MD Notebook Sizes and Layouts

MD Notebook uses size names that connect paper standards with Japanese book proportions. The current core collection includes A7, A6, B6 Slim, A5, and A4 Variant. Separate MD lines add A5 Square, diaries, thick paper, cotton paper, and one-day-per-page formats.

This guide covers the standard MD Notebook first, then shows where a familiar size label stops being enough. The books have thread-stitched binding and are sold as complete notebooks, not loose-leaf refill systems.

Current standard range

The official special feature describes the range as book-inspired. That design context explains labels such as B6 Slim and A4 Variant: they are intentional proportions, not approximate retailer errors.

A7: pocket-scale capture

A7 is the smallest standard format in the current collection. The official guide positions it as a pocket notebook for brief thoughts and words.

The writing area is one quarter of A5 because the A series halves predictably. That geometry helps compare page area, but the finished MD book includes its binding, glassine wrapper, and thickness. A fitted cover needs the product specification rather than an A7 sheet template.

Small pages amplify ruling choices. A 5 mm grid occupies the same physical interval as on a larger notebook, so fewer cells fit across the page. Choose ruling after considering handwriting and diagram scale, not only portability.

A6: bunko-inspired proportions

MD describes A6 as the scale of a Japanese bunko paperback. Standard A6 is 105 × 148 mm, a compact rectangle also used by the bare Hobonichi Original book.

The shared footprint is useful for visualization. It does not make MD Notebook and Hobonichi covers interchangeable. MD Notebook is an undated thread-stitched notebook with its own thickness and cover accessories; Hobonichi Original is a dated planner within a named cover system.

The current A6 page lists blank, 7 mm lined, 5 mm grid, and 5 mm dot-grid options. A shopper should verify the selected variation because retailer thumbnails can make pale rulings difficult to distinguish.

B6 Slim: a named MD format

The current B6 Slim product page gives exact dimensions of 105 × 175 × 10 mm, 176 pages, and thread stitching. It is as wide as A6 but 27 mm taller.

MD connects the format to a Japanese shinsho book. The tall, one-hand-friendly proportion offers more vertical writing than A6 without reaching A5 width. It should be searched as “MD Notebook B6 Slim,” not shortened to “B6.”

A generic B6 cover may be designed for another B standard or another outer book size. A cover claim must name B6 Slim or provide internal dimensions that account for 105 × 175 × 10 mm.

A5: broad standard footprint

A5 provides a 148 × 210 mm page footprint. MD’s guide presents it as a desk-friendly, hardback-book scale with room for longer notes and sketches.

Because A5 is widespread, it attracts the most compatibility assumptions. MD Notebook A5, Hobonichi Cousin, loose-leaf A5, and an A5 sketchbook can share nominal page dimensions while differing in spine, thickness, hole pattern, and cover construction.

Use A5 to compare writing area. Use the current MD cover product or explicit third-party fit statement to protect the book.

A4 Variant: width without full A4 height

“Variant” signals that this is not a standard 210 × 297 mm A4 sheet bound into a notebook. The format is inspired by magazine proportions and retains a broad page while reducing or altering the standard height.

That shape can support wider diagrams and visual work without carrying a full office-document footprint. It also means an ordinary A4 document cover should not be assumed to fit.

Record the current product’s exact dimensions from its specification page before choosing storage, and keep “A4 Variant” intact in search terms.

Four standard ruling options

The current A6 and B6 Slim pages describe four layouts:

• Blank: no printed guide, allowing the full spread to function as a drawing or free-writing surface.
• Lined: 7 mm horizontal ruling, with a heavier center line intended to help divide pages or spreads.
• Grid: 5 mm squares with counting marks and pale blue lines inspired by Japanese manuscript paper.
• Dot grid: 5 mm dot spacing for mixed text, diagrams, and flexible alignment.

These are manufacturer descriptions, not pen-test results. This site has not compared ink drying, feathering, ghosting, or show-through.

Ruling spacing is independent of notebook size. A 5 mm grid on A6 and A5 uses the same interval, while the larger page contains more cells. That makes a size comparison calculable even without handling the paper.

Binding and page behavior

The current B6 Slim specification describes thread-stitched binding and a 180-degree opening. Folded sections are sewn at the spine, creating a complete book block.

Pages are not designed to be removed and rearranged. If modularity is essential, a ring or booklet-refill system is a different category. An MD cover protects a whole bound notebook; it does not turn the pages into refills.

The glassine wrapper is part of the standard presentation and can be used or removed according to the manufacturer description. It is not a fitted long-term protective cover in the same sense as a separate clear, paper, or leather accessory.

Other MD lines

The wider current collection includes MD Notebook Cotton, Thick, 1 Day 1 Page, Diary, and Diary Slim formats. Size availability and ruling options differ by line. An A5 Square notebook is not standard A5, and a one-day-per-page book can be much thicker than a standard notebook.

When a retailer groups variations, keep the line name beside the size:

MD Notebook / standard / B6 Slim / grid

is more precise than:

MD / B6 / graph

The first description preserves the product family, exact format, and ruling.

Choosing by measurable need

Choose the smallest format that still supports the required page job:

1. estimate the longest line or diagram width;
2. choose a ruling interval that matches that work;
3. record the exact finished-book dimensions;
4. verify a cover against the finished book, not the nominal sheet;
5. confirm that the retailer variation matches the intended ruling.

The Notebook Size Comparison tool includes A6, B6 Slim, and A5 entries so their rectangles can be compared directly. The tool deliberately keeps cover compatibility unverified unless an official product system states it.

A cover is a separate product decision

MD offers clear, paper, and leather cover options in product-specific sizes. A cover protects the finished notebook, so its relevant inputs include book thickness and spine behavior as well as width and height. A generic document sleeve that accepts an A5 sheet is not the same object as a fitted A5 notebook cover.

If an MD book will accumulate pasted material, the closing thickness can change during use. The official empty-book specification remains the baseline, while any allowance for expansion must come from the cover maker or a genuine hands-on test.