24 January 2018

A6 in Summary

My small collection of A6 organisers

A6 might not be a size I'm actively using a lot these days, but I know a lot of people that love this size. So it was time to update this post from a couple of years ago and also add in some more information too.

A6 the paper size. 
So what is so magical about A6 paper size and why has the planner world suddenly woken up to it? Until recently there were not many makes of organisers that fitted true A6 size paper, there now is, so people with a little hint from ourselves have started to look in to it a bit more.

A6 size is 148 mm by 105 mm, it is half the size of A5 paper. A lot of people already use A5 organisers, so the A6 is a smaller version. The same page height and width proportions so it feels quite natural to switch between the two sizes.

Alan did us an excellent paper size post some time ago on this very topic so it makes sense to mention it again.
So as you can see printing for A6 is relatively straight forward. 

Pre-printed A6 Inserts. 

If you don't like the idea of printing your own inserts there are a number of businesses on Etsy that offer inserts in A6 size. I can't offer any opinions on them, but ask on the various Facebook groups and I'm sure you will get some recommendations.
Diary Inserts
Philofaxy have also made available a range of inserts for A6 size paper. 
Printing A6 size inserts
You will of course need to know how to print your own inserts and I did a tutorial on how to do that in another post. 
Creating Inserts
You might also want to create your own pages too. 
So creating inserts for A6 is relatively straight forward, you do have to make some adjustments if you are going from an A5 insert down to an A6 one because everything is 70% the size of the original. So I generally still design in A5 but make the fonts bigger by a couple of  points and reduce the number of lines on a page by 30%, that then gives you the same line height as you have on A5.

Other A6 page size combinations also work with A6 ring spacings.

You can also put larger size pages in your A6 organiser with a little bit of folding of course, this is useful for maps and similar information sheets.

Punching inserts for A6 organisers
The ring spacing or hole spacing for A6 organisers is different to that of Personal size, but the Rapesco punch has a middle setting which is the correct spacing for A6 size organisers. The Rapesco also does Pocket and Personal size by moving the punch blocks together or apart.

If you own one already you might not have realised there is a middle setting. Take the bottom cover off and then move the punch blocks slowly to the middle on both sides and you will feel the middle detent for A6 size. 


Organisers for A6 size paper. 

We have recently reviewed the new Gillio A6 organiser and the redesigned Van der Spek Senior size Touch Me organisers. Both come with 25 mm internal diameter rings.
The Gillio A6 Compagna is currently available in 18 colours from €308 (approx €254 outside of EU).

The Gillio A6 Mia Cara is currently available in 6 colours from €500 (approx €413 outside of EU).

The Van der Spek Senior Touch Me comes in five colours the price is €119 (approx €99 outside of the EU).

Van der Spek can also make you a custom leather Senior model the number of colour combinations runs in to the hundreds, prices start at €147.62 (approx €122 outside of EU) for a 20mm ring model, but there are options for 25mm rings plus addition things like:
  • Full width back pocket
  • Ring protectors
  • 2nd pen loop
  • Secretarial flaps
  • And anything else you consider extra... just email Petra!
It is worth reading Van der Spek Senior Sizes to understand the different VdS Senior sizes

Mulberry Agenda size is also a true A6 paper size organiser.

William Hannah for leather disc-bound notebooks/planners with prices starting at £89 (approx £74 outside of the EU)

My own conversion from Personal size to A6 also deserves a mention because I'm sure a lot of others are going through this thought process at the moment as well. 
Finding more information.

Apart from Philofaxy, where if you can't find the information then just ask Steve (philofaxy at gmail dot com) or take a look at one of the Facebook groups:
Let us know if you have any questions or other insert suppliers in the comments.

Prices correct at the time of publication of this post, please check websites for the up to date prices. 

     

4 comments:

  1. Love today’s entry! It’s a perfect resource for those interested in finding out more about this perfect sized planner.
    Thanks for mentioning our Facebook group “Using A6 Planners”. We are proud to say that since 2015, we have grown into a vibrant, active membership of 1200, well-matched for those interested in considering/trying an alternative to the larger medium, or smaller pocket sized planners.
    As always Steve, thank for your great post!

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  2. Yes, Linda, a great post from Steve. Very informative. Even though I'm now using B6 Slim for my EDC, I do love A6. I still use it for my book journal: I do my own inserts. So easy. But I will take a look those A6 inserts' makers you mentioned. How I love the A6!

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  3. I've browsed DIYfish's shop for ages, but I can't find any preprinted inserts. Everything needs to be printed myself. Is there a different shop for printed inserts?

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    1. There used to be someone who used to offer a printing service. But I think she moved to the USA in the last year and might have stopped offering the service.

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