Custom A5 Journals in Ten Colors: A Real Wholesale Sourcing Request

A new stationery brand does not always need a completely custom product.

Sometimes, the more practical approach is to start with an existing journal that already has the right construction, paper, binding, and accessories, then customize the parts that make the product unique.

That was the approach behind a recent wholesale inquiry from Page Palette Shop, a U.S.-based stationery business preparing a new collection of A5 journals.

The project involved 100 journals in ten different colors, custom metallic gold artwork, debossing, dotted paper, and a relatively small quantity for each color. The inquiry also raised an important sourcing question: how can a new brand create a multi-color collection without committing to a large manufacturing quantity for every individual color?

The Initial Request: 100 A5 Journals Across Ten Colors

Kimberly Cherrix, owner of Page Palette Shop, contacted SupplyBatch while preparing a new journal collection.

Her initial requirement was for 100 customized A5 journals, divided across ten coordinating colors:

• Charcoal gray

• Navy blue

• Dusty mauve

• Sage green

• Cream

• Chocolate brown

• Burgundy

• Deep plum

• Deep teal

• Taupe

The plan was simple from a product-planning perspective: 10 journals in each color.

The manufacturing side was more complicated.

Instead of developing a completely new journal from scratch, Kimberly specifically preferred to adapt an existing A5 journal model. This approach could reduce unnecessary development work while still allowing the collection to have its own cover artwork and visual identity.

The requested journal construction was also quite specific.

The target specification included an A5 hardcover format, approximately 148 × 210 mm, with a PU leather or leather-look cover, 5 mm dotted paper, 120 GSM paper as a minimum, and 160 GSM as the preferred weight.

The preferred page count was approximately 160–192 pages, with sewn or lay-flat binding, a matching elastic closure, a ribbon bookmark, and an interior rear pocket.

For a stationery brand launching a new collection, these details matter because the journal needs to work as both a writing product and a finished retail item.

The Cover Design Was Part of the Product Concept

The customization was not simply a logo printed on the front.

Page Palette provided design references showing an open-book emblem with radiating lines, combined with delicate daisy and botanical elements.

The proposed cover treatment was:

Front cover:
A metallic gold open-book emblem with radiating lines, together with botanical and daisy artwork along the lower portion.

Spine:
A vertical gold design with a daisy at the top, the open-book emblem in the center, and another daisy at the bottom.

Back cover:
Completely plain.

Text:
No lettering on either the front cover or spine.

The preferred finish was metallic gold foil stamping with a debossed impression rather than a printed gold graphic.

That distinction is important.

Printed gold and foil stamping can produce very different visual results on a PU leather cover. Foil stamping uses heat and pressure to transfer metallic foil to the surface, while debossing creates a physical impression in the material.

For this project, the customer wanted the artwork to feel integrated into the cover rather than simply printed on top of it.

Why the Existing Journal Matters

One of the most important parts of this inquiry was that Page Palette did not want to develop an entirely new journal unnecessarily.

The preferred approach was to find an existing A5 journal with the closest available construction and then customize it.

This can be a practical option for a smaller stationery brand.

An existing journal may already have established:

• Cover construction

• Paper sourcing

• Binding method

• Elastic closure

• Ribbon bookmark

• Interior pocket

• Standard A5 dimensions

• Existing PU cover colors

Instead of paying for every part of the product to be developed from the beginning, the customization can focus on the elements that define the collection.

For this project, that meant finding the right base journal first and then applying the Page Palette artwork.

The Artwork Also Required Manufacturing Review

The customer did not simply send a finished production file and ask the factory to manufacture it.

The reference artwork was still being developed.

Kimberly explained that the images supplied were design references rather than final production vector artwork. Once the appropriate journal was selected and the manufacturing specifications were confirmed, the final artwork could be prepared accordingly.

This is a useful distinction in custom product sourcing.

A design that looks good on a computer screen is not automatically ready for foil stamping.

Fine botanical lines, small details, narrow gaps, and intricate decorative elements can behave differently when transferred to a physical cover.

For that reason, the customer specifically asked about:

• Minimum recommended line thickness

• Maximum foil-stamping area

• Artwork dimensions

• Whether the botanical details needed simplification

• Whether separate dies would be required for the front and spine

• Accepted vector file formats

• Production artwork requirements

These questions are particularly relevant when a design contains delicate botanical details rather than a simple solid logo.

The Ten-Color Requirement Created the Main MOQ Question

The biggest issue in the project was not the journal construction.

It was the relationship between color quantity and minimum order quantity.

The customer wanted only 10 journals in each color for the initial 100-piece order.

That is a relatively small quantity for each individual color.

If each color were treated as a separate custom production run, the MOQ could quickly become much higher than the customer's intended launch quantity.

This is why the customer specifically asked whether existing stock PU colors could be used.

Using stock materials can sometimes create a different production structure from developing custom-dyed materials.

Instead of manufacturing ten completely new cover colors, the supplier can check whether suitable colors are already available in an existing material range.

For a new brand, this distinction can make a meaningful difference.

The goal is not necessarily to make every color from scratch. The goal is to find the closest practical combination of existing product + existing material colors + custom decoration.

The Customer Asked for Three Production Quantities

Although the initial launch quantity was 100 journals, Page Palette also requested pricing for:

• 100 journals

• 250 journals

• 500 journals

This is a useful way to evaluate a new product before placing the first production order.

A 100-piece quotation helps establish the initial launch cost.

A 250-piece quotation shows how pricing changes as the quantity increases.

A 500-piece quotation provides another reference point for future reorders.

For a growing stationery brand, these quantities can also help determine whether it makes sense to maintain multiple colors or gradually concentrate production on the colors that sell most consistently.

The Sample Question Became More Important

After reviewing the proposed journal specifications, Kimberly clarified that she did not want 100 sample journals.

She wanted one fully customized pre-production sample.

The requested sample would be produced in charcoal and would allow her to evaluate the actual product before committing to a larger production order.

The sample would be used to check:

• PU cover material

• Paper quality

• 160 GSM dotted paper

• Binding construction

• Gold foil appearance

• Debossing depth and appearance

• Artwork reproduction

• Cover and spine positioning

• Overall construction

This is a much more practical way to evaluate a new journal collection.

A digital mockup can show the approximate appearance, but it cannot fully demonstrate how metallic foil looks on a specific PU material or how a debossed design feels when touched.

A physical sample provides that information.

The Sample and Production MOQ Are Two Different Questions

The conversation also highlighted an important distinction between sample quantity and production MOQ.

The customer wanted one customized charcoal sample first.

For production, however, the question was whether 100 total journals could be divided across ten existing stock colors.

The customer specifically asked whether the supplier could:

1. Use an existing A5 journal model and existing PU stock colors.

2. Apply the custom gold foil and debossed artwork.

3. Produce 100 total journals divided among ten colors.

4. If 10 pieces per color was not possible, identify the lowest MOQ for each stock color.

5. Alternatively, reduce the initial collection to four or five colors.

This creates several possible production structures without requiring the brand to immediately commit to 1,000 journals.

Why Stock Colors Can Matter for a New Collection

For an established product line, larger color quantities may be easier to manage.

For a new collection, however, a brand may still be testing which colors customers actually prefer.

Producing a large quantity of every color before the collection has established demand can leave a business carrying inventory across many variations.

That is why Page Palette was looking for a way to use existing stock colors while keeping the initial order relatively small.

The approach allows the brand to test the collection concept without automatically treating every color as a completely separate custom manufacturing project.

What the Customer Wanted Confirmed Before Production

Before moving forward, Page Palette also requested a detailed breakdown of the quoted cost.

The customer wanted to know whether the proposed production price included:

• Metallic gold foil stamping on the front cover

• Metallic gold foil stamping on the spine

• Debossing

• Stamping dies or tooling

• The ten cover colors

• 192 pages

• 160 GSM dotted paper

• Sewn or lay-flat binding

• Elastic closure

• Ribbon bookmark

• Interior rear pocket

She also asked whether any sample or tooling costs could be credited toward a later production order.

These questions are common when a business is moving from a product idea toward an actual wholesale production decision.

The unit price alone does not always show the complete cost structure.

For custom stationery, it is useful to separate the product itself from decoration, tooling, sampling, and shipping.

A Practical Path for the First Collection

For a project like this, the sourcing process can be broken into several stages.

1. Select the existing journal

First, identify the closest available A5 journal based on construction, paper, binding, pocket, elastic, ribbon, and cover material.

2. Review stock colors

Next, compare the available PU stock colors with the brand's desired palette.

The goal is to find practical matches rather than automatically develop ten custom colors.

3. Review the artwork

The gold foil artwork should then be reviewed against the actual journal cover.

Fine botanical elements may need adjustments based on the material, foil process, and available stamping area.

4. Prepare production artwork

Once the manufacturing requirements are established, the customer can provide the final vector artwork according to the supplier's specifications.

5. Produce one customized sample

A single charcoal sample can then be used to evaluate the physical result.

6. Confirm the production structure

After reviewing the sample, the customer and supplier can determine whether the initial production should use ten colors, fewer colors, or another combination based on the available MOQ.

The Broader Lesson for Small Stationery Brands

This journal inquiry illustrates a common challenge for new product launches.

The creative concept may call for many variations, while the manufacturing process may work more efficiently at larger quantities.

The solution is not always to remove the customization.

Sometimes the better approach is to separate the product into two parts:

Use an existing product for the core construction.

Then:

Customize the elements that define the brand.

For Page Palette, the core product is an existing A5 journal with the required construction and accessories.

The distinctive elements are the cover colors, metallic gold artwork, botanical details, open-book emblem, foil stamping, and debossing.

That distinction can make a custom product project more manageable for a smaller brand.

What Happens Next

At this stage, the most important step is to confirm the available A5 journal options, stock PU colors, customization limits, and sample cost.

The final production decision should come after the physical sample has been reviewed.

For Page Palette, the immediate goal is not simply to order 100 journals.

It is to establish whether an existing A5 journal can provide the right combination of paper, binding, cover material, color options, and construction, while still allowing the custom gold foil and debossed artwork to reproduce correctly.

If that combination works, the same base journal can potentially support future Page Palette collections and additional stationery products without requiring every new collection to begin with a completely new product development process.

This is often how a small stationery concept moves from an initial design reference to a practical wholesale product.

Project type: Custom A5 journal sourcing
Initial target quantity: 100 journals
Color plan: 10 stock colors, approximately 10 pieces per color
Target format: A5 hardcover
Cover: PU leather / leather-look material
Paper: 5 mm dotted, 160 GSM preferred
Binding: Sewn / lay-flat
Decoration: Metallic gold foil stamping with debossing
Artwork: Custom front cover and spine artwork
Sample: One fully customized charcoal journal
Destination: Indiana, USA, ZIP 47424
Future pricing requested: 100, 250, and 500 pieces

The project is still at the product-development and sampling stage, which makes the sourcing process itself an important part of the story. Rather than assuming that every requested specification can be combined at the same MOQ, the next step is to match the brand's design goals with the capabilities and existing inventory of the journal supplier.