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Nuuna Journal Review: A Notebook Like No Other

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Out of all Bullet Journal supplies, getting a perfect journal has been my top goal.

There are so many notebook brands out there, but I’ve always had an eye on the Nuuna journal, and boy, oh boy!

I’m so happy to say I finally got my hands on one, and by the time I’m writing this review, I’ve been using it for several years.

So here is my comprehensive review. Let’s see if this incredible journal will be a good fit for you as well.

When I started my Bullet Journal in 2018, Nuuna was the best I could get. And generally, I think the market wasn’t really that saturated.

But as Bullet Journaling became more popular, more brands popped out, and a lot of them came out with some amazing journals.

For a while I actually switched to using a different brand. But after playing around with those notebooks for a few years, I eventually ended up going back to Nuuna.

I still have a soft spot for Nuune journals. In my opinion, whatever the drawbacks, Nuuna is still a fantastic and very unique notebook.

So, I really hope this post will help you figure out if this is the right notebook for you. If not – there are several blog posts linked at the end of the post with other options you might want to consider.

This post may contain affiliate links. They will be of no extra expense for you, but I receive a small credit. Please see my Disclosure for more details. Thank you for supporting Masha Plans!

Nuuna Journal Review: “The End of Boring Notebooks”

Nuuna journals are produced by a German company called Brandbook and are positioning themselves as premium notebooks.

But are they that great? Are they worth the price? Well, keep reading to find out!

Don’t you love a good mystery?

Since I am pretty lousy with mysteries, you probably already figured out from the name of this post that I think Nuuna is a very special and lovely journal I’m obsessed with.

But I promise you I’ll be objective with my review and give you all the pluses and minuses of this journal. After all, just because I find it so irresistible doesn’t mean it will be a good fit for you.

I always say, there is no such thing and the best notebook, there are just notebooks that fit your style and needs the most.

Let’s dive in and look at these amazing journals in detail.

General Journal Information

Before we look into each specification in detail, let’s look at some general information about the notebooks.

Nuuna journals come in many sizes and have different materials for their covers. The covers are usually made of smooth bonded leather (recycled leather made from leather cuttings) or jeans leather materials.

Image credit: nuuna.com

The notebooks come in S (1.6 × 10.8 × 15 cm), M (1.30 × 20.7 × 14.1 cm), L Light (1.6 × 16.5 × 22 cm), L (2.1 × 16.5 × 22 cm), XL (1.3 × 29.7 × 21 cm) sizes.

None of these sizes are standard size, so it’s something to consider when buying yours.

Of course, here we’re talking about dot grid since it’s the most popular option for Bullet Journaling, but they have also have journals with no grid or even pre-made planners!

Now, there’s a seriously cool feature here – the dot grid comes in different colors! You can choose between grey and neon orange. How awesome is that?

My latest Nuuna journal is L size, and here are the exact specifications:

  • Smooth Bonded Leather Cover
  • Screen Print
  • 165 x 220 mm
  • 256 Numbered Pages
  • 3,5 mm Dot Grid
  • 120 GSM Premium Paper
  • Edge Coloring

Journal Cover

Nuuna notebooks come in a variety of designs, and all of them are very unique. Whether you’re a minimalist or love something fun and colors, you’ll be able to find a design that fits your aesthetics.

My first journal has a pink and teal gradient, and my latest Nuuna is black with silver splatters.

Nuuna covers are soft covers that feel very nice to touch. I also love the feeling of texture they have. They add design by silk screen printing, and you can totally feel the quality when you hold the notebook in your hands.

You can see the name of the brand on the binding. And what I love the most – the page’s edges are colored to match the cover! This is a very nice detail which brings the notebook to the next level.

The notebook itself feels heavy and well-constructed.

A soft cover, though, can definitely bring some issues. If you’re the one who carried their journal with them a lot, the cover might end up fraying, and there is no enclosure, so there is always a feeling that the journal might open up while in your bag and pages get damaged.

This is not an issue specific to this journal, though; if you have a soft cover and no enclosure, this can be an issue for any brand.

My solution is to get a cover. However, it’s important to note that since this journal is not a standard size, it won’t be easy to find one that fits the journal perfectly.

I used to have a perfect recommendation for you, but the shop actually closed, and I still haven’t found an alternative. But I’m still looking! And if you have any good recommendations, share them with us in the comments!

Journal Size

As I mentioned a little earlier, Nuuna notebook sizes are not standard ones, so be careful when you choose one for yourself.

I chose an L-size journal, which is pretty close to A5, which is the standard size for a Bullet Journal notebook, but it is still a bit bigger.

Here is actually an image of my current Nuuna journal compared to an A5 Archer and Olive notebook.

I find the size to be a huge advantage. Why? Well, first of all, now I have more space to journal and doodle on my spreads. Second – this means I need to use fewer pages to set up my journal for the month.

For example, in A5 notebook I have 3 – 4 pages for my monthly setup. In Nuuna, on the other hand, just two is enough since, on one page, I can now write much more.

Take a look at my monthly spread as an example. I managed to add a monthly log, a monthly to-do list, and a habit tracker to one page.

That actually means, at least for me and how I used my Bullet Journal, that I can actually use one journal for an entire year. My last Nuuna journal I actually used for a year and a half.

By comparison, when I use an A5 notebook with a standard grid (Nuuna journal grid is a bit smaller), I end up using two notebooks per year.

Inside the Journal

Nuuna notebook has nothing extra; once you open the journal – it’s just dot grid pages. I personally love it because it gives me complete freedom to create only the pages I want.

However, if you want something pre-made, like an index, you might be disappointed.

The pages are numbered, though, which is great. So, if you decide actually to create an index, it will be pretty easy.

Moreover, the numbers are small enough not to be a nuisance when you do your designs.

Plus, the binding really allows the pages to lay flat. It’s perfect if you want to take pictures of your journal and share it on social media.

Notebook Paper and Dot Grid

Nuuna journals use 120 GSM Munken fine paper from Sweden for its notebooks. One thing you will notice at once is that the paper is extremely white! And this is a really fantastic straight since you often find that companies don’t really go for the pure white color.

For me, it’s important to consider that if your paper isn’t perfectly white, your markers and brush pen colors will look different. To get the original pure color, you need white paper. My advice to you, before buying a Nuuna, is to try out your pens on a white sheet of paper to see how you like the colors.

Now for the dot grid – in Nuuna it’s actually 3,5 mm, not the usual 5 mm of other journals. This is something that would take some time to get used to, but it has its own advantages.

A smaller grid means that you’ll be able to fit more on one page. For me, it also fits my handwriting better. I always thought a 5 mm grid would be too big for my handwriting, but this one fits it perfectly.

So if you have smaller handwriting, you might find this grid just as amazing as I do.

Here is an image with a grid comparison so you can clearly see the difference.

Moreover, the grid I used was light grey, so it didn’t stand out. It’s barely noticeable once you’ve completed your page setup. And I appreciate that! (Disclaimer: I didn’t try the other colors yet, so if you did, I’d love to read your opinion in the comments!).

Nuuna uses 120 GSM Munken fine paper from Sweden for it’s notebooks. One thing you will notice at once is that the paper is extremely white! This is one of the reasons why I’ll stay with Nuuna for a long time – I’ve never seen a notebook with paper this white.

Pen Test

Now to the biggest and most important paper question – how well does it handle all the different pens and markers.

I’ve tested my Nuuna with lots of different pens and markers, and you can see the result below. There is no bleeding, just some occasional ghosting. The only pen you can clearly see in Pentel Touch.

Nuuna Journal Review - Pen Test | Masha Plans

However, coming back to Nuuna from journals with 160 GSM paper, I’m noticing some differences in the paper quality. If I layer my Tombows a few times, for example, I can feel the paper getting scrubbed and starting to bleed a little bit.

For me, this is not a problem, I’m more of a doodling person, so I’m not planning to go too artistic with my spreads. However, if you are an artist and plan to layer a lot and use watercolor – this might be a bit of a nuisance to you.

Conclusion

For me, it’s a perfect journal, and I’m sticking to it for a white, although it might not be perfect for everyone.

If you’re looking for a spacious, high-quality journal for easy everyday planning, notes, ideas, and such – this is a great choice. If you’re looking for an artistic outlet – maybe this won’t be a good fit for you.

But of course, you decide. Here is my list of pros and cons of Nuuna journal for reference.

Pros:

  • Premium product
  • Extra white paper
  • Smaller dot grid
  • Lightly colored dot grid
  • Eco friendly
  • Lay flat binding
  • Varied cover artwork
  • Bigger notebook size

Cons:

  • Soft cover
  • No strap
  • No back pocket
  • No pen-holding loop
  • No bookmarks
  • Paper can ghost and bleed through
  • Because of the different sizes and smaller grid, some items won’t work on this journal, like if you have a grid guide stencil

What really sold Nuuna to me, if I’m being honest, are these 3 things: bigger size (but not as huge as A4) and good proportions; extra white paper; small, barely noticeable grey dot grid.

These 3 things, together with the general quality feeling of holding the notebook, convinced me completely that for me, it was the right choice.

Free Ultimate Guide To Bullet Journal Supplies

Feeling confused about choosing a perfect journal and other supplies for yourself?

I’ve got you covered!

That’s exactly why I created this free UItimate Guide To Bullet Journal Supplies that will help simplify it all and give you recommendations for the best supplies to get.

Once you confirm your subscription, the guide will be on the way to your inbox.

More Resources

Are you looking for more recommendations and ideas for notebooks and other Bullet Journal supplies? I’ve got you covered!

Check out these blog posts next:

>>> What about you? What are you looking for in a notebook for your Bullet Journal? Let me know in the comments below!

I hope this list was helpful; if you find it so, please share!

And remember: Keep Bullet Journaling, and Don’t Be A Blob.

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6 Comments

  1. Nuuna was my first bullet journal when I started out. I loved it, I got the one that reads “The Master Plan” on the front and “Plan B” on the back. I was new and the no bleed and ghosting were not a problem with the hardy pages, in fact its a hardy journal. I love its wrap around visual from front cover to back cover. I tried other journals after that but couldn’t get used to them, so I now have the “Every Thing Starts With a Dot” Tiny silver dots on a black back background which again spills over on the pages when the book is closed so it looks dotted all over when closed. They now have them in full color so that if the journal lies closed it will look like a blue square and the pages inside will be blue as well. This is not my style but some people may choose to write in silver or white pen or a solid block of color.

    1. Hey Bettina! Nuuna really has their own magic, don’t they! I use lots of journals and many have better paper, but I still keep coming back to my Nuuna. Your new journal sounds absolutely stunning! I’ll definitely add it to my list =)

  2. I agree with you, Masha, NUUNA is the BEST journal!! I can not stand cheap, thin paper!! The variety of covers is awesome.

    I did not know that the grid comes in several colors! I didn’t see a way to order a different grid color on the NUUNA Brandbook website.

  3. I was just searching to see what others say about Nuuna compared to others. It doesn’t seem to be the HOT journal, and I’m sure price and availability account largely for that. Just wanted to leave a confirmation with you that Nuuna is awesome. I have the pink cover with gold lips, and one of the things that has impressed me that the cover has held up and has not gotten as dirty or dingy as I thought. I do not treat it gently—it’s a planner, not my precious, for crying out loud! I’ll be getting another planner in the next month or so, and I really have no reason NOT to get a Nuuna.

    1. Hello Kris,

      You’re so right I love my Nuuna so much! And the cover with gold lips is so on my wish list ❤️

      Personally I also can’t imagine myself going to a larger grid, I’m loving the smaller Nuuna grid!

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