Trying Out B5 Notebooks

[ninagobragh]

I’ve been pretty loyal to A5-sized notebooks for most of my journaling and planning life. They’re compact, convenient, and fit nicely into my commuter bag. But recently, I decided to step a little outside my comfort zone and try something new: B5-size paper.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a B5 binder with three notebooks from a cute little shop on Etsy (it’s actually my second time buying from them—I loved the first notebook cover so much, I had to get something else). I knew B5 was going to be bigger than A5, but I was still surprised when it arrived. These notebooks are big!

You can go to this post for a quick comparison about exact sizes, but this is my rule of thumb:

• A5 paper is the classic go-to for general writing, journaling, and planning.
• B5 paper is roughly one inch wider and about two-and-a-half inches taller (or 3cm and 4cm, if you’re using metric).
• That might not sound like much on paper (pun intended), but in your hands, it’s a noticeable difference.

B5 feels less portable, to be honest. Unless you’ve got a larger bag or don’t mind carrying something that won’t quite fit into your every day carry, these aren’t your on-the-go kind of notebooks. They'd probably do better sitting on your desk. But there’s something really comforting about writing on larger paper. It feels more spacious, like there’s room to stretch your thoughts (or bad handwriting) out a little more. I can already imagine using this size for bigger writing projects—like essays, brainstorming sessions, or long-form journaling/blog posts. 

I plan to do a proper write-up and review once I’ve broken them in. I’m already in love with the binder and the aesthetic, so fingers crossed the writing experience matches the vibe.

I've got a couple of pictures below of the notebooks: two of the B5 itself, and one of the B5 with the A5 for size comparison (again, both from the same shop).