15 Most Popular Types of Notebooks and Size Overview

1. Spiral Notebook

The most popular type of paper notepad is the spiral notebook. Most users are students, and for a good reason. Cost-effectiveness is a major selling point. Sizes vary but typically have between 70 and 200 pages. The pages are frequently perforated, the books are wire bound, and three-hole punched.

Standard dimensions are 8 1/2 by 11 inches. Lined paper, either broad or college-ruled, is typically seen in spiral notebooks. Thin cardboard, polypropylene, or bendable plastic serves as their covers.

Advantages

  • It's possible to open the pages all the way around.
  • Simple and secure page-turning.
  • In terms of page count, it's flexible.
  • Index tabs function admirably.
  • It's a simple and accessible binding option.

Features

  • Front cover print.
  • The spiral lock wire to avoid snagging on bags and clothing.
  • Correspondingly-colored spiral binding.
  • Covered with the smooth, supple paper board.
  • Superb coil resistance.
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spiral notebooks

2. Leather Notebooks

The most upscale type is a leather notebook, which features high-quality paper wrapped in natural leather and comes in a wide variety of sizes, configurations, and finishes; the paper may even be removed from the cover and replaced.

Advantages

  • Affordable marketing collateral.
  • Functional.
  • The outside leather may be customized to any pattern of your choice.
  • Intended for use in any field.
  • High-quality item.
  • Low maintenance.

Features

  • Flexible leather softcover
  • Resistant to paper cover tears
  • Cover pocket design
  • Sufficient paper for any writing needs
  • Durable, waterproof cover
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pu leather notebook

3. Cute Notebooks

Notebooks with lovely designs and patterns are called "cute notebooks," They aren't strictly essential for taking notes, but they are a lot of fun to look at. It's a smart option to choose notebooks with encouraging sayings, whether on the new pages, motivational quotations on the covers, or even a charming accessory that makes note-taking more enjoyable.

Advantages

  • Having an attractive cover can help you stand out.
  • Represents who you are and what you value.
  • Best complementary item.
  • It can be inspiring and noteworthy.
  • They're less daunting and more inviting to write.

Features

  • Cute designs and lovely patterns.
  • Comfortable eye protection.
  • Smooth writing paper.
  • Smear ink-free all over the paper.
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cute notebook

4. Marble Notebooks

A marble notebook is a notebook with unique marble covers, usually combined of black, white, and grey with subtle variations, wherein the pages our submerged by hand in a solution of different colors. The result is a page with an original psychedelic design, complete with loops and swirls.

Advantages

  • Classic and sleek design
  • Sewn together for a more comfortable writing/sketching experience.
  • Easy to fold back
  • Provide additional penmanship guidance

Features

  • All sizes come with a lined and unlined bullet option.
  • A4, A5, and Medium sizes are all readily available.
  • Lightweight and compact.
  • Usually comes with a sturdy cardboard cover
  • Professionally bound using premium, silky paper.
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marble notebook

5. Pocket Notebooks

Pocket notebooks are ideal for taking notes on the move because they are compact and don't take up much space in your backpack or pocket. We should always have a notepad to scribble down ideas as they strike; we never know when that will be.

Advantages

  • Take notes on the go.
  • A perfect tool to help with day-to-day tasks.
  • Portable enough to carry around in one's pocket.

Features

  • Simple design, natural aesthetic
  • Sewn or staple binding
  • Dot-grid pages
  • Heavy paper, free of bleed-through and ghosting.
  • Includes bookmarks
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pocket notebook

6. Pop It Notebooks

The Pop It bubble fidget notebook is shaped and engineered to look, feel, and sound much like popping bubble wrap. Repeat the process by pressing down on the bubbles, listening to them pop, and then flipping them over. You may pop many at once, and they can be arranged in designs.

There's no losing with a stylish, budget-friendly sensory notepad that kids will like using to stay focused and engaged.

Advantages

  • It can improve your hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
  • Mindfulness can help with stress reduction and has even been shown to boost cognitive progress.
  • It is calming for kids with special educational challenges, including autism, ADD, and ADHD.
  • Low-priced yet high-quality.

Features

  • Silicone cover
  • Bright colors and pleasant sounds
  • Passed the safety test.
  • Long-lasting, plush, and comfortable
  • Spiral double-coiled notebook
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pop it notebook

7. Composition Notebook

For a good reason, composition notebooks (often called marble notebooks) are instantly identifiable as one of the most common types of student stationery.

These classic notebooks come in various sizes, rules, and sheet counts and offer a great opportunity to express oneself via the medium of color. However, composition books have many uses beyond the classroom. One may use them for taking notes to doodle ideas for a new work of art.

Advantages

  • Excellent for honing one's penmanship.
  • Wide pages for more writing space, useful for learners of any age.
  • Supports the ability to communicate.
  • Guided writing exercises with lined notebooks.
  • Sizes vary by application.
  • It can hold 24-100+ sheets.

Dimensions

  • 3.25 x 4.5 inches – light and compact
  • 9.75 x 7.5 inches – can accommodate a lot of content
  • Available in standard colors, including blue, green, red, and black.
  • College-ruled paper in 7.1 millimetres line gap.
  • Handy and portable for around-the-house use.
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composition notebooks

8. Hardcover Notebooks

A book with solid protective covers (usually of binder's board or strong paperboard covered with buckram or other fabric, thick paper, or occasionally leather) is known as a hardcover or hardback (also known as hardbound and sometimes as case-bound).

If you want something sturdy and stylish, go with a hardcover. They are significantly more durable than paperbacks, and their elegance and desirability ensure they keep their worth far better.

Advantages

  • Long-lasting in storage conditions.
  • You may put them on display on the coffee table or carry them in your backpack, and they'll still look wonderful.
  • Create an impression with a polished, businesslike aesthetic.
  • It can keep from becoming beat up by everyday use.

Features

  • Inner page options: blank, dotted, or ruled pages
  • Printed cardboard cover
  • Minimum of 100 pages
  • Bleed-resistant premium paper
  • Elastic closure with a bookmark on optional
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hardcover notebook

9. A4 Notebook

The official dimensions of an A4 notebook, often known as the international letterhead size of the paper, are 210 x 297 mm (8-1/4 x 11 17/24 inches).

You may use it as a notepad for class or work or bring it to a meeting. We highly recommend upgrading to the leather edition. Useful as either a diary or a reference guide. I've been using it to jot down ideas for some artist materials I've been developing, and it has the most delightfully opulent and formal vibe.

Advantages

  • If you have sloppier handwriting, A4 notebooks will give you plenty of room to work.
  • You can use it for calculations and in-depth lectures.
  • Sketches may be made in any blank A4 notebook.

Features

  • High-quality paper
  • Sleek designs available
  • Durable covers
  • Softcover, paperback
  • A polished and shiny cover can be personalized
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A4 Size Notebook

10. Softcover Notebooks

The term "softcover notebook" describes a note book whose cover is made of flexible paper rather than a more traditional binding method. This option is more portable than a hardcover notebook, which has its pages encased in a cover made of sturdy paperboard.

Advantages

  • Perfect if you're always on the go and need to jot down some thoughts.
  • Compared to a notebook with a hardback, they are much easier to carry.
  • They're flexible, so you can fold them up and store them in a small space.
  • They are great if you want to quickly look through a diary entry or reference any notes you took.
  • Great value for money.

Features

  • Full-color printed cover and tight stitching.
  • You can lay it wide open.
  • The paper is sturdy and can withstand extensive use without tearing.
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softcover notebook

11. Glitter Notebook

If you're searching for a gift idea, consider this glitter notebook, which is fantastic for maintaining a diary or jotting down notes to yourself, goals, etc. This journal not only encourages originality but also makes the user feel good. A variety of colour options are presented. Additionally, please be aware that this notebook may be customized to your liking.

Advantages

  • Stunning, one-of-a-kind style.
  • The ideal present, whatever the occasion.
  • Excellent for people of all ages to express their creative side.
  • Compact enough to fit in your purse yet roomy enough for scribbling.

Features

  • It can be soft and hardcover
  • Applicable to any size and shape
  • Material: paper, glitter
  • Inner page options: blank, dotted, or ruled pages
  • Textured cover
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glitter notebook

12. Subject Notebooks

A subject notebook is a type of notebook that is common in most workplaces and classrooms as well as in the bags of most students. They are used in various academic and creative contexts, including jotting notes in meetings, drafting original works of art, and completing schoolwork.

Multiple-Subject Notebooks

These notebooks normally include between two and five distinct sections, each with its divider and sometimes its pocket page for storing extra paper. Having all your notes in one location is one of the many benefits of using a multi-subject notebook.

Advantages

  • Organized notes for every subject. 
  • The color-coded covers can quickly tell which notebooks belong to which projects, classes, or topics.
  • For girls and boys in kindergarten, preschool, elementary, and high school.

Features

  • With adjustable dividers to create partitions of any size.
  • Multi-colored notebooks. To express your ideas on any topic, use any color you like.
  • Features a robust, circular metal spiral that can withstand much use.
  • With 3-hole punched to transform from notebook to binder.
  • Neat sheet pages are perforated for easy tear-off.
  • College-rules.
subject notebook

13. Recycled Notebook

The recycled notebook uses 98% fewer resources than new and virgin paper notebooks manufactured from newly cut trees in terms of water and electricity. The largest recycled material is paper and paper products, accounting for over 66% of all recyclables.

Advantages

  • Eco-friendly and infinitely recyclable
  • Rescuing roughly 17 trees is the equivalent of recycling one ton of paper.
  • The amount of water required for the recycling of paper is extremely low.
  • Compared to goods made using "fresh."

Features

  • Easy to understand and apply.
  • The cover of this card is made from 100% recyclable materials and is FSC®-certified.
  • Elegant, earthy shades are readily available.
  • Round corners.
recycled notebook

14. Portfolio Notebook

The term "padfolio" is commonly used to refer to a notebook portfolio. The exterior of these is not always made of polypropylene or genuine leather, but rather, various materials.

They are made for storing and arranging necessary office equipment and supplies. Zippers, buckles, or snaps are common closure options for portfolio pads. You can choose the appropriate one for your requirements, as they come in a wide range of sizes and styles.

Advantages

  • Some portfolio notebooks feature an outside clip that allows the portfolio to be used as a clipboard.
  • Some are designed to accommodate three rings, ideal for storing documents with holes.
  • Comfortable to carry in your bag or slip under your arm.
  • Can various items such as cards, flash drives, sticky notes, smartphones, calculators, etc.
  • Various tones are possible.

Features

  • Features a three-ring binder to store documents with holes in them.
  • Covered with leather to give it a polished, professional look. It has many compartments, folders, and a sleek black interior lining.
  • Velcro, snaps, or buckles.
  • Hook-and-loop fastener front pocket that wraps across the interior.
  • Including two pen loops for convenience.
portfolio notebook

15. Journals

Journals are commonly used for jotting down thoughts and ideas during lectures, field trips, and meetings. Writing in a journal is a more reflective experience. Keeping a journal is an excellent way to record your ideas, feelings, and experiences.

The purpose for which a journal is kept is what sets it apart. Writing in a journal can be used to reflect on the day's events, document aspirations for the future, plot global conquest, etc. Journals are grown-up diaries that don't come with a "KEEP OUT" sign and a key.

Advantages

  • Be methodical in your thinking.
  • Plan and complete your objectives.
  • Spark original thought.
  • Keep track of inspiration as it strikes.
  • Reduce your anxiety.
  • Do some introspective thinking and pondering.
  • Improve recall

Features

  • Lined, blank, and dotted with a strap to secure the cover and pages.
  • Numbered pages
  • The thread-bound book opens flat
  • Ink proof paper
  • Durable cover
  • Many color options
journal

Notebook Size Guide

Notebook Size Guide

Size

By mm

By inches

A4

210 × 297 mm

8.3 x 11.7 in

A5

148 × 210 mm

27.8 × 39.4 in

B5

190 x 250 mm

7.48 x 9.84 in

Regular

110 x 210 mm

4.33 x 8.26 in

A6

105 × 148 mm

4.13 × 5.83 in

B6

125 x 176 mm

4.9 x 6.9 in

Pocket

90 x 140 mm

3.54 x 5.51 in

B7 (Passport)

88 x 125 mm

3.5 x 4.9 in

Cardbook

55 x 90 mm

2.16 x 3.54 in

Comparison of Notebook Types

Composition Notebooks vs. Notebooks

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Perhaps both of these terms can be used interchangeably.
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Any book that can be used for note-taking is often called a "notebook."
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Any lined notebook could be called a composition book, although the term was originally applied primarily to those notebooks with black and white spotted covers.

Padfolio vs. Portfolio

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Padfolios and portfolios serve the same purpose, protecting your documents and other office essentials while you travel.
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Padfolios are strong folders that hold paper pads and often have extra features like pen loops, business card holders, and other pockets for holding documents.
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A portfolio is a larger, briefcase-like bag with a handle.

Padfolio vs. Notebook

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Padfolios are folders that contain paper pads, often lined sheets of legal or letter size. Typically bound with a metal spiral at one side, the pages of a notebook can be removed quickly and effortlessly.
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Whereas a padfolio's thick cover and closure help keep your notes and papers secure, a notebook's thinner cover and lack of closure mean it's usually priced lesser.

Spiral vs. Composition Notebook

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The deciding factor between a composition notebook and a spiral-bound notebook is how the two are bound.
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The bound spine of a composition book, as opposed to the spiral spine of a spiral bound book, determines how it opens and whether it may be laid flat.
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Perfect and spiral bound are also used to describe these two types of bindings.

Notebook vs. Journal

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A notebook is a simple and inexpensive book that binds sheets of paper together, typically at the side with a metal spiral.
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A journal is typically more high-quality and durable than a standard notebook, with stronger stitching and a more robust cover.
Su - Interwell Founder
Hi, I'm Su, the author of this post. I founded Interwell Stationery and have served over 1000+ clients since 2003. Feel free to contact us for custom stationery supplies, manufacturing support, and the latest trends in the industry.
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