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Part 6: Spring 2022 to Present



This page was first published on April 7, 2025
and last updated on August 20, 2025


Page 11



Postcard Sketching and
A6 Ring Binders


I used to sketch in sketchbooks, but I now sketch on loose cards.

Here are the four most popular card sizes in Japan:




  • Business card: 55 x 91 mm

  • Trading card: 63.5 x 88.9 mm

  • Index card: 75 x 125 mm

  • Postcard: 100 x 148 mm


Index cards

I had been sketching on blank meishi business cards for a few years, but have returned to index cards for several reasons.

They are small enough to carry in the back pocket, but large enough for fine hatching and detail.

Index card jotters are widely available, and I can slip one into my back pocket and have solid support under the card.




Index cards are nearly the same size as mini 6 ring binders (a.k.a. m6 or pocket size ) so I can display finished sketches in book form if I use a hole punch.

I much prefer to flip through index cards in a ring binder than store them in a box.



Postcard jotters

Then I wanted to try a larger format, postcard size.

Postcards can still feasibly fit in a jacket pocket or the back pants pocket (of my overalls, at least).

I searched the web for a postcard jotter, and was thrilled to find a leather crafter in Japan who made them and sold them on a local website called CREEMA which is similar to Etsy.




Then I ordered some cheap blank postcards that were thinner than real postcards but thicker than regular paper.

All I needed was a ring binder to continue the routine I had enjoyed with the index cards.



Ring binders

I had an A6 ring binder (a.k.a. Personal Size or Bible size) and after I punched holes in some blank postcards they fit just okay.

But I felt the binder was a bit too tall, leaving lots of space above and below the postcard.



And the holes were too close to the top and bottom edges of my postcards.

It was possible to use, but this binder was clearly intended for paper that was taller than postcards.

Postcards are practically A6 size which is 105 x 148 mm so a postcard ought to fit an A6 ring binder perfectly, right?

The problem is that most A6 ring binders are not really A6 although they are often marketed as such.

They should be called Personal Size or Bible Size rather than A6.

Fortunately, True A6 size ring binders do exist.



True A6 ring binders

What's the difference between Personal Size and True A6 size?

One important thing to know is that the standard spacing between the holes in all sizes of ring binders is 19 mm (from the centers of the holes).



True A6 size ring binders have a 38 mm gap between the two sets of holes.

Since 38 mm is 19 mm x 2, the spacing between holes remains consistent; a hole could go in the gap without disrupting the 19 mm spacing pattern.

But the gap between the two sets of holes in a Personal size ring binder is 51 mm (2 inches) which disrupts the rhythm of the spacing.



Personal size ring binders take paper that is tall and narrow and have that 51 mm gap between the two sets of holes.

No wonder A6 postcards look awkward in these binders.

Since True A6 ring binders preserve the 19 mm spacing pattern in the gap, M5 and M6 pages will also fit in the same ring binder.



M5 on the left and M6 on the right

True A6 ring binders are not in big demand and are not easy to find.

If the seller does not say it is True A6 or mention the 38mm gap, then it's probably not True A6.

I found an inexpensive True A6 leather ring binder from the Wanderings company that I bought on Amazon. Then I bought a more elaborate ring planner from Moterm.



I also got some Moterm True A6 ring mechanisms and some pieces of leather to make my own ring binders for storing sketches.

A word of caution: one of the rings on the ring mechanism didn't match up exactly so I tried to bend it into place. And it snapped off because the metal is very thin at the base.



Anyway, the Moterm ring planner is really nice, especially for the relatively low price. But all those pockets are more than I needed, and the wide 30mm rings and all that leather make it too heavy and bulky for my bag.

This would make a great chunky planner, but as a portable sketchbook it is a bit unwieldy so it stays at home.



The simpler Wanderings ring binder has 19mm rings and is lighter and smaller. So it is perfect as a portable field sketchbook. But I couldn't find it on Amazon when I checked recently, so maybe it's discontinued.



Photo from the Amazon website

By the way, this Wanderings ring binder had a fold-over flap that I didn't need. Since the stitching did not extend to the flap, I carefully cut the flap off. I also removed an elastic band that kept it closed.


I mentioned above that I also made some very simple ring binders that consisted of a single piece of leather and a ring mechanism which is fastened by screws.



A local store sells A4 size leather pieces, and they were the perfect size for A6 ring binders when turned horizontally and doubled over like a book. So all I had to do was trim a little to get the right book height.



So I now have many true A6 ring binders to choose from, although most will remain at home for storing sketches on the bookshelf.

Still, I wished there were more options for true A6 ring binders. I really wanted to find a beautiful embossed leather binder like the mini 6 one I got a few years ago from a seller on Etsy.

I love that leather binder, and it has darkened with a few applications of mink oil. But I didn't really need the enclosing strap and button.



My dream became a reality after I did some searching on the web and found DM & Leather in China.

They didn't have true A6 ring binders but they could supply me with an embossed leather cover if I was willing to punch holes and intall my own true A6 ring mechanism.

Ring mechanisms are easy to find on Amazon or from Moterm directly, so I created a diagram with the specs and sent it to my contact at DM & Leather.

These measurements would allow me to install a 19mm ring mechanism, but a 30mm ring mechanism would require a wider cover.



This diagram is a png. If you want to also order the same leather cover, you can download the image and send it to them. The image is actually much larger than it appears on this web page.

Since I live in Japan and the seller is in China, the leather cover arrived very quickly, exactly one week from the day I sent the specs and paid for the cover.

It was incredibly cheap, around 30 dollars at the time.



The color is lighter than my smaller one, but I think the smaller one was the same color when it was new.

I like the lighter color so I will try not to apply too much mink oil which would darken the leather.



Installing the ring mechanism was very easy, and in no time I had my dream leather ring binder in true A6 size.

I was so happy with it that I turned around and ordered another one and it was in my hands in six days!





As I mentioned above, true A6 size is the same size as standard postcards in Japan, except it is 5mm wider. So it's perfect for postcard sketches.

It's a great feeling to pull out my artsy leather postcard notebook in a coffee shop and work on my sketches.





I think postcard size or true A6 is the perfect size for sketching at a small table in a traditional old coffee shop in Tokyo.





I've even added some true A6 size dot grid pages in a section in the back of the notebook so I can keep a journal along with the sketches.






Note about Amazon links: If you click on a link and buy something at Amazon, a few pennies per dollar goes into my Amazon account, so instead of letting Amazon keep it all, you can pry a few pennies from their fingers make them share it with me. Any other vendor links I may put on this website are just for your convenience.




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