techo planners and notebooks. It’s everything you love about the middle of the road perfection of an A5 with just a slightly more graceful profile.
Surprisingly, the notebook I have most enjoyed using is the largest of the bunch, the B5 notebook. Sometimes referred to as the Composition or Extra-Large notebook, this book is 190 x250 mms (7.48 x 9.84 inches) of blank space for plotting and planning. It makes an epic illustrated journal or scrapbook but is equally practical for course work. It allows for super large spreads and its size makes it quite beautiful to look at once it is filled. View all B5 notebooks.
Tip: Difference Between ISO B5 and Japanese B5 Size Notebooks.
Japanese B5 (called JIS B5 ) sizes are marginally larger than ISO B5 sizes. Consequently, Japanese brand B5 notebooks are slightly bigger than those from non-Japanese brands. Galen Everyday Book, Moleskine, LT1917, and compositions notebooks adhere to ISO B5 size standards.
Also some Japanese brands use a paper size that’s sometimes called Semi B5. At 7 x 9.9 inches, it’s similar to ISO B5.
A5 notebooks are offered by Galen in many formats: the A5 Tomoe River Notebook, an A5 leather notebook, a 400-page version, a top bound pad and the slim stitch-bound version. All of these formats can be utilized similarly to the B6 and at 145 x 210 mms (5.70 x 8.26 inches) are also great for carrying into a meeting or as a school or work notebook. The leather version is truly something special. It makes a wonderful journal or a research book. I’m using mine to keep notes on some artists’ materials I’ve been making, and it feels so luxurious and formal in the best way. View all A5 notebooks.
Not to be confused with A4 sized notebooks’ paper, legal paper is only slightly wider but it is two plus inches taller and is generally found in office supply stores in top bound and top ring bound pads.
There is a perfect size notebook for your every need. It is just a matter of trial and error (which can be half the fun if you love notebooks like I do) to find the one(s) for you.
I would love to hear how you choose to use different sizes. Leave us comments below to share how you fill your notebooks with the Galen community.
62 x 88 mm
2.4 × 3.5 inches B7 (Passport) 88 x 125 mm3.5 x 4.9
inches B6 Slim110 x 176 mm
4.3 x 6.9
inches
B6125 x 176 mm
4.9 x 6.9
inches
B5 (ISO)190 x 250 mm
7,48 x 9,84 inches
B5 (JIS) 182 x 257 mm 7,20 x 10.1 inches B5 Semi 177 x 250 mm 7,00 x 9,80 inches A852 x 74 mm
2.0 x 2.90 inches A7 74 x 105 mm 2.90 x 4.10 inches Pocket90 x 140 mm
3,54 x 5,51 inches A6105 × 148 mm
4.13 × 5.83 inches Regular110 x 210 mm
4,33 x 8,26 inches A5 Slim125 x 210 mm
4.90 x 8.26 inches
A5148 x 210 mm
5.83 x 8.26 inches A4210 x 297 mm
8.3 x 11.7 inches
Letter /Legal216 x 279 mm
8.5 x 11.0 inches
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Before jumping into the world of journaling and keeping a journal every writer is faced with an important task — choosing the exact right journal/notebook for their needs! This may depend on personal preference or it might depend on what the journal is going to be used for. In either situation, here are 5 factors to consider before making that important purchase:
The size of the journal you choose depends on your needs. You may want a mini or slim journal because it’s more portable (for carrying around in your back-pocket or purse), or you might want larger Ultra- or Grande-size journals for writing large and long pages of text.
Sizes (and their approximate dimensions) include, from smallest to largest:
Click on the chart on the right for size comparisons.
You may have to try journaling on a few different size books before you figure out exactly which size is the best fit for you!
Your choice in binding depends on how well-built you want or need the book to be. Do you need a finely-constructed book that can weather any storm or is your book generally always going to be in a safe place (like next to your bed)? If you’re carrying your book everywhere or the thought of pages falling out of your notebook horrifies you, you may want to bypass that cheap generic-brand notebook and spend a little extra on a finely-bound one.
Also important: Do you want the book to lay completely flat when open or are you fine with having to hold it open when you write in it? (See the below picture for an example of a book that doesn’t have lay-flat binding.) Finally, think about what kind of spine you would prefer. A hardcover or stitched/sewn style looks nicer (on the go and in a personal library) than, say, a coil-bound book! (Not to mention that a coil-bound book is not always pleasant to write in if you’re a lefty, with the edge of your hand constantly rubbing up against the rings!)
Even the cover design of a book may be important. Some people may want a simple and subtle design (think Paperblanks’ Old Leather or Pocket Companions collections), while others may draw inspiration from something more colorful or lively (ex. Laurel Burch Collections), ornate or elegant (think: Baroque Ventaglio Collection), or personal: We’ve found some people are simply inspired by owning a book from the Embellished Manuscripts Collection because the covers depict the notes and sketches of one of their favourite artists (Think a fan of Edgar Allan Poe drawing inspiration from the famous writer by writing every day in the Poe, Tamerlane journal.)
Which is all to say that – the right cover design can inspire the writer!
You may be fine with any kind of paper or you may specifically like something higher-grade. Higher-grade paper will have a smooth finish, a high opacity (the extent to which printing on one side of the paper will be visible on the reverse side) and minimal to no feathering. Feathering occurs when the ink spreads out on the page (go here for an example.)
Another consideration: your choice of writing instrument should go hand in hand with your choice in paper quality. You don’t, for example, want to use a really nice fountain pen on low-grade paper!
The final factor to consider is what kind of closure you like for your writing journal. There are 3 types of closures you can typically find on a journal:
Obviously some clasps look nicer than others (call us crazy, but we think metal clasps – depicted on the right – look elegant and beautiful on a journal!) but generally all closures will serve the same purpose – keeping your book closed and secure and keeping any extras securely locked away inside the book!
However, if you do typically keep a lot of loose items (photos, loose papers, stickies) in your journal you may want to be careful about your choice of closure. Journals with metal and magnetic clasps and wraps can usually fit some extras, but if too much is added then the magnets may not align as well and the closure will not be as strong. In this case, an elastic band closure may be best. But generally most closures can withstand a book fitting a lot of extras!
If we’ve missed anything important feel free to tell us in the comments section below!
About Paperblanks: We have been producing superb writing journals for nearly twenty years. We are book people, and we believe that the written word matters and that our blank books have a critical role to play in the art and continued practice of writing itself. For more about Paperblanks, go to our website at paperblanks.com.
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