Diary sizes, paper and GSM explained

The four sizes and who uses them

A4 (210 × 297 mm) is a desk-only diary; it suits reception registers and people who sketch or paste documents, but it is heavy to courier and rarely gifted. B5 (176 × 250 mm) is the Indian corporate standard for a dated diary — a full day per page with room for appointments and notes, still small enough for a laptop bag.

A5 (148 × 210 mm) is the size most undated notebooks and planners are made in; it is light, economical to ship and the natural choice for onboarding kits, conferences and training. A6 (105 × 148 mm) is a pocket diary for field sales staff and delivery teams who write standing up.

In practice a dated corporate diary is B5 and an undated notebook is A5. Our own range follows that split: dated B5 corporate diaries and A5 undated notebooks, both hardbound.

What GSM means and why 70 is the standard

GSM is the weight of one square metre of the paper. Copier paper is 70–80 GSM; a visiting card is around 300 GSM. For a diary with 300 to 370 pages, 70 GSM is the point where the pages are opaque enough that writing does not show through to the next day, while the book stays thin enough to close flat and light enough to post.

Moving to 80 or 100 GSM makes each page feel more substantial and takes fountain-pen ink better, but adds roughly 15–40 per cent to the paper weight and thickness, which shows in the courier bill on a national order. Below 60 GSM, show-through and tearing at the perforation become visible, so it is rarely worth the saving.

Page counts: what to expect

A dated day-per-page diary needs 365 pages for the days alone, so after the year planner, month planners, company pages and notes it lands between 300 and 400 pages depending on how many days share a page in the weekend layout. Budget and standard B5 diaries run 300+ pages; premium versions with more company and planning pages run 370+.

Undated notebooks are freer: 200+ pages in A5 is the usual corporate count, enough for a year of meeting notes without being bulky. If the diary carries a thick company section — a product catalogue or a school rulebook — add those pages to the count and expect the spine to grow by roughly 1 mm for every 20 pages of 70 GSM.

Same cover, three formats

One cover from our design desk drawn on the three formats Lucknow companies order most, at the same scale, so the difference in height and spine thickness is easy to see. A5 suits field staff and handbags; B5 sits better on an office desk, and the thicker 350- and 400-page books leave room for a page-a-day layout plus company pages.

Hardbound or wiro

Hardbound (case-bound) diaries have sewn or glued sections wrapped in a rigid board cover. They lie reasonably flat once broken in, survive a year in a bag, and present a clean spine that can carry the year or a logo. Every dated corporate diary we make is hardbound.

Wiro binding threads a metal coil through punched holes so the book folds fully back on itself. It is right for training workbooks and planners used flat on a desk, and wrong for anything that will be carried daily, because the coil snags and bends. Perfect binding (glued spine, soft cover) sits between the two and suits low-cost notebooks rather than year diaries.

Extras: ribbon, elastic, pocket, edges

A ribbon marker costs little and is the most used feature in a dated diary. An elastic closure keeps a diary shut in a bag and protects loose papers. A back pocket, a pen loop and tinted or printed page edges add a little each; a magnetic flap moves the diary into the executive tier. Pick two of these rather than all of them — the per-piece cost adds up quietly on a lot of 2,000.

For how these choices move the price band on a national order, see how to budget corporate gifts per recipient; for whether you need a diary at all, see diary vs planner vs notebook.

At a glance

Questions buyers ask

Related pages

• 
  Diary vs planner vs notebook: which to giftDiary, planner and notebook compared for corporate gifting: dated or undated, layouts, who uses each, when to give it and the cost band of each.
• 
  PU leather vs genuine leather diariesPU leather and genuine leather diaries compared: feel, cost band, logo methods, how each wears over a year, and which suits clients, staff and dealers.
• 
  Corporate Diary Manufacturer2027 dated diaries in bulk, packed branch-wise for any city.
• 
  Customised Diary PrintingPrinted covers and your own inner pages, delivered anywhere in India.

More guides

• 
  PU leather vs genuine leather diariesPU leather and genuine leather diaries compared: feel, cost band, logo methods, how each wears over a year, and which suits clients, staff and dealers.
• 
  Table calendar formats: 6, 7, 12 and 13 sheeters explainedWhat 6, 7, 12 and 13-sheet table calendars carry, single-side versus front-and-back printing, stands, 300 GSM lamination and how to plan the artwork.
• 
  Corporate calendar design ideas for 2027Design ideas for 2027 corporate table and wall calendars: twelve-month themes, legible date grids, festival marking, product-per-month and logo placement.
• 
  How to budget corporate gifts per recipientHow to budget corporate gifts per recipient: tier the list, use quantity bands, know what moves the per-piece price, and plan packing and dispatch costs.
• 
  Corporate gifting guide: what to give, how to brand it, when to orderItems, budgets, logo methods and timing.