Hobonichi Stencil Speech Bubbles

The Hobonichi Speech Bubbles stencil is a thin acrylic tool in credit-card format that combines a collection of different speech and thought bubbles in a single piece. The die-cut 3.7 mm grid is precisely aligned with the dot grid of the Hobonichi Techo Original and its cousins – shapes and proportions fit seamlessly into the page grid. At 63 × 94 × 0.5 mm, the stencil slides directly into the planner's inner cover pocket.

Features

• Variety of shapes: The set includes both classic speech bubbles and thought clouds in different sizes – from single-word bubbles to scenes with multiple speakers.
• 3.7 mm grid: The printed helper grid matches exactly the dot spacing of the Hobonichi Techo Original and Cousin, allowing bubbles to be precisely aligned with grid lines.
• Thin acrylic, 0.5 mm: The stencil lies flat on the paper without tipping – the pen glides cleanly along the inner edge without catching.
• Perfect size for the inner cover pocket: 63 × 94 mm fits exactly in the inside pocket of the Techo cover, no separate case needed.
• Made in Japan.

Use & Tips

• Speech bubbles with fine-tip pens (0.3–0.5 mm) or a thin fineliner produce clean, sharply defined outlines – with broader tips, press slightly inward for a defined edge.
• In bullet journals or weekly layouts, events, quotes or mood notes can be framed in thought bubbles and visually separated from body text.
• For comic-style pages: place several bubbles in sequence, add tails freehand – the stencil only provides the basic shape, the direction remains flexible.
• With white fountain pen ink on dark paper or washi tape background, speech bubbles become bright accents.
• The 3.7 mm grid on the stencil also works as a short ruler for small distances within a page.

For Techo Enthusiasts

The printed 3.7 mm grid is not a decorative element but a functional tool: it allows bubble edges to be aligned precisely at the grid points of the Techo Original or Cousin – an advantage especially for layout-oriented pages where text blocks and illustrations should share a common grid. The 0.5 mm acrylic thickness keeps the pen safely guided without warping the paper – for very soft, thin paper (like the 52 g Tomoe River paper in the Techo), light pressure is recommended, and a capped pen can serve as a spacer at the stencil edge.

Technical Specifications