A simple notebook offers many advantages over a tablet. It doesn’t need to be charged, is lightweight and portable, and it has tactile sensations that styluses can’t duplicate. You might find it encourages creativity, focus, and keeps you sharper as you age. It’s always connected to the right app to take notes. A thoughtfully selected notebook and a fine pen show that the owner is serious and not distracted by any whims.
It’s not easy to find a quality notebook. Ana Reinert, a member of The Well-Appointed Desk’s office gear website, says that notebooks are very similar to cars. My ideal notebook will be different from the one I choose for myself. Notebooks come in many sizes, shapes, materials, bindings, paper weights, line widths (or none at all), hardcover, soft cover and treated paper. That’s just the inside. A notebook would not be recommended to everyone if it was a single one.
It is a better strategy to research different types of notebooks so you can make an informed decision and avoid the obvious pitfalls.
Let’s start with the size. The size of a notebook is not uniform, but it is close. It varies depending on whether it’s European or American. The European sizes come in the A, B, or C series. These range from A0-10, B0-10, and then C0-10. They all have the same ratio so they are the same size but in different shapes. The smaller the number, however, the larger the paper. This is an amazing piece of math: The basic aspect ratio for all A-series papers is 1 (which is approximately 1.14). The largest size A0 is a square meter in area and measures 33.1 x 46.8 inches. Each size is halved in the subsequent sizes, while the smaller size remains the same. So the A1 size, the next down size, measures 23.4 by 33.1.
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You can find sizes smaller than this, but they don’t usually have names. “Pocket-sized”, which typically refers to around 3.5×5 inches, can sometimes be referred to in the U.S. as a European A6, which measures approximately 4×6 inches. There are also larger formats like Tabloid, which is 11 by 17. Reinert points out that any size greater than A4 is considered a specialist’s notebook, for architect’s or artist’s sketches. Even architects have their own system. It follows a 4:1 ratio and ranges from Arch A to Arch E (Arch E, which is the largest, can have numbers to make it even bigger; Arch E1, Arch E2, etc.). You probably already know the details of one of these systems if you are in need.
The size of the notebook you choose will depend on what you intend to use it for. The pocket-sized notebooks are often thin and lightweight, with a few pages sometimes less than 50. The best all-purpose sizes for notebooks are the Half-Letter or Junior Legal. The letter-sized notebooks can be too big for office workers. They conjure up images from schoolchildren. However, there are plenty of adult-designed notebooks that are great looking and have lots of writing space. Clairefontaine ($15) is a great choice, with rave reviews about its paper and bindings.
BINDING
After you have settled on the size you want, it is time to consider binding. This is how sheets of paper are glued together in a notebook. There are many types of binding available, but some styles tend to be more common with certain sizes of notebooks. For example, staple binding is more common with pocket-sized notebooks. Letter-sized notebooks have more spiral rings.
Experts I spoke with preferred stitched bindings. Ian Hedley of Pens! Paper! Pencils! Staples are not an issue for him. He says that pocket notebooks are stapled, which is fine for the size. Although Hedley states that glue binding can be done sometimes well, it is not the best option. Glue-bound notebooks tend to be less sturdy and have difficulty lying flat. Serious notebook users don’t like spirals. They can bend out of shape, making it difficult to lay the notebook flat.
These issues are not present in stitched bindings or a combination thereof of glue and stitching. A stitched binding is what you want.
WEIGHT
It’s a complicated subject to discuss paper weight. It might seem that thicker papers are better. However, this is not always true. Hedley states, “Funnily enough,” that thick paper doesn’t always mean good if you plan to use a fountain pens. The ink from a fountain pen can bleed through thick paper and cause “feathering.” Too thin paper can cause indentations or tears on other pages. This is known as ghosting. It’s commonly seen in detective movies where the detective lightly shades in a page of notebook with a pencil to show what was indented by someone who wrote on the page before.
Although paper is measured in weight, it won’t tell you how much because heavier isn’t always better. If you are serious about your paper, the best thing is to visit a shop and write on the paper you will be using the most. Different people like different types of paper. Reinert calls this the “tooth”, which is difficult to describe objectively. The majority of people will like the tooth in our recommended notebooks, even if they’re not using fountain pens.
Reinert and Hedley both mention Tomoe River ($15) as a Japanese company that is well-known for its thin, yet sturdy paper. Although it will take longer to dry ink on this paper it will look amazing once it does.
PAGE COUNT
You can also choose how many sheets you need. If you aren’t sure what number of sheets you want, there is a removable-sheet option. Hedley loves the Arc. It is available at Staples for $11 and up and allows you to replace and remove sheets from its disc-like spine. The Arc is highly valued by notebook-philes because it allows you to easily remove paper from your notebook without having to tear it. The paper is of a higher quality and is easier to remove than a perforated, glue-bound legal pad.
COVERS
You will also need to decide between hard and soft covers when choosing between notebooks. A hardcover is more durable, but it can also be easier to write on your lap, or while on the move. However, some people prefer softcover notebooks or flexible covers. Reinert also points out that softcover notebooks can be personalized by taking the form of the owner’s pockets. Although a hardcover can appear more formal or professional depending on the office environment, it may seem more formal.
BLANK, RULES AND GRIDDED
You must also consider the design of the pages. Blank, ruled, or gridded are the most popular styles. Grids and lines come in different widths but are very standard (college ruled at 7 mm and graph paper at 5 mm). Many notebook manufacturers offer a variety of sheet styles. However, it is up to the individual to decide what style they prefer. Many notebook enthusiasts I spoke to prefer blank pages while others prefer traditional ruled lines. Graph paper works well for people with small handwriting but it is not as common for graphing. Computers have taken over sketching and mathematical work.