Notebooks & Journals
Notebook Sizes, and Why Two A5 Books Are Not the Same
A5 is a standard. Large, Medium and Pocket are brand names. Three of the books on this site are called A5 and none of them measure the same.
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The published dimensions
Here is what the three mainstream hardcovers on this site actually measure, as their makers state it. Note that all three are commonly described as A5-ish and no two are identical.
| Notebook | Stated size | Width difference from true A5 |
|---|---|---|
| LEUCHTTURM1917 A5 | 145 x 210 mm, about 5.75" x 8.25" | Effectively A5 |
| Rhodia Webnotebook A5 | 5.5" x 8.25" | About a quarter inch narrower |
| Moleskine Classic Large | 5" x 8.25" | About three quarters of an inch narrower |
Three quarters of an inch does not sound like much and it is more than enough that a snug leather cover made for one will not properly hold the other.
Quick picks
Ranked for the person doing the buying. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook 80 gsm paper, 251 numbered pages and a printed contents page, which is why this is the default recommendation in every journaling forum. | The bullet-journal standard | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 2 | No image Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover The notebook everyone knows by sight, on 70 gsm paper that is lighter than its main rival and honest about it. | The recognizable one | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 3 | No image Rhodia Webnotebook A5, Dot 90 gsm Clairefontaine ivory vellum, which is the heaviest mainstream notebook paper in this comparison by a clear margin. | A fountain-pen user, without qualification | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
1. The bullet-journal standard
LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook
80 gsm paper, 251 numbered pages and a printed contents page, which is why this is the default recommendation in every journaling forum.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
Numbered pages plus a printed contents page is the whole reason bullet journaling settled on this book. An index needs page numbers, and printing them saves the user writing 251 of them.
80 gsm against the Moleskine Classic's published 70 gsm is a 14 percent difference in paper weight, and it is the difference most people notice as ghosting on the reverse of a page.
Two ribbons is not decoration in a journal that has an index. One marks the index, one marks today.
| Paper weight | 80 gsmSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
|---|---|
| Pages | 251 numbered pages, with 8 perforated detachable sheetsSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Size | A5, approximately 5.75" x 8.25" (145 x 210 mm)Source: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Fittings | Blank table of contents, two page markers, gusseted rear pocket, elastic band, archival stickersSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Binding | Thread bound, opens flatSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
What it does well
- 251 pre-numbered pages and a blank contents page, ready for an index.
- 80 gsm published, the heaviest of the three mainstream hardcovers here.
- Thread bound, so it lies flat from the first page.
What it does not
- Still not fountain-pen-proof; 80 gsm reduces show-through, it does not eliminate it.
- The dot grid is fainter than some users want for straight-line work.
Skip this: if the recipient has never mentioned journaling. A 251-page dotted notebook handed to a non-journaler is 251 blank pages of obligation. See how to pick a journal as a gift.
2. The recognizable one
Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover
The notebook everyone knows by sight, on 70 gsm paper that is lighter than its main rival and honest about it.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
70 gsm versus 80 is the entire technical argument between this and the Leuchtturm1917, and it is a real one: lighter paper shows more of what is on the reverse. Whether that matters depends entirely on what the recipient writes with.
What Moleskine has that its rival does not is recognition. For a gift that is worth something concrete - the recipient knows what it is before they open the card.
No page numbers and no contents page. For freeform notes that is irrelevant; for an indexed journal it is 240 numbers to write by hand.
| Paper weight | 70 gsmMoleskine publishes this, and it is 10 gsm under the Leuchtturm1917.Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
|---|---|
| Pages | 240Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Size | Large, 5" x 8.25"Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Paper stock | FSC certified, acid free (pH neutral)Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Page numbers | Not publishedPages are not numbered and there is no printed contents page. A bullet journal user will number them by hand. |
What it does well
- Universally recognized, which does real work in a gift.
- FSC certified, acid-free paper with a published weight.
- Slightly thinner block than the Leuchtturm for the same page count, so it carries better.
What it does not
- 70 gsm ghosts more than 80 gsm with gel and fountain pens.
- No pre-numbered pages or contents page.
Skip this: if you know they use a fountain pen. Buy the Rhodia at 90 gsm instead and spend the difference on ink. See Leuchtturm1917 versus Moleskine.
3. A fountain-pen user, without qualification
Rhodia Webnotebook A5, Dot
90 gsm Clairefontaine ivory vellum, which is the heaviest mainstream notebook paper in this comparison by a clear margin.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
90 gsm is the number to buy this for. Against 70 gsm Moleskine paper that is roughly 29 percent more paper between one page and the next, and that is where fountain-pen show-through stops being a problem.
The trade is page count. 160 pages against 251 for the Leuchtturm1917 at a similar size - heavier paper in a book of the same thickness means fewer sheets. That is physics, not a cost saving.
Ivory rather than white is a real preference axis. It is easier on the eye under a desk lamp and it flattens the contrast of a photograph, which matters if anyone is posting pages.
| Paper weight | 90 gsm Clairefontaine brushed ivory vellum10 gsm above the Leuchtturm1917 and 20 above the Moleskine Classic.Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia A5 Webnotebook, Dot, Black |
|---|---|
| Pages | 160 (80 sheets)Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook, A5 |
| Size | A5, approximately 5.5" x 8.25"Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook - A5 |
| Fittings | Leatherette cover, inner pocket, ribbon page marker, elastic closureSource: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook, A5 |
| Page numbers | Not publishedNot numbered. Rhodia does not target the indexed-journal use case. |
What it does well
- 90 gsm Clairefontaine paper, the heaviest here, and the safe choice for fountain-pen ink.
- Ivory stock is comfortable under artificial light.
- Soft leatherette cover, pocket, ribbon and elastic as standard.
What it does not
- 160 pages, roughly two thirds of the Leuchtturm1917's count.
- No page numbers or contents page.
- Less recognizable as a brand than the other two, which matters in a gift.
Skip this: if the recipient keeps an indexed bullet journal. No page numbers means hand-numbering, and at 160 pages they will run out sooner than they expect.
Why this matters more than it should
Two situations, and both come up constantly when buying gifts.
- Buying a refill for a cover somebody owns. A refillable leather cover is sized for a specific insert. Good covers say which - our top journal set names Leuchtturm1917, Moleskine and Panda Planner - and that list exists precisely because the sizes differ.
- Buying a cover for a notebook somebody owns. Same problem in reverse. Check the notebook first, then buy the cover that names it.
Journal gift sets goes into the refill question in detail, because it is the specification that decides whether a leather cover is a lifetime object.
Choosing a size by where it lives
| Size | Roughly | Suits | Does not suit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5" x 5.5" | Carrying constantly, capture notes | Anything sustained. The writing area is genuinely small. | |
| A5 / Large | About 5" to 5.75" x 8.25" | Almost everything. The default for a reason. | Nothing much |
| B5 | About 7" x 9.8" | Study notes, anything with diagrams alongside text | Carrying in a small bag |
| Letter / A4 | 8.5" x 11" | Desk use, planning, anything with tables | Travel. It gets bent corners. |
A5 is the compromise size and it is the compromise nearly everybody lands on. Big enough to write a paragraph without turning the page, small enough to carry every day.
The measurement that decides it
Not the notebook - the bag. A book half an inch too tall for a laptop sleeve is a book that gets left on a desk, and a notebook that is not carried is not used.
If you are buying for somebody who carries one daily, the size they already use is the size to buy. If you are buying for somebody who does not yet, A5 is the safe answer. The equivalent arithmetic for planners is on planner sizes explained.
Questions people actually ask
What size is A5?
148 x 210 mm as an ISO standard. LEUCHTTURM1917 publishes 145 x 210 mm for its A5 notebooks, which is effectively the same book.
Is Moleskine Large the same as A5?
No. Moleskine Large is 5" x 8.25" against about 5.75" for a true A5 - three quarters of an inch narrower, which is enough that covers do not swap.
What notebook size should I buy?
A5 or Large, unless you know otherwise. It is big enough for a paragraph without turning the page and small enough to carry daily.
Do leather covers fit any notebook?
Only the inserts they name. Good covers list them explicitly - Leuchtturm1917, Moleskine and Panda Planner are the common three - because the sizes genuinely differ.
Is a pocket notebook worth it?
For capture notes carried constantly, yes. For anything sustained the writing area is genuinely small, and most pocket-notebook owners also keep a larger one.