In terms of versatility, my longtime favorite spiral notebook comes from French paper company Clairefontaine. If you use your notebooks in the same way I do, this paper doesn't need to be the most fountain-pen friendly, further helping to reduce cost, and both Doane Paper and Studio Neat make excellent spiral notebook options if you can tolerate a little bit of bleedthrough with wider nibs and/or wetter inks.Ĭlairefontaine Side Wirebound Notebooks. While you do sacrifice durability and a nicer appearance, I tend to use my spiral notebooks for tasks that require “disposable” paper: brainstorming, testing pens, jotting review notes, and - for the day job - notes that may need to be torn out and shredded for confidentiality purposes. I also appreciate the fact that a spiral notebook lays flat and, now that companies have started to make notebooks in 'landscape' orientation, can fit perfectly underneath the keyboards most of us use for our daily work.īecause they aren't designed to look nice on a bookshelf, spiral notebooks also tend to cost less than hardcovers (though decent paper will still be much more expensive than the $0.25 drugstore notebooks we used in school). Personally, the ability to fold the notebook over and easily tear sheets out even if the pages aren't perforated outweighs any inconvenience. Lefties complain about how the binding gets in the way and hurts their hand, and even righties aren't immune to this problem if, like me, you always write on both sides of the page and wind up with a right-sided binding when you flip the notebook. Some people love spiral bindings and others hate them. You can't get much more versatile or cost effective than the traditional spiral notebook. When it comes to office supplies - as in, supplies that actually get used in the office - the traits I value most are (1) versatility and (2) cost effectiveness. Welcome to Part III of my ongoing series, 'Everyday Writers: The Best Paper for Everyday Writing,' in which I've been taking an extended look at the different types of paper I use in my daily life, with a focus on work.

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📗 A Guide to the Best Pens: Expensive Pens, Cheap Pens, and Everything in Between 📕 The Pros and Cons of Online Notepads vs. In comparison, a notebook is bound on the left side and has a front and back cover, making it more durable to move around or travel with. They usually have a margin line on the left side and are designed to lay flat on a desk or other surface. Legal pads lay flat and are bound at the top. 📔 Blue Summit Supplies carries bulk travel journals in packs of 6 or 12 online. A notebook can be used for a number of purposes, including studying, taking meeting notes, holding laboratory data, etc., whereas a journal is for-you guessed it-journaling! These terms are also often used interchangeably, with notebook carrying a broader meaning. 📒 Blue Summit Supplies carries various colors, sizes, and bulk packages of spiral notebooks.

This is sometimes also referred to as perfect bound vs. A composition notebook has a bound spine compared to a spiral spine, which affects how the book opens and whether or not it can lay flat on a surface. spiral bound notebook comes down to how the book is held together. (See emoji: 📓)Ī composition notebook vs. A composition book might describe any lined notebook, but it specifically originates from the black and white speckled covered notebooks, which are commonly used by students. A notebook is a general term for any type of book that’s designed for writing in. These terms can arguably be used interchangeably. Still have questions? We’ll share some distinctions between a few common notebook types.

Ideation notebook that’s with you at all times.

Non spiral notebooks