I know, I know, we have alllllll been there! Wondering what notebook to get? Wondering which will suit your needs and which will be perfect for your year. So I created this HUGE bullet journal notebook review to help our newbies out! We have also highlighted which are front runners in the notebook quality, newbies and value for money!

This is an honest review about how I like notebooks, so I want to make that clear up front, that what I like might not be what you like. Notebooks are all about personal preference so keep reading to find something that matches you and your needs. So if you are looking for the “best” bullet journal, while you might find one here in this list, it might not be the one that I called “the best”

For me the top bullet journals were:

1. Best bullet journal for value for money: Tumbitri Metri
2. Best Quality bullet journal Notebook: Archer and Olive
3. Best bullet journal notebook for watercolor: Archer and Olive
4. Easiest bullet journal notebook to use: The Happy Planner – Happy notes
5. Best customised bullet journal Notes books: Citrus Book Bindery
6. Best bullet journal notebook for newbies: Lemome

If you want to see any individual reviews you can find them here

*Please note that the prices listed are updated often so the ones in the images reflect the price at the time of publishing this post

Lets get started!

The Ultimate notebook review video!

Some notebook review terminology

Ghosting: Where you can see pen marks though the paper

Bleeding: When the pen or marker bleeds through the paper

A5: is the size of standard notebook

GSM: Is the weight of the paper (grams per square metre) and the higher the gsm, the thicker and more robust the paper.

Leuchtrum 1917 notebook review

This notebook sets the benchmark for notebooks on the market, it is considered the “official bullet journal notebook” and even is sold on the bullet journal website with the bullet journal branding…

In reality the benchmark has been set pretty low! With the ghosting and bleeding the LT1917 drives me bonkers, but some of you might like that!

Graphic Arts notebook review

This was another interesting find, heaps of pages, but slightly thinner and uncoated. There is quite a bit of ghosting and some bleeding. Its an interesting notebook and I havent seen many people using it, but its quite a good starter note book! 

I think the price point is slightly high but for what you are getting is probably worth it. It also has pretty bright white paper which is lovely and bright!

Details	Information
Notebook Name	Graphic Arts
Price	$19.99
Number of Pages	249 numbered pages
Paper gsm	100gsm coated
Number of dots	28×39 dots
Size of dots	0.5mm
Ribbons, Elastic closure or pen loops?	2x Ribbons Elastic Closure Pen loop
Ghosting and Bleeding?	Some
Sizes available	A5
Hard/Soft Cover?	Hard Covers
Colors available?	Minimal choices
Index/Key or additional pages?	Index and Key
Additional extras	None
Overall rating	3/5 Its a perfectly good notebook for newbies and those who are just looking to change

Millegram notebook review

The only B5 notebook on the list of this review, and also comes in a A5. It has a fabric cover and has a great price point. But the paper is “paper thin”. Literally. The paper is almost see-through at times, transparent like, and when you pummel it watercolor or juicy pens, you’ll see some serious bleedthrough and ghosting!

Ink by Jen G notebook review

Our last notebook, is this one by JenG, and she created these as an add onto her store, and what a fun notebook. I love the little embossed florals on the top of the cover. Over all its a simple notebook, and priced competitively with the rest. Its got ivory paper and while its 100 gsm holds up better to pen and watercolor than the graphic arts notebooks which are of similar gsm.

Tumbetri Metri notebook review

When I was approached by TM to review their notebooks I was hesitant. But SO glad I did! I put this one in the “best value for money” category because of its bonus features which make it stand out against the Lemome! 

Its a great notebook for newbies and those wanting to try something a little different, the pages are whiter than the lemome and while they are the same thickness and also coated, it makes it lush to use with watercolor.

Graphic Arts notebook review

This was another interesting find, heaps of pages, but slightly thinner and uncoated. There is quite a bit of ghosting and some bleeding. Its an interesting notebook and I havent seen many people using it, but its quite a good starter note book! 

I think the price point is slightly high but for what you are getting is probably worth it. It also has pretty bright white paper which is lovely and bright!

Details	Information
Notebook Name	Graphic Arts
Price	$19.99
Number of Pages	249 numbered pages
Paper gsm	100gsm coated
Number of dots	28×39 dots
Size of dots	0.5mm
Ribbons, Elastic closure or pen loops?	2x Ribbons Elastic Closure Pen loop
Ghosting and Bleeding?	Some
Sizes available	A5
Hard/Soft Cover?	Hard Covers
Colors available?	Minimal choices
Index/Key or additional pages?	Index and Key
Additional extras	None
Overall rating	3/5 Its a perfectly good notebook for newbies and those who are just looking to change

Millegram notebook review

The only B5 notebook on the list of this review, and also comes in a A5. It has a fabric cover and has a great price point. But the paper is “paper thin”. Literally. The paper is almost see-through at times, transparent like, and when you pummel it watercolor or juicy pens, you’ll see some serious bleedthrough and ghosting!

Ink by Jen G notebook review

Our last notebook, is this one by JenG, and she created these as an add onto her store, and what a fun notebook. I love the little embossed florals on the top of the cover. Over all its a simple notebook, and priced competitively with the rest. Its got ivory paper and while its 100 gsm holds up better to pen and watercolor than the graphic arts notebooks which are of similar gsm.

Dingbats notebook review

Now, I can open a can of worms on Dingbats, and lets take a few steps back, about 2 years ago they did something incomprehensible – twice. And I swore to myself never to buy or support such egregious behavior – but curiosity got the better of me, and I believe in second and third chances, so decided to give them a go. 

So what did they do? 1. they were caught out in blatant plagiarism, they would lift images from peoples instagram and super impose them on their notebooks claiming they did them. They did this with a number of photos, and when confronted they back tracked and denied. They were finally upfront about it and apologised to all those involved. At around the same time – they ran a competition where you had to “vote” for your favorite. This community is about supporting each other, not about pitting people against each other in a popularity contest. Uncool and really messed up. 

But – In saying all of that – I am a strong believer of second chances and bought some in the last sale. UUURG! SO YELLOW! Maybe i had become so used to the bright white pages of the A&O but sooooo yellow. 

Tumbetri Metri notebook review

When I was approached by TM to review their notebooks I was hesitant. But SO glad I did! I put this one in the “best value for money” category because of its bonus features which make it stand out against the Lemome! 

Its a great notebook for newbies and those wanting to try something a little different, the pages are whiter than the lemome and while they are the same thickness and also coated, it makes it lush to use with watercolor.

Graphic Arts notebook review

This was another interesting find, heaps of pages, but slightly thinner and uncoated. There is quite a bit of ghosting and some bleeding. Its an interesting notebook and I havent seen many people using it, but its quite a good starter note book! 

I think the price point is slightly high but for what you are getting is probably worth it. It also has pretty bright white paper which is lovely and bright!

Details	Information
Notebook Name	Graphic Arts
Price	$19.99
Number of Pages	249 numbered pages
Paper gsm	100gsm coated
Number of dots	28×39 dots
Size of dots	0.5mm
Ribbons, Elastic closure or pen loops?	2x Ribbons Elastic Closure Pen loop
Ghosting and Bleeding?	Some
Sizes available	A5
Hard/Soft Cover?	Hard Covers
Colors available?	Minimal choices
Index/Key or additional pages?	Index and Key
Additional extras	None
Overall rating	3/5 Its a perfectly good notebook for newbies and those who are just looking to change

Millegram notebook review

The only B5 notebook on the list of this review, and also comes in a A5. It has a fabric cover and has a great price point. But the paper is “paper thin”. Literally. The paper is almost see-through at times, transparent like, and when you pummel it watercolor or juicy pens, you’ll see some serious bleedthrough and ghosting!

Ink by Jen G notebook review

Our last notebook, is this one by JenG, and she created these as an add onto her store, and what a fun notebook. I love the little embossed florals on the top of the cover. Over all its a simple notebook, and priced competitively with the rest. Its got ivory paper and while its 100 gsm holds up better to pen and watercolor than the graphic arts notebooks which are of similar gsm.

Rhodia Goal Book notebook review

This is an interesting notebook, it has some amazing paper, its made with clairefontain paper which is buttery smooth and lush! But this also makes the paper buttery in color! SO it is pretty yellow.

The goal book has all the key things you need to get started with a bullet journal, like an index, a future log and events log and monthly log, which is a fab start, especially with those numbered pages.

Dingbats notebook review

Now, I can open a can of worms on Dingbats, and lets take a few steps back, about 2 years ago they did something incomprehensible – twice. And I swore to myself never to buy or support such egregious behavior – but curiosity got the better of me, and I believe in second and third chances, so decided to give them a go. 

So what did they do? 1. they were caught out in blatant plagiarism, they would lift images from peoples instagram and super impose them on their notebooks claiming they did them. They did this with a number of photos, and when confronted they back tracked and denied. They were finally upfront about it and apologised to all those involved. At around the same time – they ran a competition where you had to “vote” for your favorite. This community is about supporting each other, not about pitting people against each other in a popularity contest. Uncool and really messed up. 

But – In saying all of that – I am a strong believer of second chances and bought some in the last sale. UUURG! SO YELLOW! Maybe i had become so used to the bright white pages of the A&O but sooooo yellow. 

Tumbetri Metri notebook review

When I was approached by TM to review their notebooks I was hesitant. But SO glad I did! I put this one in the “best value for money” category because of its bonus features which make it stand out against the Lemome! 

Its a great notebook for newbies and those wanting to try something a little different, the pages are whiter than the lemome and while they are the same thickness and also coated, it makes it lush to use with watercolor.

Graphic Arts notebook review

This was another interesting find, heaps of pages, but slightly thinner and uncoated. There is quite a bit of ghosting and some bleeding. Its an interesting notebook and I havent seen many people using it, but its quite a good starter note book! 

I think the price point is slightly high but for what you are getting is probably worth it. It also has pretty bright white paper which is lovely and bright!

Details	Information
Notebook Name	Graphic Arts
Price	$19.99
Number of Pages	249 numbered pages
Paper gsm	100gsm coated
Number of dots	28×39 dots
Size of dots	0.5mm
Ribbons, Elastic closure or pen loops?	2x Ribbons Elastic Closure Pen loop
Ghosting and Bleeding?	Some
Sizes available	A5
Hard/Soft Cover?	Hard Covers
Colors available?	Minimal choices
Index/Key or additional pages?	Index and Key
Additional extras	None
Overall rating	3/5 Its a perfectly good notebook for newbies and those who are just looking to change

Millegram notebook review

The only B5 notebook on the list of this review, and also comes in a A5. It has a fabric cover and has a great price point. But the paper is “paper thin”. Literally. The paper is almost see-through at times, transparent like, and when you pummel it watercolor or juicy pens, you’ll see some serious bleedthrough and ghosting!

Ink by Jen G notebook review

Our last notebook, is this one by JenG, and she created these as an add onto her store, and what a fun notebook. I love the little embossed florals on the top of the cover. Over all its a simple notebook, and priced competitively with the rest. Its got ivory paper and while its 100 gsm holds up better to pen and watercolor than the graphic arts notebooks which are of similar gsm.

Happy Planner – Happy Notes

I am so sad that I discovered this notebook late! If I was starting out again, I would probably chose this to start with, because the pages are disk bound so total removable if you make a mistake. 

The pages are really thick, far thicker than I expected and they hold up to watercolor incredibly well. You can combine a notebook and planner to make it a simple system for you!

Rhodia Goal Book notebook review

This is an interesting notebook, it has some amazing paper, its made with clairefontain paper which is buttery smooth and lush! But this also makes the paper buttery in color! SO it is pretty yellow.

The goal book has all the key things you need to get started with a bullet journal, like an index, a future log and events log and monthly log, which is a fab start, especially with those numbered pages.

Dingbats notebook review

Now, I can open a can of worms on Dingbats, and lets take a few steps back, about 2 years ago they did something incomprehensible – twice. And I swore to myself never to buy or support such egregious behavior – but curiosity got the better of me, and I believe in second and third chances, so decided to give them a go. 

So what did they do? 1. they were caught out in blatant plagiarism, they would lift images from peoples instagram and super impose them on their notebooks claiming they did them. They did this with a number of photos, and when confronted they back tracked and denied. They were finally upfront about it and apologised to all those involved. At around the same time – they ran a competition where you had to “vote” for your favorite. This community is about supporting each other, not about pitting people against each other in a popularity contest. Uncool and really messed up. 

But – In saying all of that – I am a strong believer of second chances and bought some in the last sale. UUURG! SO YELLOW! Maybe i had become so used to the bright white pages of the A&O but sooooo yellow. 

Tumbetri Metri notebook review

When I was approached by TM to review their notebooks I was hesitant. But SO glad I did! I put this one in the “best value for money” category because of its bonus features which make it stand out against the Lemome! 

Its a great notebook for newbies and those wanting to try something a little different, the pages are whiter than the lemome and while they are the same thickness and also coated, it makes it lush to use with watercolor.

Graphic Arts notebook review

This was another interesting find, heaps of pages, but slightly thinner and uncoated. There is quite a bit of ghosting and some bleeding. Its an interesting notebook and I havent seen many people using it, but its quite a good starter note book! 

I think the price point is slightly high but for what you are getting is probably worth it. It also has pretty bright white paper which is lovely and bright!

Details	Information
Notebook Name	Graphic Arts
Price	$19.99
Number of Pages	249 numbered pages
Paper gsm	100gsm coated
Number of dots	28×39 dots
Size of dots	0.5mm
Ribbons, Elastic closure or pen loops?	2x Ribbons Elastic Closure Pen loop
Ghosting and Bleeding?	Some
Sizes available	A5
Hard/Soft Cover?	Hard Covers
Colors available?	Minimal choices
Index/Key or additional pages?	Index and Key
Additional extras	None
Overall rating	3/5 Its a perfectly good notebook for newbies and those who are just looking to change

Millegram notebook review

The only B5 notebook on the list of this review, and also comes in a A5. It has a fabric cover and has a great price point. But the paper is “paper thin”. Literally. The paper is almost see-through at times, transparent like, and when you pummel it watercolor or juicy pens, you’ll see some serious bleedthrough and ghosting!

Ink by Jen G notebook review

Our last notebook, is this one by JenG, and she created these as an add onto her store, and what a fun notebook. I love the little embossed florals on the top of the cover. Over all its a simple notebook, and priced competitively with the rest. Its got ivory paper and while its 100 gsm holds up better to pen and watercolor than the graphic arts notebooks which are of similar gsm.

Citrus Book Bindery Notebook review

Looking for more practical customisation? Well CBB has it in spades! But the price starts getting pretty steep pretty quickly. For a notebooks with 144 numbered pages A5 and a back pocket, with ribbons it starts heading towards the $65 mark. So the price of $32 is the base price with zero additionals, so it can be considered as a really pricy notebook.

What makes this notebook pretty cool, is it is hand made by the owner and her husband.

Happy Planner – Happy Notes

I am so sad that I discovered this notebook late! If I was starting out again, I would probably chose this to start with, because the pages are disk bound so total removable if you make a mistake. 

The pages are really thick, far thicker than I expected and they hold up to watercolor incredibly well. You can combine a notebook and planner to make it a simple system for you!

Rhodia Goal Book notebook review

This is an interesting notebook, it has some amazing paper, its made with clairefontain paper which is buttery smooth and lush! But this also makes the paper buttery in color! SO it is pretty yellow.

The goal book has all the key things you need to get started with a bullet journal, like an index, a future log and events log and monthly log, which is a fab start, especially with those numbered pages.

Dingbats notebook review

Now, I can open a can of worms on Dingbats, and lets take a few steps back, about 2 years ago they did something incomprehensible – twice. And I swore to myself never to buy or support such egregious behavior – but curiosity got the better of me, and I believe in second and third chances, so decided to give them a go. 

So what did they do? 1. they were caught out in blatant plagiarism, they would lift images from peoples instagram and super impose them on their notebooks claiming they did them. They did this with a number of photos, and when confronted they back tracked and denied. They were finally upfront about it and apologised to all those involved. At around the same time – they ran a competition where you had to “vote” for your favorite. This community is about supporting each other, not about pitting people against each other in a popularity contest. Uncool and really messed up. 

But – In saying all of that – I am a strong believer of second chances and bought some in the last sale. UUURG! SO YELLOW! Maybe i had become so used to the bright white pages of the A&O but sooooo yellow. 

Tumbetri Metri notebook review

When I was approached by TM to review their notebooks I was hesitant. But SO glad I did! I put this one in the “best value for money” category because of its bonus features which make it stand out against the Lemome! 

Its a great notebook for newbies and those wanting to try something a little different, the pages are whiter than the lemome and while they are the same thickness and also coated, it makes it lush to use with watercolor.

Graphic Arts notebook review

This was another interesting find, heaps of pages, but slightly thinner and uncoated. There is quite a bit of ghosting and some bleeding. Its an interesting notebook and I havent seen many people using it, but its quite a good starter note book! 

I think the price point is slightly high but for what you are getting is probably worth it. It also has pretty bright white paper which is lovely and bright!

Details	Information
Notebook Name	Graphic Arts
Price	$19.99
Number of Pages	249 numbered pages
Paper gsm	100gsm coated
Number of dots	28×39 dots
Size of dots	0.5mm
Ribbons, Elastic closure or pen loops?	2x Ribbons Elastic Closure Pen loop
Ghosting and Bleeding?	Some
Sizes available	A5
Hard/Soft Cover?	Hard Covers
Colors available?	Minimal choices
Index/Key or additional pages?	Index and Key
Additional extras	None
Overall rating	3/5 Its a perfectly good notebook for newbies and those who are just looking to change

Millegram notebook review

The only B5 notebook on the list of this review, and also comes in a A5. It has a fabric cover and has a great price point. But the paper is “paper thin”. Literally. The paper is almost see-through at times, transparent like, and when you pummel it watercolor or juicy pens, you’ll see some serious bleedthrough and ghosting!

Ink by Jen G notebook review

Our last notebook, is this one by JenG, and she created these as an add onto her store, and what a fun notebook. I love the little embossed florals on the top of the cover. Over all its a simple notebook, and priced competitively with the rest. Its got ivory paper and while its 100 gsm holds up better to pen and watercolor than the graphic arts notebooks which are of similar gsm.

Moleskine Notebook review

The very first notebook I owned! And probably the thinnest and worst! But – it deserves to be in the running for being on the dot grid notebook map. I guess you get what you pay for and these notebooks are cheap, but really, you really are getting some bleeding and ghosting pages for that. And heaps of them!

Citrus Book Bindery Notebook review

Looking for more practical customisation? Well CBB has it in spades! But the price starts getting pretty steep pretty quickly. For a notebooks with 144 numbered pages A5 and a back pocket, with ribbons it starts heading towards the $65 mark. So the price of $32 is the base price with zero additionals, so it can be considered as a really pricy notebook.

What makes this notebook pretty cool, is it is hand made by the owner and her husband.

Happy Planner – Happy Notes

I am so sad that I discovered this notebook late! If I was starting out again, I would probably chose this to start with, because the pages are disk bound so total removable if you make a mistake. 

The pages are really thick, far thicker than I expected and they hold up to watercolor incredibly well. You can combine a notebook and planner to make it a simple system for you!

Rhodia Goal Book notebook review

This is an interesting notebook, it has some amazing paper, its made with clairefontain paper which is buttery smooth and lush! But this also makes the paper buttery in color! SO it is pretty yellow.

The goal book has all the key things you need to get started with a bullet journal, like an index, a future log and events log and monthly log, which is a fab start, especially with those numbered pages.

Dingbats notebook review

Now, I can open a can of worms on Dingbats, and lets take a few steps back, about 2 years ago they did something incomprehensible – twice. And I swore to myself never to buy or support such egregious behavior – but curiosity got the better of me, and I believe in second and third chances, so decided to give them a go. 

So what did they do? 1. they were caught out in blatant plagiarism, they would lift images from peoples instagram and super impose them on their notebooks claiming they did them. They did this with a number of photos, and when confronted they back tracked and denied. They were finally upfront about it and apologised to all those involved. At around the same time – they ran a competition where you had to “vote” for your favorite. This community is about supporting each other, not about pitting people against each other in a popularity contest. Uncool and really messed up. 

But – In saying all of that – I am a strong believer of second chances and bought some in the last sale. UUURG! SO YELLOW! Maybe i had become so used to the bright white pages of the A&O but sooooo yellow. 

Tumbetri Metri notebook review

When I was approached by TM to review their notebooks I was hesitant. But SO glad I did! I put this one in the “best value for money” category because of its bonus features which make it stand out against the Lemome! 

Its a great notebook for newbies and those wanting to try something a little different, the pages are whiter than the lemome and while they are the same thickness and also coated, it makes it lush to use with watercolor.

Graphic Arts notebook review

This was another interesting find, heaps of pages, but slightly thinner and uncoated. There is quite a bit of ghosting and some bleeding. Its an interesting notebook and I havent seen many people using it, but its quite a good starter note book! 

I think the price point is slightly high but for what you are getting is probably worth it. It also has pretty bright white paper which is lovely and bright!

Details	Information
Notebook Name	Graphic Arts
Price	$19.99
Number of Pages	249 numbered pages
Paper gsm	100gsm coated
Number of dots	28×39 dots
Size of dots	0.5mm
Ribbons, Elastic closure or pen loops?	2x Ribbons Elastic Closure Pen loop
Ghosting and Bleeding?	Some
Sizes available	A5
Hard/Soft Cover?	Hard Covers
Colors available?	Minimal choices
Index/Key or additional pages?	Index and Key
Additional extras	None
Overall rating	3/5 Its a perfectly good notebook for newbies and those who are just looking to change

Millegram notebook review

The only B5 notebook on the list of this review, and also comes in a A5. It has a fabric cover and has a great price point. But the paper is “paper thin”. Literally. The paper is almost see-through at times, transparent like, and when you pummel it watercolor or juicy pens, you’ll see some serious bleedthrough and ghosting!

Ink by Jen G notebook review

Our last notebook, is this one by JenG, and she created these as an add onto her store, and what a fun notebook. I love the little embossed florals on the top of the cover. Over all its a simple notebook, and priced competitively with the rest. Its got ivory paper and while its 100 gsm holds up better to pen and watercolor than the graphic arts notebooks which are of similar gsm.

Karst Stone Paper Notebook review

Now this a weird one! If you are wanting something a little different then this notebook might be for you. The paper is made with stone paper – yes stones. But It does make the paper waterproof which is a total bummer on the watercolor or juicy pen front because nothing dries and it takes an age for things to stop smudging!

It is claimed as tear proof, which is moderately true, and if you do get something wet on the page, you can dry it with a dryer but the heat crumples the paper to ash! And makes the paper “ROCK” hard! 

Moleskine Notebook review

The very first notebook I owned! And probably the thinnest and worst! But – it deserves to be in the running for being on the dot grid notebook map. I guess you get what you pay for and these notebooks are cheap, but really, you really are getting some bleeding and ghosting pages for that. And heaps of them!

Citrus Book Bindery Notebook review

Looking for more practical customisation? Well CBB has it in spades! But the price starts getting pretty steep pretty quickly. For a notebooks with 144 numbered pages A5 and a back pocket, with ribbons it starts heading towards the $65 mark. So the price of $32 is the base price with zero additionals, so it can be considered as a really pricy notebook.

What makes this notebook pretty cool, is it is hand made by the owner and her husband.

Happy Planner – Happy Notes

I am so sad that I discovered this notebook late! If I was starting out again, I would probably chose this to start with, because the pages are disk bound so total removable if you make a mistake. 

The pages are really thick, far thicker than I expected and they hold up to watercolor incredibly well. You can combine a notebook and planner to make it a simple system for you!

Rhodia Goal Book notebook review

This is an interesting notebook, it has some amazing paper, its made with clairefontain paper which is buttery smooth and lush! But this also makes the paper buttery in color! SO it is pretty yellow.

The goal book has all the key things you need to get started with a bullet journal, like an index, a future log and events log and monthly log, which is a fab start, especially with those numbered pages.

Dingbats notebook review

Now, I can open a can of worms on Dingbats, and lets take a few steps back, about 2 years ago they did something incomprehensible – twice. And I swore to myself never to buy or support such egregious behavior – but curiosity got the better of me, and I believe in second and third chances, so decided to give them a go. 

So what did they do? 1. they were caught out in blatant plagiarism, they would lift images from peoples instagram and super impose them on their notebooks claiming they did them. They did this with a number of photos, and when confronted they back tracked and denied. They were finally upfront about it and apologised to all those involved. At around the same time – they ran a competition where you had to “vote” for your favorite. This community is about supporting each other, not about pitting people against each other in a popularity contest. Uncool and really messed up. 

But – In saying all of that – I am a strong believer of second chances and bought some in the last sale. UUURG! SO YELLOW! Maybe i had become so used to the bright white pages of the A&O but sooooo yellow. 

Tumbetri Metri notebook review

When I was approached by TM to review their notebooks I was hesitant. But SO glad I did! I put this one in the “best value for money” category because of its bonus features which make it stand out against the Lemome! 

Its a great notebook for newbies and those wanting to try something a little different, the pages are whiter than the lemome and while they are the same thickness and also coated, it makes it lush to use with watercolor.

Graphic Arts notebook review

This was another interesting find, heaps of pages, but slightly thinner and uncoated. There is quite a bit of ghosting and some bleeding. Its an interesting notebook and I havent seen many people using it, but its quite a good starter note book! 

I think the price point is slightly high but for what you are getting is probably worth it. It also has pretty bright white paper which is lovely and bright!

Details	Information
Notebook Name	Graphic Arts
Price	$19.99
Number of Pages	249 numbered pages
Paper gsm	100gsm coated
Number of dots	28×39 dots
Size of dots	0.5mm
Ribbons, Elastic closure or pen loops?	2x Ribbons Elastic Closure Pen loop
Ghosting and Bleeding?	Some
Sizes available	A5
Hard/Soft Cover?	Hard Covers
Colors available?	Minimal choices
Index/Key or additional pages?	Index and Key
Additional extras	None
Overall rating	3/5 Its a perfectly good notebook for newbies and those who are just looking to change

Millegram notebook review

The only B5 notebook on the list of this review, and also comes in a A5. It has a fabric cover and has a great price point. But the paper is “paper thin”. Literally. The paper is almost see-through at times, transparent like, and when you pummel it watercolor or juicy pens, you’ll see some serious bleedthrough and ghosting!

Ink by Jen G notebook review

Our last notebook, is this one by JenG, and she created these as an add onto her store, and what a fun notebook. I love the little embossed florals on the top of the cover. Over all its a simple notebook, and priced competitively with the rest. Its got ivory paper and while its 100 gsm holds up better to pen and watercolor than the graphic arts notebooks which are of similar gsm.

Archer and Olive – Watercolor Notebook review

I’ve already covered above why I adore the A&O brand. And this is one of those reasons. The community was eager for a journal that could be a dot grid and also used with heavy watercolor. 

That being said, was the dawn of a game changer. Absolutely a little more pricey, but when you are dealing with 120 pages of gorgeous hot pressed cotton watercolor pages they surely you understand!

Karst Stone Paper Notebook review

Now this a weird one! If you are wanting something a little different then this notebook might be for you. The paper is made with stone paper – yes stones. But It does make the paper waterproof which is a total bummer on the watercolor or juicy pen front because nothing dries and it takes an age for things to stop smudging!

It is claimed as tear proof, which is moderately true, and if you do get something wet on the page, you can dry it with a dryer but the heat crumples the paper to ash! And makes the paper “ROCK” hard! 

Moleskine Notebook review

The very first notebook I owned! And probably the thinnest and worst! But – it deserves to be in the running for being on the dot grid notebook map. I guess you get what you pay for and these notebooks are cheap, but really, you really are getting some bleeding and ghosting pages for that. And heaps of them!

Citrus Book Bindery Notebook review

Looking for more practical customisation? Well CBB has it in spades! But the price starts getting pretty steep pretty quickly. For a notebooks with 144 numbered pages A5 and a back pocket, with ribbons it starts heading towards the $65 mark. So the price of $32 is the base price with zero additionals, so it can be considered as a really pricy notebook.

What makes this notebook pretty cool, is it is hand made by the owner and her husband.

Happy Planner – Happy Notes

I am so sad that I discovered this notebook late! If I was starting out again, I would probably chose this to start with, because the pages are disk bound so total removable if you make a mistake. 

The pages are really thick, far thicker than I expected and they hold up to watercolor incredibly well. You can combine a notebook and planner to make it a simple system for you!

Rhodia Goal Book notebook review

This is an interesting notebook, it has some amazing paper, its made with clairefontain paper which is buttery smooth and lush! But this also makes the paper buttery in color! SO it is pretty yellow.

The goal book has all the key things you need to get started with a bullet journal, like an index, a future log and events log and monthly log, which is a fab start, especially with those numbered pages.

Dingbats notebook review

Now, I can open a can of worms on Dingbats, and lets take a few steps back, about 2 years ago they did something incomprehensible – twice. And I swore to myself never to buy or support such egregious behavior – but curiosity got the better of me, and I believe in second and third chances, so decided to give them a go. 

So what did they do? 1. they were caught out in blatant plagiarism, they would lift images from peoples instagram and super impose them on their notebooks claiming they did them. They did this with a number of photos, and when confronted they back tracked and denied. They were finally upfront about it and apologised to all those involved. At around the same time – they ran a competition where you had to “vote” for your favorite. This community is about supporting each other, not about pitting people against each other in a popularity contest. Uncool and really messed up. 

But – In saying all of that – I am a strong believer of second chances and bought some in the last sale. UUURG! SO YELLOW! Maybe i had become so used to the bright white pages of the A&O but sooooo yellow. 

Tumbetri Metri notebook review

When I was approached by TM to review their notebooks I was hesitant. But SO glad I did! I put this one in the “best value for money” category because of its bonus features which make it stand out against the Lemome! 

Its a great notebook for newbies and those wanting to try something a little different, the pages are whiter than the lemome and while they are the same thickness and also coated, it makes it lush to use with watercolor.

Graphic Arts notebook review

This was another interesting find, heaps of pages, but slightly thinner and uncoated. There is quite a bit of ghosting and some bleeding. Its an interesting notebook and I havent seen many people using it, but its quite a good starter note book! 

I think the price point is slightly high but for what you are getting is probably worth it. It also has pretty bright white paper which is lovely and bright!

Details	Information
Notebook Name	Graphic Arts
Price	$19.99
Number of Pages	249 numbered pages
Paper gsm	100gsm coated
Number of dots	28×39 dots
Size of dots	0.5mm
Ribbons, Elastic closure or pen loops?	2x Ribbons Elastic Closure Pen loop
Ghosting and Bleeding?	Some
Sizes available	A5
Hard/Soft Cover?	Hard Covers
Colors available?	Minimal choices
Index/Key or additional pages?	Index and Key
Additional extras	None
Overall rating	3/5 Its a perfectly good notebook for newbies and those who are just looking to change

Millegram notebook review

The only B5 notebook on the list of this review, and also comes in a A5. It has a fabric cover and has a great price point. But the paper is “paper thin”. Literally. The paper is almost see-through at times, transparent like, and when you pummel it watercolor or juicy pens, you’ll see some serious bleedthrough and ghosting!

Ink by Jen G notebook review

Our last notebook, is this one by JenG, and she created these as an add onto her store, and what a fun notebook. I love the little embossed florals on the top of the cover. Over all its a simple notebook, and priced competitively with the rest. Its got ivory paper and while its 100 gsm holds up better to pen and watercolor than the graphic arts notebooks which are of similar gsm.