This will sound really biased, but to be honest, Papernotes is the local paper maker I keep buying from, and for good reasons at that. (Just actually bought three journals from them last month!) 🙈

Last time, we reviewed their standard A5 journals, and now it's time to review the mini version. And I'm pretty excited to get to this because I noticed it's so much more difficult looking for a good quality A6 notebook as opposed to the A5. So let's see if the minis is as impressive as the classics. You ready? 

Let's begin. ♥︎

THE LAYOUT

Homegrown stationary brand Papernotes specializes in soft-bound, smyth-sewn journals available in A5 and A6 sizes. 

The minis have four page styles to choose from⏤blank, ruled, dotted, grid; and I got the dotted ones because, as you probably know, it's the only style that sits well with me. 😅

On face value, the A6 has less features than the A5, and I've listed them below:

• semi-soft leatherette covers, slightly textured
• may be personalized, debossed with a maximum of 15 characters, spaces and special characters included
• contains 100 leaves or 200 pages of 80 GSM ivory wood-free paper
• smyth sewn binding, can be laid flat when opened
• gusseted back pocket 
• 1 ribbon bookmark
• elastic enclosure band
• comes in dotted, grid, blank, and ruled
• available in 12 colors—carbon (black), coffee (brown), denim (blue), crimson (red), sky (light blue), mint (teal), blush (pink), overcast (gray), nori (dark green), mustard (marigold), eggplant (purple), sunkist (orange)

Here are the differences: 

• The minis come in more sheets (100!) but is used with lower GSM paper 
• They don't have a pen holder on the side
• Minis come in less colors (only 12 out of the 16 from the A5) 

Comparison between A6 and iPhone 7

SAMPLE PAGES

Papernotes A6 on top of the Papernotes A5

PEN-TO-PAPER TEST

In this segment, let's test how the paper performs against different pens. We'll mainly check ghosting and bleeding, and we will be using the following:

• Pilot G2 0.38
• Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.3
• Zebra Sarasa Vintage 0.5
• Muji gel pen 0.3
• Dong-A Hexaplus fineliner 0.4
• Tombow dual brush pen ABT
• Stabilo Boss highlighter
• Snowhite highlighter

Findings

1. Ghosting is definitely visible with the highlighters and markers. 
2. No bleeding so far. But let's note that I only did a one swipe for  

THE YELLOW LEGAL PAD TEST

pros

1. Big news: this is now my favorite A6. The thickness is ideal; it isn't not too chunky⏤perfect for everyday carry.
2. Papernotes really has a way with its paper. This one is thinner compared to their classic journal, but the quality is still very impressive nonetheless. 
3. Wide range of pretty colors! This, by far, has the most color options for A6 journals I've found that are light on the pocket. 
4. Back compartments are always a plus for me! 
5. Price point is super fair. I think that for less than PHP 200 a pop, the journal has exceeded my expectations.
6. The slight cut on the cover used as an elastic rest gives the journal a very clean silhouette and also makes it rather compact, with the elastic secured in its place. (Personal preference: I still prefer a no-cut cover, but that's just me. ✌️) 

cons

VERDICT

price point
●●●●●

durability
●●●●●

paper quality
●●●●●

design
●●●●●

accessibility
●●●●○

final rating: 4.8 / 5

Photo from Papernotes PH

RECOMMENDATION

Get it. No, I'm not kidding. Get it. If you want something you can carry around that'll pair well with most inks and won't easily break, I highly recommend you get the Papernotes mini. It's definitely a Moleskine dupe, it's local, and it's budget friendly. 

If you're interested with their classic A5 journals, this link should take you there. 😉 

QUICK NOTES

Price: PHP 199 (regular), PHP 225 (personalized, debossed)

Where to buy: Shopee Mall | Lazada