After trying out A5 and B5 notebooks for a variety of spreads and noticing myself gravitating towards using specific page sizes for specific things, I thought I’d put together a comparison. I’ve drawn up the same weekly layout and monthly calendar in both an A5 and B5 notebook so you can see the difference. I hope it helps you choose which page size is right for you!

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Is there really much of a difference in page size?

A5 page size is

• 5.8 inches wide x 8.3 inches high
• 14.7cm wide x 21 cm high
• 147mm wide x 210mm high

B5 page size is

• 6.9 inches wide x 9.85 inches high
• 17.6cm wide × 25 cm high
• 176mm wide x 250mm high

Read more: Ultimate planner page size guide (with printable reference cheat sheet)

Are the dots larger in a B5 notebook?

No. It’s very rare to find anything other than a 5mm x 5mm dot grid in any size dot grid notebook.

Page layout comparison

Let’s take a look at the difference between the same spreads in different page size notebooks. I used the Archer and Olive A5 notebook and the Archer and Olive B5 notebook for these examples.

Archer and Olive notebooks can be found in my sister’s planner supplies store, Carefully Crafted.

Monthly calendar

In an A5 page size, a monthly calendar with 4 columns per page, and 5 rows horizontally, has the following dimensions and dot count:

• The boxes for each day are
  • 1.2 inches x 1.38 inches
  • 3cm wide x 3.5cm high
  • 30mm wide x 35mm high
  • 7 dots x 8 dots

 

• Empty space at the top of the page
  • 0.6 inches
  • 1.5cm
  • 15mm
  • 3 dots

Related post: 12 Planner Layout Ideas for Monthly Habit Tracking in Your Bullet Journal

You’ll end up with a bit of dead space on one side. You could add a strip of washi tape to act as a page marker in this space.

I used the tombow kei coat highlighters & the Frixion erasable pen

The same spread created in a B5 notebook..

4 equal columns fit perfectly across the page, with no dead space 🙂

• The boxes for each day are
  • Just over 1.5 inches wide x just under 1.5 inches high
  • 4cm wide x 4cm wide
  • 40mm x 40mm
  • 6 dots (8 dots if we count the divider lines drawn over the dots)
• Empty space at the top of the page = 0.6 inches / 1.5cm / 15mm (3 dots)
• Empty space at the bottom = 1.58 inches / 4cm / 40mm (8 dots)

In a B5 notebook you can either make the boxes for each day bigger, or use the excess space at the bottom for notes, projects, goals, doodles etc.

Weekly Planner

I used the Paper Accents ‘Adventure Alpha’ stencils for the letters for each day in this spread

In an A5 page size, a vertical weekly planner will have the same column width as the monthly calendar we discussed earlier in this post. But what about a horizontal weekly spread?

A weekly spread with 4 days per page, has the following dimensions and dot count:

• Row height / the boxes for each day = 1.75 inches / 4.5cm / 45mm / 8 dots
• Empty space at the top of the page = approx. 0.5 inches / 1cm / 10mm / 2 dots

I maximized the entire page height for the days of the week, but you could reduce these to squeeze a notes box underneath, otherwise use the 8th box.

The same spread created in a B5 notebook..

So much space! I maintained the same row height / number of dots for each day so you could see how much extra space you’d have to work with in a B5 notebook.

• Row height / the boxes for each day are = approx. 1.75 inches / 4.5cm / 45mm / 8 dots (10 dots if we count the divider lines drawn over the dots)
• Empty space at the top of the page = approx. 0.5 inches / 1cm / 10mm / 2 dots
• Empty space at the bottom of the left page – approx. 1.75 inches / 4.5cm / 45mm / 8 dots
• Empty space at the bottom of the right page = approx. 3.5 inches / 8.5cm / 85mm / 17 dots

If you wanted equal boxes for each day, you could change the layout to have Monday to Friday on the left page (it would leave 1 dot grid row spare on the page), with a larger Saturday and Sunday section on the right. This would still leave about 2/3 of the second page spare to create a to do list, habit trackers, study log or anything else you like!

Related post: 100 things to put in your habit tracker of your planner or bullet journal (plus free printable habit tracker)

How does B5 compare to 7” wide x 9” high?

Another popular page size for planning is 7″ wide x 9″ high. This is closer in size to B5 than A5. Here’s the Archer and Olive B5 next to one of my Happy Planner Classic size notebooks for reference:

Which page size is better for bullet journaling?

Depends on personal preference and what you’re planning.

I’d use A5 if:

• You don’t have a huge amount of things to plan
• You like minimalist layouts
• You want a notebook that’s portable and easy to take with you on the go
• You want a cheaper notebook
• You want plenty of cover design options (A5 is a more common page size so there are far more designs / brands offering A5 notebooks than B5)

I’d use B5 or 7″ wide x 9″ high if:

• You have large handwriting
• You like a lot of negative / white space on the pages
• You want space for decorating, drawing doodles etc.
• You are combining work and personal into the same notebook
• You’ll be planning at home – B5 notebooks are heavier than A5
• You like to do 2 column list layouts

More bullet journal page layout ideas

• Bullet journal date marker ideas (minimalist and colourful)
• 20 Bullet Journal Weekly Spread Ideas (One Page Layouts)
• 12 Bullet journal annual planning page layout ideas

Planning Tips

• 7 Useful Bullet Journal Tips
• Which discs are compatible with Plum Paper’s disc punched planners?
• 5 Planner supplies that have lasted more than 5 years

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