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April 17, 2019

Otto Dot Grid Bullet Journal Notebook Review (Pros, Cons and Pen Test)

If you’re a fellow Aussie, you know how hard it is to find dot grid notebooks. Fortunately, Officeworks’ Otto range have a dot grid notebook that’s also affordable.

Quick facts

  • Size: 15.5cm wide x 21.5cm high (about 6 x 8.5″ high)
  • Numbered pages
  • Symbol key
  • 192 Dot grid pages
  • 20 Graph paper pages
  • 20 Lined pages

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The Cover

The usual plain and boring cover that most dot grid journals have.

otto dot journal planner review cheaper alternative to bullet journal bright white paper wide pages australia officeworks aussie planner addict bujo

Approx 1.8cm thick

otto dot journal planner review cheaper alternative to bullet journal bright white paper wide pages australia officeworks aussie planner addict bujo hardbound

a5 bullet journal notebook otto officeworks dot grid bright white paper hardbound numbered pages ribbon boomark

Tip Sheet

The Otto journal has a slightly different take to bullet journaling:

otto journal notebook dot grid officeworks australia how to guide get starting bullet journaling instructions tips process how it works

Symbol Key

australian bullet journal notebook otto a5 officeworks review pros and cons key symbols dot grid planner bookbound bright white pages numbered A5 index

australian bullet journal notebook otto officeworks review pros and cons key symbols dot grid planner bookbound bright white pages numbered A5

Index

Normally I like structured pages but this index page is perhaps a bit too structured. There’s also limited space to write the theme / page topic.

otto planner review dot journal for bullet journaling bujo index australian cheap bright white paper pros and cons A5 page size

Dot grid pages

otto dot grid notebook officeworks australian planner addict supplies numbered dot grid pages bright white paper a5 size hardbound

otto dot journal notebook review pocket folder a5 size cheaper alternative to leuchtturm 1917 similar 0.5cm spacing

 

otto journal officeworks notebook numbered pages bright white paper dot grid a5 page size lightweight hardbound cover simple minimalist

Unlike most bullet journal notebooks, this one has 3 page types: dot grid, graph and lined

a5 bullet journal notebook otto officeworks dot grid bright white paper hardbound numbered dot grid pages grid lined ribbon boomark

Line spacing is 0.7cm

a5 bullet journal notebook otto officeworks dot grid bright white paper hardbound numbered dot grid pages lined ribbon boomark

Pen Testing

There’s a reason this notebook is cheap – the paper quality isn’t very good.

otto dot grid journal pen test pros and cons bullet journal notebook pen testing ghosting bleed through

Almost every pen, highlighter and stamp bled through the page:

otto dot grid journal pen test pros and cons bullet journal notebook pen testing ghosting bleed through highlighters stamps

Pros of the Otto Dot Grid Journal

  • Dot grid, graph and lined pages
  • Numbered pages
  • Symbol key
  • Lightweight
  • Ribbon page marker
  • Pages lay flat without having to hold them open
  • Bright white paper
  • Affordable

Cons of the Otto Dot Grid Journal

  • Bad pen bleed through on the pages
  • No cover personalisation
  • Boring cover

Would I use this notebook?

If I was just getting started with bullet journaling and wasn’t sure it was something I was going to stick to long term then yes. Otherwise I could only use this notebook for drafting bullet journal spread layout ideas – the ghosting / bleed through is one of the worst out of all the dot grid notebooks I’ve reviewed.

It was cheap though so the cost would probably work out the same if you skipped writing on the back pages as opposed to buying a more expensive dot grid notebook and writing on both sides of the page.

comparison of 30 dot grid notebooks pros and cons page size paper quality price binding index page numbers review video

More bullet journal

  • Bullet Journal Ideas: 26 Weekly Spread Layouts to Try
  • 7 Reasons why I don’t use stitched notebooks for bullet journaling
  • How to choose the right bullet journal notebook for you (10 things to check)

Planning tips

  • 7 Planner supplies I don’t regret splurging on
  • 10 Quick planner hacks you need to try (planning tips & inspiration)
  • Guide to Discbound Planners & Frequently Asked Questions

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otto dot grid journal notebook graph lined stitched binding pros and cons video review australia bullet journaling

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Posted In: Bullet Journal, Bullet Journal Reviews · Tagged: australian dot grid journal, australian dot grid notebook, dot grid journal, officeworks dot grid, officeworks otto dot grid, officeworks planner, otto dot grid journal, otto journal, otto notebook, otto officeworks, otto planner

Comments

  1. Jen in Qld says

    April 29, 2019 at 12:15

    My opinion of the Otto was the same. It was a great place to start my bullet journal journey but I have changed to a Rhodia Webbie A5 grid. I keep my Otto for playing with layouts although I notice the grid is a slightly different size to the Rhodia. I am not liking how close to the edge of the page the dots go on the Rhodia so will likely change for my next bujo.

    Love your reviews although I am #teamvertical. ?

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