The Best B5 dot grid notebooks for bullet journaling
Most dot grid notebooks are A5 page size which can be a bit small for some spreads. If you want to upsize, here are nine B5 page size dotted notebooks at a variety of price points.
There seems to be conflicting opinions on the internet about what the ‘true’ B5 page size is. Overall it’s about 6.9″ wide x 9.8 inches high (17.6cm wide x 25cm high)
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Why you might want to use a B5 notebook for bullet journaling
- Habit trackers – can be a tight squeeze to fit all 31 days onto smaller page sizes!
- Annual planning (I stopped doing this in an A5 size notebook as I always needed 4 pages and it was annoying having to flick back and forth all the time)
- Any spread where you want to add doodles or washi tape then you’ll still have about a A5 size planning space on the page
- If you’re making lots of lists, and especially if you want to do lists with 2 columns per page
- You have large hand writing
- You need a lot of space in your weekly spread, you like to plan everything in detail
- If you’re using a vertical hourly weekly and want space for other things like meal planning, checklists, reminders etc.
- You need a larger page size for your monthly calendars
- You’re tracking multiple things per week and like spreads that have many sections e.g. meal planning, fitness, pomodoro, most important task, reflection, motivational quotes etc.
Here’s a comparison of the same spread in an A5 and B5 notebook. There’s heaps of extra space in a b5 notebook – a whole extra section on each page where you could add a habit tracker, reflection, project planners etc.
Read more: A5 versus B5: what page size is best for bullet journaling?
You might want to use a B5 notebook if you like to make annual planners using a Helix circle maker (as this will fill the width of an A5 page size not leaving much room if you want to draw lines from the circle to mark special events, birthdays etc.)
If you’re still deciding, see this post: A5 versus B5: what page size is best for bullet journaling?
Other things to consider
Page size is one thing, but there are other features to consider when buying a notebook for bullet journaling
- Paper quality
- Dot grid spacing (most are 5mm which is compatible with most stencils and checklist + numbered washi tapes)
- Number of ribbon bookmarks (and different colors)
- Pocket folder
- Pre-printed page numbers
- Index
- Do the pages lay flat on their own
Read more: How to choose the right bullet journal notebook for you (10 things to check)
B5 Notebooks for Bullet Journaling
In no particular order…
- Scribbles That Matter
- Archer & Olive
- Dingbats
- Notebook Therapy Tsuki
- oops a daisy
- ZenArt
- Nuuna
- Leuchtturm slim
- Rettacy
And I’ve added a few noteable mentions at the end of this post as well!
I’ve done reviews (including video walkthroughs) for most of the notebooks on this list. I’ve included links to the review post for each one if you want more details about the notebooks.
1. Scribbles that matter
I have the A5 version and it’s one of my favorite dot grid notebooks BUT make sure you get the Iconic Pro version which has thicker paper (160GSM).
Pen test in the Iconic Pro version – no ghosting!
Related post: Review of the DotCross Planner by Scribbles That Matter (B5 page size)
2. Archer and Olive
I don’t have the B5 size version but I do have the A5 version which is just a smaller size notebook with the same features as the B5 version.
The Archer and Olive is one of my all time favorite dot grid notebooks. Great quality and plenty of cover designs to choose from. I really love the gold foil on the edges of the pages too.
My sister stocks Archer and Olive notebooks in her planner supplies store, Carefully Crafted.
Really good paper quality – no ghosting or show through (it’s 160 GSM thick).
Read more: Archer & Olive Notebook Review
3. Dingbats
I don’t have the B5 version but did a review of the A5 version in this post.
The paper quality could be better as there is quite a lot of show through.. but I’m a bit more forgiving of this than usual, as the standout feature of this notebook is the ultra smooth paper that feels so nice to write on.
Dingbats* Notebook for Bullet Journaling Review (super smooth paper!)
Weekly spread with the Helix Circle Maker in the Dingbats* Notebook
4. Notebook Therapy Tsuki
I have the A5 version of this notebook and… I think it’s overrated. It’s a very nice and well made notebook, except for the paper quality. It’s advertised as 160 GSM however there is ghosting and show through (which I don’t get with other 160 GSM notebooks).
This brand offers free worldwide shipping with no minimum spend. I like their stencils better than their notebooks.
Price: $48 AUD
Here’s the link to the B5 version of the Dolphin Days Notebook I have.
Read more: Archer and Olive versus Notebook Therapy: Which Dot Grid Notebook is better?
5. oops a daisy
Oops a daisy flies under the radar but they have some great functional bullet journal supplies including stencils, washi tape, A5 and B5 notebooks. I liked the brand so much and wanted too many things, so got my sister to stock it in her shop.
The paper is bright white and thick (160 GSM). I have the cherry blossom version.
Price: $59.95 AUD
Read more: Oops a Daisy dot grid journal review (including pen test on the 160GSM paper) – B5 page size
Read more: Oops a Daisy review (UK stationery brand) – bullet journal stencils, washi tape, stickers
6. ZenArt
This notebook is 7′ wide x 10″ high. I did a detailed review in this post.
It has a unique cover but not because of the outside, because of the pattern printed on the inside. The colors really pop! I wish it was printed on the outside cover.
The paper is 120GSM. I did a pen test in this post.
Price: $29.95 USD + shipping on Amazon
Related post: my favorite notebooks for bullet journaling
7. Nuuna
The Nuuna isn’t exactly B5 page size but it comes close at 16.5cm wide x 22cm high (6.5″ wide by 8.66″ high).
Price: approx. 22 euro / $26 USD + shipping on the Nuuna website. $35 USD on Amazon (affiliate link)
The key thing to point out about this notebook is that it has a 3.5mm dot grid (most notebooks have a 5mm dot grid).
As for the pen test, there was ghosting for all highlighters, stamps and the marker pens. The paper is 120 GSM.
Read more: Nuuna dot grid notebook review including pen test (3.5mm dot grid)
8. Leuchtturm Slim
I’m not a fan of Leuchtturm notebooks as the paper is too thin for me. However, I’m including in this list if you want the ‘classic’ minimalist dotted notebook. It does come in plenty of colors to choose from.
The Leuchtturm comes in a few sizes around B5:
See my review of the slim version in this post.
Price: $31.50 USD on Amazon
I didn’t bother pen testing the Leuchtturm Slim (pictured above) when I bought it, as the paper feels the same as the A5 version.
For the price and all the hype around this notebook, I really expected the paper quality of this brand to be better.
Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Notebook A5
But at least there are plenty of colours to choose from.
Related post: Favorite Stationery Shops in Germany
9. Rettacy
If you don’t want sewn binding, Rettacy is a unicorn in the notebook world: large page size and spiral binding.
The page dimensions are a bit bigger than B5 page size at 7.5” wide × 10” high.
Price: $16 USD from Amazon
Image credit: Amazon
Noteable Mentions
Happy Planner
Close to B5 page size and actually my favorite size to plan with, the Happy Planner Classic page size is 7” wide x 9.25” high. If you want to create a custom or hybrid notebook, then Happy Planner would be my top pick.
- How to print printables at MAMBI Happy Planner Size (step by step tutorial)
- MAMBI Happy Planner Mini vs. Classic vs. Big: which size is right for you
- MAMBI Happy Planner Discbound Punch versus the ARC (are they compatible?)
Productivity weekly spread with giant to do list and detailed fitness tracker
Posy Paper
While Posy Paper isn’t quite B5 page size, it is larger than A5 and spiral bound (harder to find in a dot grid notebook!) The pages lay completely flat no matter what page you open. Plus the custom cover is a nice extra.
Even better, is that the notebook’s price is ridiculously cheap (and cheaper than the other notebooks mentioned earlier on this list).
Price: $20 USD
See my review here: Posy Paper personalised coil bound notebook
Minimalism Art
Minimalism Art is a brand with cheap dot grid notebooks. They used to have a B5 notebooks but they appear to be discontinued.
Paipur
The Paipur notebook is 7.5″ wide x 9.75″ high which is slightly bigger than B5.
What’s unique about this notebooks, is that it has a mix of page types – dot grid pages on the left and lined pages on the right. The pages are perforated too!
The main con though, is that the paper is only 100 GSM which is quite thin and has ghosting.
Another feature are the 4 corners on the pages. When I saw the 4 boxes in the corners of the pages I thought they were intended for page numbers, symbols for prioritising tasks and coding lists, shading the box in a color to color code etc. After checking the companies website they suggested all of those uses as well as action symbols, ticking off the list / page when done.
While the notebook appears to have been discontinued, you could take inspiration from some of it’s features and apply it in your own bullet journal.
See my full review of the notebook (including video walkthrough) in this post.
I tried out the notebook in this post: List makers spread in the PAIPUR hybrid notebook
See all 70+ dotted notebook reviews on the blog here.
Accessories for B5 notebooks
Accessories for B5 notebooks can be hard to find. If you’re looking for stencils, focus more on checking the spacing. The grid in most dot grid notebooks is 5mm. So you can use stencils or washi tape that is sized for a 5mm grid in a B5 notebook as well, as brands keep the same 5mm dot grid (it’s just on a larger page size).
Brands that have B5 bullet journaling accessories:
- Archer and Olive B5 stencil
- Oops a daisy has too many B5 accessories to individually link them all. There’s dot grid spacing guides, monthly calendar stencils, daily planner stencils. Shop them all here.
Bullet journal tips
- 10 Bullet Journal weekly layouts if you want to keep work and personal in the same spread
- The 3 types of bullet journal notebooks you should have
- A perfectionist’s guide to creating bullet journal spreads
Planning tips
- 3 Simple checklists to use when you don’t have time for a weekly planner
- How to do color coded weekly meal planning in less than 5 minutes using sticky notes
- 4 Expensive Planners that are worth the investment
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