A4 Leather Journals

A4 Leather Journal Covers: Full-Page Writing and Sketching

A4 is the desk size — the same page as printer paper, so anything you print, draw or file matches it without folding. Every cover here is full-grain Crazy Horse leather, measures 8.9" × 12.6" (22.6 × 32 cm) closed, and carries its paper on elastic bands so the cover stays and the pad changes.

A4 Size in Inches, Centimetres and Millimetres

• A4 page — 8.3" × 11.7", 21 × 29.7 cm, 210 × 297 mm.
• Asperaria A4 cover, closed — 8.9" × 12.6", 22.6 × 32 cm, 226 × 320 mm.
• A5, for comparison — 5.8" × 8.3", 14.8 × 21 cm. Exactly half the A4 page.
• US Letter, for comparison — 8.5" × 11", 21.6 × 27.9 cm. 6 mm wider than A4 and 18 mm shorter.

A4 is the international standard for printed documents everywhere except North America, where Letter takes its place. Both fit this cover; Letter sits with a little less clearance at the sides and a little more at the ends.

A4 Notebooks, Pads and Sketchbooks That Fit

• Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Oxford and Muji A4 notebooks and pads — 210 × 297 mm.
• A4 sketchbooks and drawing pads up to roughly 215 × 305 mm, including heavier watercolour stock.
• US Letter pads and legal-pad-style refills at 216 × 279 mm.
• Loose printed documents — an A4 cover doubles as a portfolio, with the sheets held under the elastics.
• Does not fit: Leuchtturm1917 Master A4+, 225 × 315 mm. It is larger than A4 proper and larger than this cover.

Two pads can run at once on the bands, though at this size most people keep one and add an insert for documents.

A4 or B5? Where the Line Falls

• A4 — 21 × 29.7 cm. Take it if you carry printed documents, draw at full page, or work at a desk. This collection.
• B5 — 17.6 × 25 cm, about 30% smaller in area. Take it if you mainly want writing and sketching room and would rather it still fit a normal bag. See B5 leather journals.
• A5 — 14.8 × 21 cm, half of A4 and the everyday default. See A5 leather journals.

A4 as a Sketchbook and Portfolio Cover

Because the paper is not bound in, an A4 cover is as much a portfolio as a journal. A watercolour pad goes on the elastics for a week and comes off when it is full; loose sheets, printed drawings or a client’s documents can travel under the same bands without being punched or glued.

• Notebook refills — A4 paper in lined, dotted, blank and 200 gsm watercolour, which takes a wash without buckling.
• Journal inserts and organizers — document folders, zip pouches and card slots.
• Pen cases and pen holders — for pencils and brush pens as much as fountain pens.
• Bookmark clips and journal charms for the page and the closure.

A4 in Six Leather Colors

Every A4 cover is cut from the same full-grain Crazy Horse hide in six colors. Black Onyx, Chestnut brown, Forest Green, Bordeaux burgundy, Cognac and Caramel. The whole range sits on the leather journals hub, and any of them can be personalized with laser engraving, heat stamping or gold and silver foil — the usual choice for a firm or studio putting its mark on a portfolio.