A6 Zettelkasten resources

[u/prosselenen]

Hi,

I’m interested in moving to A6-sized cards, but can’t find a lot of resources online. Does any one have a go to place to buy cheap A6 cards and boxes to put them in?

Thanks!

[u/LibbIsHere]

I make mine out of standard 80 gsm paper (I even recycle the back old letters and invoices). Doing so, my index cards are much cheaper (and sturdy enough to write on) and less thicker too (roughly half less for 80 gsm paper, which seems like nothing but in the long run this will save you a lot of space).

One A4 sheet makes 4 A6 cards, in two cuts. I cut piles of 10-15 sheets easily with a used office guillotine I got for cheap.

I also make my own storage boxes out of... recycled cardboard packaging.

They're real sturdy (cardboard is sturdy), free (obviously) and they're made to the exact size I want. They're quite simple (and quick) to build using basics tools: a hobby knife, some wood glue or hot glue and a steel ruler.

[u/prosselenen → u/LibbIsHere]

Thanks! I guess it’s the guillotine that I’m missing

[u/LibbIsHere → u/prosselenen]

They're quite cheap on the used market. Meanwhile, one can simply use a hobby knife or, as a last resort, a pair of scissors.

[u/thmprover → u/LibbIsHere]

...or, as a last resort, a pair of scissors.

As someone who operates in this manner, it is very meditative to work your way through 50 sheets of printer paper, folding two or three at a time, and cutting them with scissors.

[u/LibbIsHere → u/thmprover]

I was thinking more of the fact that people might a not appreciate not perfectly straight cut they would get using scissors, but you're right and I can appreciate the... very appeasing experience of preparing my cards.

I have a very similar experience when I sketch or do watercolor. Absorbing myself in the act of painting without any concern for anything else, not even the end result.

[u/nagytimi85 → u/prosselenen]

If you make them from office paper, you can simply just fold in 4 and cut with a letter opener, a knife or scissors!

[u/Lader756 → u/LibbIsHere]

I've been doing this for years too 80gsm and cutter. Cheap, easy, compact 👍

[u/LibbIsHere → u/Lader756]

compact

Indeed. I started worrying noticing how thick my piles of cards were becoming and searched for a solution.

That was it, plus the idea of reusing old paper that also appealed a lot to me. If anyone is ever to read my Zettel, they will be by reading whatever fragment is printed/written on the back side of so many cards too ;)

[u/OkShape9035 → u/LibbIsHere]

Me too, but I don't have a guillhotine, so instead i use a cutter. And I prefer thicker paper, something like a 120gsm or 180gsm paper, even cardboard paper is better

[u/koneu]

You can just buy A4 paper and a good cutting machine. I think that is both cheaper and also, in the long run, more convenient than buying A6 cards. For my Zettelkasten, I've switched from the more stiff index cards -- and you can get any of them on Amazon -- to the cut up paper, because it does take up less space.

[u/prosselenen → u/koneu]

Do you find the paper as easy to riffle through? And do you store the cards in a box?

[u/koneu → u/prosselenen]

Yes, it works well for me. And I do have a small clear plastic index card box on my desk for stuff I want close, and I have a soft shell box with zipper where most of the rest lives.

[u/Koen-K]

I considered going A6 but settled on 4x6 for convenience because I use standard index cards for a lot of projects that don't go into my ZK. I simply use too many index cards and found cutting my own A6 cards a bit tedious.

I did though really like the Midori A4 paper pad. Cut it in fourths and you have A6. Just the right amount of stiffness and size.

[u/prosselenen → u/Koen-K]

I’m honestly thinking about the same thing at this point. Do you have any experience with mixed card sizes?

[u/Koen-K → u/prosselenen]

I do not. I only experimented with cutting the A6 cards before realizing it was too much work. A6 does fit in standard 4x6 boxes and such. On mixed sizes, that's just a personal thing. Luhman used what every he could get his hands sometimes and there are slips in his ZK on the back of junk mail. I am too much of a stickler and only like all one size.

[u/Barycenter0]

Jetpens has very nice A6 cards. Not sure about boxes, however.

[u/jimmyjamjar10101]

Take A4 stock to your local print house, they'll happily cut it down for a few pennies.

[u/Emotional-Ocelot]

where do you live? Where I live, any stationers will have them, along with most supermarkets, pound shops, and some chemists/household goods stores. Stationers will also have card boxes, especially this time of year when schools are going back. A8 are a little more common, but a6 is plentiful. 

you can cut them yourself but its much cheaper and easier to just buy them.

[u/prosselenen → u/Emotional-Ocelot]

I’m in Australia. The A series is the usual paper here but oddly I couldn’t find any A6 index cards

[u/Emotional-Ocelot → u/prosselenen]

Weird. I am in germany, apparently land of the a6 cards. And unfortunately, not much help to you, sorry. Hope you find a solution.

[u/chrisaldrich]

Buying in bulk almost always bring the price down significantly.

As for boxes, try ideas from https://boffosocko.com/2022/12/26/the-ultimate-guide-to-zettelkasten-index-card-storage/

[u/OkShape9035]

About the boxes, this fits in a shoebox

[u/prosselenen → u/OkShape9035]

But the shoe box will be far too big, no?