Planner sizes explained: A5, 6×9, 7×10, Letter and A4

• A5 – 148 × 210 mm (5.83 × 8.27 in). The classic planner size: portable and roomy enough for daily pages.
• 6 × 9 in – 152 × 229 mm. A common American book size, a little larger than A5.
• 7 × 10 in – 178 × 254 mm. A generous desk size with plenty of room for a detailed day.
• US Letter – 8.5 × 11 in (216 × 279 mm). Full office-paper size in North America.
• A4 – 210 × 297 mm (8.27 × 11.69 in). Full office-paper size almost everywhere else.

All five are the trimmed size of the finished page. The cover of a hardcover is a few millimetres larger all round, as book covers usually are.

At 148 × 210 mm (5.83 × 8.27 in), A5 is half an A4 sheet and the size most planners and notebooks come in. It fits in a tote or a work bag, sits comfortably on a small desk, and still gives a daily page enough room for a schedule, a to-do list and a few notes.

It suits most people, especially if your planner travels with you. It is also the only size of our Novonichi, whose fine grid is drawn for the A5 page.

At 6 × 9 in (152 × 229 mm), this is a standard size for American paperbacks. The page is about 12% larger than A5 – a touch wider and taller – so you get slightly longer lines and a roomier weekly spread while the book still fits in most bags.

Choose it if A5 sometimes feels a little tight, or if you're used to this size from US-made planners and notebooks.

At 7 × 10 in (178 × 254 mm), the page is about 45% larger than A5. That extra space shows most on daily pages: longer schedules, bigger boxes for priorities and more room for notes.

It is a good choice if your planner mostly lives on your desk and you plan in detail, for work or for a busy household, but you still want something smaller than full office paper.

US Letter, at 8.5 × 11 in (216 × 279 mm), and A4, at 210 × 297 mm (8.27 × 11.69 in), are the everyday office-paper sizes – Letter in the United States and Canada, A4 in most other countries. Letter is slightly wider, A4 slightly taller.

These are desk planners: big weekly spreads, room for lots of appointments, and generous space if you have large handwriting or like to decorate your pages. They are heavier to carry, especially with a full year of daily pages.

They are also the natural choice for the print-at-home PDF if you'll print on ordinary office paper: choose the size that matches the paper in your printer.

Every size comes as a coil, a paperback or a hardcover. Each binding holds a different number of pages, which matters most for daily planners:

• Coil bound – up to 470 pages. Lies completely flat when open and folds back on itself, which makes it the classic planner binding. It is the natural choice for weekly planners, notebooks and daily planners without weekly spreads.
• Paperback – at least 32 pages and up to 800 pages. A soft cover with a glued spine, and the most affordable option.
• Hardcover – at least 24 pages and up to 800 pages. A printed hard cover that protects the pages all year – durable and good for a gift.

So a year with a page for every day plus weekly spreads, which easily runs to more than 470 pages, needs a paperback or hardcover. As you design, the editor shows your page count and which bindings can hold it. Not every size and binding combination is made by the printer – if one isn't available, you'll know before you pay.

A few questions help:

• Will it travel? If it comes with you every day, A5 or 6 × 9 in. If it stays on your desk, 7 × 10 in, Letter or A4.
• How much do you write per day? A few lines a day fit any size; full daily pages with a detailed schedule are more comfortable from 7 × 10 in up.
• Weekly or daily? A weekly planner works well in any size. A page-a-day planner in Letter or A4 makes a big, heavy book – A5 or 6 × 9 in is often the sweet spot.
• Printed or at home? For the print-at-home PDF, match the size to your paper; for a printed planner, choose purely on what suits you.

Still unsure? A5 is the safest place to start – it's the size most planner lovers come back to.

Smaller sizes such as B6 and A6 are popular for pocket planners, but we don't offer them. The five sizes above are the ones we print. If you love a compact planner, A5 is our smallest size, and still easy to carry.