Layout Guide

There's a lot to consider when choosing a notebook, from the size to the colour to the material that the cover's made of, and that's just for starters. The page layout will influence how you use your notebook, so matching the page layout with how you want to use your notebook will help you make the most of every page.

First things first – what's a page layout?

A notebook is essentially a stack of pages stuck together, and each of those pages is laid out in a certain way. Most commonly, the common notebook layouts you'll come across are ruled, plain, grid and dot grid.

Ruled page layout

The most common layout you'll see is ruled, where each page has horizontal lines. You'll almost certainly have seen notebooks like this back in your school days, and ruled notebooks are still the most popular page layout.

Ruled notebooks are made with writing in mind. The supportive layout helps to keep your handwriting neat, and the rigid lines are great for to-do lists, poetry, song lyrics, quick notes to self, and just about anything else that involves writing.

Plain page layout

Another one that will be familiar to just about everyone, plain page layouts are wide open spaces that you can use however you want. With no markings or guidelines at all, you're free to draw, scribble, design, jot notes, and anything else you want to do with your notebook. That freedom means plain page layouts are best suited to visual arts, but when it comes to plain pages, there are no rules, so use them however you like.

Grid page layout

The opposite number to plain's free-form style, grid page layouts are all about order and precision. With a rigid square pattern covering every inch of the page, a grid layout works wonders for design, technical drawing, and anything else that relies on accuracy. Grid notebooks are also handy for maths and accounting, or sketching out floor plans to scale so you can work out if that new couch will fit.

The tight structure of a grid layout can be a bit too restrictive for some, but if you're an analytical thinker who likes everything in its place, or a designer who needs to consider space, a grid notebook might be the perfect fit for you.

Dot grid page layout

As the name suggests, dot grid is a twist on the grid layout. Where the grid layout is all stark lines and right angles, though, dot grid gestures at that square shape by placing a dot where the lines of a grid would meet rather than marking the full line. That leaves a whole lot of white space for you to use freely, with implied lines that you can choose to use when you want a bit of guidance (like to help keep your writing neat and level) and ignore when you don't. That mix of freeform style and support when you need it means you can easily slip a to-do list after a habit tracker next to a schedule for your day, all with a flourish-y heading you made with your favourite brush pen, and create a dreamy bullet journal page. You can also draw, design, write, and do just about anything you can do with the other layouts, so it's easy to see why dot grid is challenging Ruled to take over as Most Popular Layout.

Rather than being one 'best' page layout for your notebook, each has its own strengths, and your best bet is to choose the one that lines up with how you plan to use your new notebook. The alternative solution, which is my personal approach, is to have a whole bunch of different notebooks around your house at any given point, so you can easily grab one with the layout that fits your needs.

Dot grid is the most versatile, while Ruled will likely be the most familiar. Plain lets you play by your own rules, and Grid is strict yet supportive. But critically, no matter what page layout you pick up, there aren't actually any rules – if you want to freehand sketch on a grid page, there are no stationery police to knock on your door and arrest you for crimes against paper. Find the one you like best, maybe have a few options, and just enjoy the irreplaceable feeling of pen on paper.