Midori D Clips Nano Review: Tiny Clips Worth Keeping
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Time to read 6 min
Last Tuesday morning, I knocked over my pencil case and watched a tiny silver star tumble across my desk. It took me a moment to realize it wasn't jewelry but one of Midori's D Clips Nano that had been keeping my monthly receipts together. That's how small these things are, and part of why I've been testing them for the past three months at Fujinote's office here in central Tokyo.
Why Midori Made Clips Worth Keeping
The original D Clips line launched back in 2008 with a specific philosophy: most paperclips get thrown away. Midori designed them to be both reusable and serve as a communication aid in office and school environments, which sounds like corporate speak until you understand what they mean. When something is charming enough to keep, you don't toss it in the bin with the junk mail. You slide it back into its case. You reuse it next week.
The Nano version takes this concept and shrinks it down to something truly pocket-sized. Each clip measures roughly 15-20mm (sources vary slightly, likely due to different measurement methods for different shapes), which puts them at about 0.6 inches square. For comparison, a standard paperclip is around 50mm long. These are genuinely tiny, and the box itself is closer to the size of an eraser than what most people picture when they hear "paperclip."
Living With Clips the Size of Your Thumbnail
I've been using the Star and Cat designs daily since November. The cats live in my Hobonichi Techo as page markers, while the stars handle my expense receipts. The stainless steel construction has held up better than I expected for something this delicate. After three months of constant use, none of the 16 clips in either set show signs of bending or losing their tension.
Each Nano clip can hold about 10 sheets of standard copy paper. In practice, I've found this accurate for thin paper like what you'd find in most notebooks or printed documents. Push it to 12-15 sheets and you start getting slippage. These aren't meant to bind your quarterly report, but for marking pages in a planner or keeping a few receipts together, they're perfect.
The sliding plastic case measures 48mm x 23mm x 11mm, which is almost absurdly portable. I keep one set in the small front pocket of my messenger bag where pens would never fit. The case design is clever: it's essentially a miniature version of those sliding mint tins, but in pastel plastic that matches the theme of the clips inside. The star set came in a yellow case, the cats in purple.
Are They Cute Enough?
Functional office supplies are everywhere. The reason you're considering D Clips Nano is because you want something that makes you smile when you open your notebook. Midori understands this completely. When you clip one of these onto a page, the silhouette reveals itself fully. A cat's ears and whiskers poke up from behind your papers. A star gleams at the corner of your journal spread.
When placed next to the original D Clips, these Nano versions look like child and parent. It's a detail that doesn't matter functionally but matters a lot emotionally. The designs available include Star, Cat, Dog, Fish, Heart, Penguin, Airplane, and Flower. Each maintains that balance Midori aims for: cute without being childish, decorative without being impractical.
The shiny silver finish catches light nicely on my desk. After handling hundreds of stationery products for Fujinote, I can tell you the finishing quality here is consistent. No rough edges, no manufacturing marks visible to the naked eye. The stainless steel is substantial enough that these don't feel like disposable novelties.
What Works, What Doesn't
The size is both the main feature and the main limitation. These clips are small enough to use as bookmarks without creating bulk, which makes them excellent for journaling, especially in thinner planners like the Hobonichi or Midori MD formats. I've been using them to mark important weeks in my yearly planner, and at 15mm square, they don't create the page distortion you get with larger clips or sticky tabs.
But you will lose them. I'm down to 14 stars out of the original 16, and I'm fairly careful with my desk supplies. They're light, they're small, and when one falls on a carpet or gets mixed into a stack of papers headed for recycling, it's gone. This is less of an issue if you use them purely as bookmarks that stay in your notebook, but if you're constantly attaching and detaching them from loose papers, expect some attrition.
The 10-sheet capacity is real but it's also the limit. I tested them with typical 80gsm copy paper and they hold 10 sheets securely. At 12 sheets, they still work but require more careful placement. At 15, you're asking for papers to slip out. For everyday use, keeping it to 8-10 sheets is the sweet spot.
One unexpected benefit: because they're made from stainless steel, they won't rust if you accidentally leave them clipped to papers in a humid environment. Living in Tokyo where summer humidity regularly hits 80%, this matters more than you'd think for something made of metal that you might leave in a bag or desk drawer for months.
The Value Proposition
Each box contains 16 clips in a single design. At Fujinote, we regularly have customers ask whether these are worth it compared to buying a bulk box of standard paperclips. The honest answer is they serve different purposes. If you need to bind together a stack of invoices for filing, buy regular paperclips. If you want page markers that you'll enjoy seeing every time you open your planner, or if you want to clip a thank-you note closed in a way that makes the recipient smile, the Nano clips make sense.
The reusability factor is real. Over three months, I've used the same 14 star clips repeatedly for my receipts without any degradation in performance. Compare this to cheaper novelty paperclips that bend out of shape after a few uses, and the value proposition starts to look more reasonable.
Who Should Actually Buy These
After three months of daily testing, I'd recommend the D Clips Nano if you're someone who enjoys small delightful details in your stationery setup. They're excellent for:
Planner and journal users who want bookmark functionality without bulk. The clips are thin enough not to create a noticeable bump when you close your notebook.
People who send handwritten cards or notes and want a finishing touch that's more special than a standard paperclip but less formal than a wax seal.
Organized desk enthusiasts who appreciate having a designated, attractive storage solution for small clips rather than a jar of random metal.
They're less ideal if you need heavy-duty binding power, if you tend to lose small objects constantly, or if you primarily work with thick documents or card stock. The 10-sheet maximum is firm.
Final Thoughts From a Tokyo Desk
The D Clips Nano represent what Japanese stationery does well: taking a mundane object and refining it until using it becomes a small pleasure rather than a thoughtless action. They're not essential in any practical sense, but they solve the problem Midori identified back in 2008. These clips are charming enough that you naturally want to save them, reuse them, keep them safe in their little case.
At around 15mm per clip, they're impractically small for many paperclip tasks. But as page markers, receipt organizers, or decorative closures for envelopes and cards, they hit a sweet spot between function and delight. The stainless steel construction means they'll likely outlast your enthusiasm for the design, which is both reassuring and a reminder that good tools should last.
I'll keep using my remaining 14 stars for expense receipts, and the cats will stay in my planner. When I eventually lose a few more to the desk drawer void, I'll probably buy another box. That's exactly what Midori was hoping for when they made clips worth not throwing away.
About the author
A. Fujizawa
A. Fujizawa is a stationery specialist and co-founder of Fujinote, an online Japanese stationery retailer serving customers globally. With first-hand experience working directly with Japanese stationery manufacturers and brands, he has hands-on experience with hundreds of products ranging from fountain pens to organizational tools.
Based in Tokyo, Japan, Fujizawa tests and reviews stationery products in real-world conditions, focusing on quality, functionality, and design. His expertise comes from both professional curation for Fujinote's inventory and personal daily use of the products featured in reviews.
Fujizawa specializes in Japanese stationery culture, workspace organization tools, and writing instruments. He regularly connects with manufacturers and attends industry events in Japan to stay current with new product releases and trends in the stationery market.