How to Choose the Right Leather Notebook Cover — Size, Style and What Actually Matters
Most people know they want a notebook. Fewer know which size, which style, or why it matters. Get it wrong and a notebook sits in a drawer after a week. Get it right and it becomes something you reach for every day — and one you'll still be using in ten years.
This guide covers everything you need to know about choosing the right leather notebook cover from Priestleys, including size, insert format and which style suits how you actually work.
Why the cover matters as much as the paper
A notebook is only as good as the thing you want to carry it in. A beautiful refillable leather cover does something a disposable notebook never can — it becomes yours over time. Full-grain vegetable-tanned leather softens, deepens and develops a patina shaped by the person who uses it. The version you receive on day one is the beginning of the piece. The version you carry in ten years is something else entirely.
And because every Priestleys notebook cover is refillable, you never have to replace the leather — just the paper insert when you reach the final page. The cover stays. The patina builds. The story continues.
Choosing your size
A4 — the desk notebook
A4 is the largest size in the classic range and the right choice if your notebook rarely leaves your desk. It suits architects, designers, writers and anyone who thinks in landscape — people who need space to sketch, plan and lay things out without constraint. At A4 the cover makes a genuine statement on a desk, and the pages give you room to think properly.
Best for: architects, designers, students, project planning, anyone who writes at length.
Shop the A4 refillable leather notebook →
A5 — the everyday notebook
A5 is the most popular size for good reason. It sits comfortably in most bags, opens flat on a desk without taking over, and gives you enough space to write properly without the bulk of A4. If you carry a notebook to meetings, use it for journaling, or want something that moves between home and work without feeling like a burden — A5 is almost always the right answer.
Best for: everyday use, meetings, journaling, planning, anyone who carries a bag.
Shop the A5 refillable leather notebook →A6 — the pocket notebook
A6 is the smallest and most portable size. It fits in a jacket pocket, a small bag or a coat pocket without bulk. It suits quick notes, ideas, lists and the kind of things that need to be captured immediately before they disappear. If you already have a larger notebook on your desk but want something with you constantly — A6 is that companion piece.
Best for: quick notes, ideas, travel, everyday carry, pairing with a larger notebook.
Shop the A6 refillable leather notebook →
Classic cover or trifold — which style is right for you?
Both styles use the same full-grain vegetable-tanned leather and are available in the same colours and personalisation options. The difference is in how they carry and how they feel to use.
The classic refillable notebook
The classic cover wraps around your chosen insert and fastens with an elastic closure. It's clean, minimal and unobtrusive — the leather does the talking and the notebook sits flat when open. If you want something straightforward, elegant and easy to pick up and put down, the classic cover is the one.
Available in A4, A5 and A6.
The trifold cover
The trifold wraps around the front and back of the insert in three panels, fastening with an elastic closure and sitting completely flat when open. It's a more structured, considered piece — something that feels substantial in the hand and makes a statement on a desk without being showy. If you carry your notebook everywhere and want something that feels like it was made to be used hard, the trifold is the one.
Available in A5 and A6, with two refillable inserts included.
Choosing your insert format
Every Priestleys notebook cover arrives with a lined paper insert — and the trifold comes with two. The format you choose depends entirely on how you use it.
Lined — the most familiar format, good for writing, notes and anything where you want your words to stay neat. The right choice if the notebook is primarily for text.
Dotted — the most versatile format. The dots are subtle enough to ignore when you're writing freely but present enough to keep things ordered when you need them. Good for bullet journaling, planning, sketching and mixed use.
Plain — complete freedom. No guides, no structure, just the paper. The right choice for sketching, drawing, thinking visually or anyone who finds lines restrictive.
Squares — a grid format that suits technical drawing, charts, structured planning and anyone who thinks in columns and rows. Less common but the right tool when you need it.
Personalisation
Every cover can be personalised with initials, a name, a date or a short phrase — embossed in gold foil, silver foil or a clean blind emboss. A personalised leather notebook makes one of the most considered gifts for a writer, a planner, a new graduate, a colleague or anyone who still reaches for a pen.
In summary — which one is right for you?
If you write at a desk and want space — A4 classic cover.
If you carry your notebook everywhere — A5 classic cover.
If you want something in your pocket at all times — A6 classic or trifold.
If you want something substantial and structured — A5 or A6 trifold.
If you want the most versatile insert — dotted.
If you write more than you sketch — lined.
If you think visually — plain.
