Minimalism ArtPremium Hard Cover Notebook Journal, Large Size, Composition B5 7.6"x10", 186 Numbered Pages, Gusseted Pocket, Ribbon Bookmark, Extra Thick Ink-Proof Paper 120gsm (Wide Ruled, Amber)

Update April 8, 2021The executive summary review is they downgraded their page count (removed 48 pages) to 186 in the current batch (previously 234 in 2019-2020) without telling you. They stopped giving you the gift box which protected from damage (previously came in a nice gift/storage box) which was nice but isn't a deal breaker. However this company uses such minimal protection when shipping the books arrive damaged. I've had it happen to at least three separate shipments. So the result is a downgraded quality product compared to their previous products, which now, for me, are an expensive product with flaws (previously they were a bargain buy with tolerable flaws). The 186 pages means that I can now only get 3 to 3.5 months use per book (compared to 5-6 months use in the previous printings with higher page count). IMHO they captured the market then instead of raising their price to make money, they downgraded the product to do the same thing without increasing their price. In the long run this doubles the price for the consumer (you and me) where they could have just bumped their price by $3-5 which would have been tolerable and understood by their customers. They made the wrong decision, I'm hoping and praying that they see the light and will increase their page count in their next printing whenever that happens in a year or two. Until then my decreased stars remain. I'll happily increase my stars to five big sparkling stars when they increase their page count to where it used to be.This review is not for TLDR people, but is intended for people who like to spend time reading and researching their products.Shipping, I've purchased many journals from this company and used to LOVE them! They WERE the perfect journal (or as perfect as I could find). But their shipping is not very good at protecting from damage during transit. They tend to throw the books into a cheap box with no or trivial packing material and results in an unbalanced box where the books slam around during shipping and get damaged. They also use boxes that have little space between the walls and the books so no packaging is between the books and the box and any damage is transferred directly to the books. I've had at least three shipments arrive with damaged books. When they used to have gift boxes they protected the books and it was less of a big deal. Now without the gift boxes it's worse. They really should have two inches of packing around the books on each side to protect them from damage.I'm considering revising this to 2.5 stars maybe 3 but the two stars has to stand for now so that people reordering can see they downgraded the page count and value. I'm very disappointed in the downgrade of pages. The entire reason to buy these books were they gave the page count which was similar to (but still less than) Leuchtturm books with higher quality paper. The dots weren't lined up page to page, but that was OK since you got high page count with higher GSM. People want to use their book for as many months as possible and 5-6 are possible with the previous (not anymore) edition. Now I can get only 3-3.5 months. Practically this means that the price is doubled by needing to use about four books per year instead of two. Plus all the writing that needs to be repeated with each book needs to be done more frequently (doubled as well) and that means my time is wasted now too. Dropping nearly 50 pages steals a lot from my use of these books.If they wanted to drop the gift box, fine, it was really nice but it wasn't a big deal. I miss the white covers and sparkling ribbons, but I could tolerate black.The biggest problem is Dropping 48 pages from the book, pages that I can't use anymore, means they degraded the product and that's unacceptable. The cover is still nice, the GSM is still high, I can put up with the misaligned dots page to page, I can put up with the pages stuck together with the substandard gluing process, but shorting the pages means I have to look elsewhere.I really loved these books. I don't ever like writing critical reviews, it pains me to have to write this. Hopefully they will increase the page count to the previous editions sometime in the future and they don't go out of business with this bag decision. They can fix it. I hope they do.Update April 2021Downgraded review to two stars for the 186 page 2021 edition. They get the two stars because they used to be great. Now they sucked out all the value of the books and are just another flawed journal.The new batch comes without a gift box and a seriously bad downgrade to only 186 pages. The reason to buy these books (previously the greatest) was the high page count. Now that reason is gone and they are just another book with misaligned dots (don't line up page to page). Easy to overlook and ignore when you get 52 pages in the previous printing. I don't know why they decreased the page count other than to punish their customers.I love the previous editions, the new one is terrible. I'll have to look elsewhere for a journal now. I should have bought 50 when they had the old ones. The new ones are too short and don't have nearly enough page count. It's a despicable way to force your customers to buy more books.The lack of the box isn't ideal, it was really nice. No that's gone too. This company does not want to retain customers or make its customers happy. They also don't use any padding when they ship the books. Mine arrived damaged from shipping and I suspect some of them were damaged before they shipped them to me and sent me damaged books intentionally. Normally I would not put shipping and damage in my review but they are the ones who shipped them to me and I'm nearly positive they sent me damaged books internationally based on the pattern where the some of the damage was.I despise writing bad reviews. If I don't like something I just tend to keep my mouth shut. However this time I feel betrayed. They said they were making the exact same book last June when I asked when they expected more. I waited patiently until March to order. Then they send me damaged books and have removed 50 pages per book that were the main reason I bought them in the first place. People need to know that these are not the same thing they got last year. Even the A5 size has 50 pages removed. Why should anyone buy from them when they downgraded their products.This is sad. Minimalism art used to be the best journal, now they are just average. They aren't getting more of my money. I've left my previous review of the old edition (no longer sold) because I used to love these journals and this company. Now they just want to take your money without providing the quality they used to provide.Five Stars! For the 2019-2020 Batch, B5 size (7.6"x10"), 234 pages, premium HC dotted journal, boxedThis review is for the Minimalism Art, numbered, dotted, premium hard cover journal, 234 pages, 120gsmThis review is for the journals from the 2019 to 2020 production run that came in nice storage/gift boxesThis review is for the B5 size (large, 7.6"x10") but could apply to the A5 (medium size) as well.I find these journals to be the absolute best for me. I like the nice thick paper coupled with the generous 234 page count and the nice storage box. The books feel nice in your hands and you want to pick them up and touch and use them.They meet the tests of numbered pages, have a TOC, two nice ribbons, pocket in the back and elastic band.With all of the above I give them 5 stars. However the new listing says that the page count is not the same and has decreased to only 186 pages, which is too few in my opinion. I may change the review if this is the case. Their infographic still says that the B5 size has 234 pages so lets hope this is just an error from the extra large size (which has fewer pages). If they decreased the page count I'm going to lament the loss of what I consider the ideal journal and be forced have to find a different journal.I've been waiting since the end of last summer (2020) to purchase more (currently end of March 2021) and they are due in April. I'll revisit this review once I've been able to see the 2021 production run in person. I just wish they would continue to make the exact same product. Don't mess with success!

I used this journal for garden planning, and it's ideal for the purpose. Sturdy paper holds up well to pencil erasures and ink does not bleed through to the other side.

There are a lot of A5 (approx. 5.75" x 8.25") bullet journals (BUJOs) to choose from on Amazon, but very few B5 (7.6" x 10") BUJOs. I made the switch to the B5 size and am sold! I love the layout flexibility of the larger size, the ease of resting my hand on the paper as I draw, and the freedom of not needing to write in a miniscule font to fit words into small boxes.The Minimalism Art dotted notebooks have everything you'd want in a high quality BUJO: hard cover, sewn spine to lay flat, page numbers, 2 ribbons, title page, table of contents and back pocket. It is a good thickness at 120 gsm. Using Micron fineliners and Tombow markers, there is no bleeding through a page. The ink dries fast on the page, which is great if you like to use pencil first then go over your work with a fineliner and then erase the pencil. You won't get smudges or have to wait for the ink to dry like in some other BUJOs. I do get very faint ghosting, but it isn't something you notice when you flip through your notebook. If you want to use a lot of saturated color, alcohol pens, or even some watercolor, you'd need 160 gsm paper. The paper is a creamy color (not pure white). At first I thought I wouldn't like it, but now I find I really do. It is easier on the eyes and looks good with the varied color palletes that I choose.The 2021 version is different in that it only has 186 pages (vs. 234 pages in older versions). However, the price dropped from $19.95 to $14.95 to account for this. The price/value for this notebook can't be beat! There is a complaint that the pages don't always perfectly line up in the middle. I can confirm that some dots in the last column are closer to the spine than on other pages such that the square grid isn't perfect when crossing from one open page to the next; however, all rows are lined up, so you can create perfectly straight lines that crossover 2 pages. Therefore, this does not upset my sense of perfection, whereas it may grate on others. Note: Scribble That Matters does not have this problem, but you pay more for it and currently I haven't seen a B5 version available on Amazon.

Great quality