For those of us who are picky about what we write on, finding a quality notebook that meets your specific needs can be tricky. Here's how to make your own personalized, customized notebook.


Photo by sunshinecity.

Instead of making compromises and settling for a Mead or Moleskine notebook, we’re going to make our own notebook: The Ultimate College Notebook.


Criteria

The paper must be of a high quality.

The paper must be set up for Cornell Notes how to take study-worthy lecture notes

The pages must be perforated and three hole punched.

The cover and binding must be made of durable materials.

Step #1: Choose Your Paper

Quality paper is what separates a good notebook from a great notebook. For our Ultimate Notebook we’re using 32lb HP Premium Choice Laser Printer Paper. Although expensive at about $20 a ream, writing on this buttery smooth, fountain pen friendly paper is an absolute dream. The heavy weight of the paper will ensure that ink won’t seep through the page.

Step #2: Print the Lines




The Cornell Method is a powerful note taking technique which separates a piece of paper into 3 sections; notes, main points and summary. This forces you to consider the big picture when taking notes without getting caught up in the details. We’ll be printing a lined Cornell Note template onto both sides of our pages. You can grab blank, lined or grid PDF templates here. If you prefer plain old lined or grid paper, a quick search should bring up a bunch of line generators.



Step #3: Perforate and Punch the Pages




Carrying around a notebook with a semester’s worth of notes without some form of redundancy is a scary thought. We’re very diligent when it comes to backing up our computer data, but what about our physical notes? A paper perforator will allow you to tear individual pages out of your notebook so that once you return home you can scan your notes to your computer and file away the originals into a binder. As a bonus, you can import your scanned notes into a service like Evernote so that you’ll have access to them wherever you go. A 5-in-1 paper trimmer with perforating blade can be bought at Staples for $45.

Step #4: Assemble




Once you’ve prepped all of our pages for binding, it’s time to bind your notebooks. Head to your favorite print shop and pay the extra few bucks for quality binding materials. Stay away from Cerlox binding, it’s inferior to Coil and Wire-O.

Step #5: Enjoy




The Ultimate College Notebook; quality materials and designed to integrate perfectly into your note processing workflow. You can take pride this semester knowing that you’re writing on the best notebook there is.

The writers from HackCollege are contributing to our Back To School series all this week.