LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5 - 251 Numbered Pages for Writing and Journaling (Black, Dotted) Review (2026)

What this notebook is

This is LEUCHTTURM1917's Medium A5 hardcover notebook, measuring roughly 5.75 by 8.25 inches, with a dotted grid layout and 251 numbered pages printed on 80gsm FSC certified paper. LEUCHTTURM1917 is a German stationery brand best known for this exact format, which has become a standard choice for bullet journaling and structured note taking well beyond its original planner use. The dots sit 5mm apart in each direction, giving a light, unobtrusive grid that guides straight lines and even letter spacing without the visual weight of ruled lines. The hardcover is bound with a thread-sewn binding, which the manufacturer states opens flat, an important detail for anyone lettering near the spine rather than only in the safe center of the page.

How it performs for lettering

The 5mm dot grid is genuinely useful for lettering practice because it lets you rule your own baselines, x-heights and slant guides in pencil at whatever spacing a project calls for, rather than being locked into printed ruled lines meant for regular handwriting. Numbered pages paired with a blank table of contents at the front make it realistic to build a running index of practice sessions, alphabet drills or finished pieces, which is harder to keep organized in an unnumbered sketchbook. The tradeoff is paper weight: at 80gsm, this notebook is noticeably thinner than dedicated bleedproof journals, so dry media like pencil, fineliner and most gel pens perform well, but wet brush pens and saturated fountain pen ink can ghost through to the next page or bleed through entirely, so testing on a spare page first is worth doing before committing a full spread.

Page count and paper details

With 251 numbered pages, this notebook holds a substantial amount of practice or finished lettering before it fills up, and the last several sheets are perforated so they can be removed cleanly if a page needs to leave the book. The paper has a slightly warm, chamois tone rather than stark white, which many letterers find easier on the eyes over long practice sessions and which also shows certain ink colors slightly differently than pure white paper would. Because the dot grid measures 5mm, it works as a flexible base grid for a range of lettering styles and sizes rather than being tuned to one specific script, though very large display lettering may need guides drawn beyond what the dots alone provide.

Build quality and extras

The hardcover is built for daily carrying, with a durable case-bound cover, rounded corners, an elastic closure band to keep the book shut in a bag, and two ribbon page markers for tracking a current spread plus a reference page. A gusseted expandable pocket in the back cover holds loose reference sheets, swatch cards or ink test strips, which is a genuinely practical extra for anyone using this as a combined planner and lettering log. LEUCHTTURM1917 also includes a sheet of labeling stickers for organizing a shelf of notebooks by date or topic, a small touch that matters if lettering practice spans multiple filled journals over time.

Value for letterers

As an everyday notebook rather than a specialty art journal, this LEUCHTTURM1917 sits at a price point that reflects its hardcover build, thread binding and page count rather than premium wet media paper, so it is best valued as an organized home for dry-media lettering practice, planning and reference rather than as a substitute for dedicated bleedproof journals. Letterers who work primarily in pencil, fineliner or ballpoint for daily drills will get strong value from the numbered pages, index and pocket, while those who letter mainly with brush pens or wet ink may want to pair this notebook with heavier practice paper and reserve it for planning, swatching and lighter drills instead.

Frequently asked questions