Use lined paper for notes written in sentences, grid for math and diagrams, dotted for bullet journals and layouts you design yourself, Cornell for lectures you plan to revise from, and blank for sketching. On a tablet the choice costs nothing, so you can match the paper to each job instead of living with whatever notebook you bought.
Below is what each ruling is good at, how to pick a page colour, and when to leave pages behind for an infinite canvas.
Why the ruling matters
Lines, squares and dots are guides. They keep your writing level, your letters a steady size and your diagrams square, and they quietly suggest a shape for what goes on the page. The wrong ruling works against you: lines cutting through a diagram, or a busy grid behind a page of prose.
With paper notebooks you tend to commit to one ruling for a whole term. On a tablet you choose for each note, so a history lecture, a set of physics problems and a weekly plan can each get the paper that suits them.
Match the ruling to the task
Lined: lectures, meetings, reading notes and journals
Lined paper suits anything written mostly in sentences or short phrases. It keeps fast writing tidy and makes a page easy to scan from top to bottom, and it is the natural choice for a written journal, where pages of prose should stay neat. Leave a blank line between topics so there is room to add things later, and keep the left edge free for a quick mark, such as a question mark or a star, next to lines you need to come back to.
Grid: math, science and diagrams
Grid paper helps wherever things need to line up. Put one digit in each square when you add columns, keep the equals signs of a derivation under each other, and use the lines as axes for quick graphs. It is also good for tables, circuit sketches, floor plans and anything drawn roughly to scale.
Dotted: bullet journals and flexible layouts
Dots give you reference points without lines in the way. That makes dotted paper the usual choice for bullet journals, habit trackers, weekly spreads and interface sketches, where you draw your own boxes and columns. It also works for everyday writing if you want some guidance but find full lines busy.
Cornell: lectures you will revise from
Cornell paper divides the page into a narrow cue column, a wide notes area and a summary strip at the bottom. You take notes in the main area during the lecture, then add questions in the cue column and a short summary afterwards, which turns the page into something you can test yourself with. Our guide to the Cornell method on a tablet explains the whole routine.
Blank: sketching and visual thinking
Blank paper is best when any guide would get in the way: drawing, sketchnotes, visual summaries and first rough ideas. If your writing drifts uphill on blank pages, try dotted instead.
A quick way to decide
If you are unsure, ask these questions in order and stop at the first yes:
- Does it grow in every direction, like a mind map or a project plan? Use an infinite canvas instead of pages.
- Is it a lecture you will need to revise from? Use Cornell.
- Is it mostly numbers, formulas or diagrams? Use grid.
- Are you designing a layout, such as a planner spread or a tracker? Use dotted.
- Is it mostly writing in sentences or phrases? Use lined.
- Is it drawing, or anything else where lines would get in the way? Use blank.
Page colours and dark paper
White is crisp and familiar, and it suits bright rooms. A warm off-white can feel softer over a long session, and some people simply prefer it, so try both for a week. Dark pages give off less light, which helps in a dim lecture hall or late at night, and they make bright ink colours stand out.
Page colour has a second use: telling notes apart at a glance. A different colour for each subject, or for each kind of note, makes a long list of notes easier to scan when your app shows page previews.
The catch with dark paper is ink. Dark ink on a black page disappears. Tavora handles this for you: it has seven page colours, from white to black, and ink colours adjust so your writing stays readable on dark pages. The app’s own light or dark theme is a separate setting, so every page keeps the paper colour you chose for it.
When to use an infinite canvas instead of pages
Pages give you order. They suit anything with a sequence: lectures, meetings, a journal, a course that runs week by week. You can flip through them, review one page at a time, and a page is a natural unit for a summary.
An infinite canvas gives you space. It suits work that spreads sideways: mind maps, diagrams, project plans, brainstorming, or a revision map that connects a whole topic. You never have to break an idea across a page boundary, and you can step back to see how the parts connect.
You can also use both: pages for the record of what was said, and a canvas where you make sense of it. In Tavora, paged notes and infinite canvases are both free, and a canvas holds your handwriting alongside text boxes, shapes, sticky notes and media.
Paper in Tavora
Tavora Notes lets you choose blank, lined, grid, dotted or Cornell paper for each note, on any of its seven page colours. Typing and handwriting share the same page, with Keyboard, Pen and Read modes, so a lined page can hold both. With a paid plan, notes sync to the web app and keep their paper and colour there, so a note looks the same everywhere.
The handwriting and paper page shows each style. If you keep a bullet journal, note that Tavora’s daily journal, calendar and to-dos are separate built-in tools, described on the calendar and focus page, which leaves your dotted pages free for the creative parts.
Setting up a tablet for the first time? Start with how to take handwritten notes on an Android tablet. The Android app is in early access, and every paper style is free on the tablet; you can request the app from the download page.