My Ongoing Narrow-Rule Obsession

October 27, 2008

This is a weird one, but I have a notepaper issue. I have severe pathos for the slow fade-and-disappear act that narrow-ruled paper seems to be performing in this country. Wide rule is for, I don’t know, people who use crayons as their primary medium of expression, and college rule is kind of a euphemism. Bluntly: the damned lines are too far apart on 99% of the notepad and filler paper made available in the America. When using paper wherein lines are too far apart I write kind of like a caffeinated and over-effeminate fifth grader: big, loopy, dumb-looking. It’s all I can do to keep from dotting my ‘i’s with hearts.

Thus I spend kind of a creepy amount of time trolling the online for narrow-ruled products. At my former font of employ, a helpmate was kind enough to track down Office Depot’s at-the-time only acceptable narrow-ruled product: a little spiral-bound number in a rather effete shade they call “orchid.” I’ve been writing on lavender-colored paper for the past 18 months. At least it doesn’t smell like flowers.

I filled the last page today. A lunchtime sojourn to Office De(s)pot did manage to turn up one tolerable, if not ideal, option: Tops makes a top-bound legal pad in narrow rule. Thank goodness. But I’d really like a spiral bound and I’d really, really like a composition book in narrow rule.

In England, where a lot of other consumer items are kind of a drag, from what I could tell, all paper was narrow-ruled (then again, their binders only have two holes instead of three, and said pair of holes are too close to each other, leading to massive notebook imbalance and possible loss of empire). I am still hoarding some of this weird, two-holed paper, because the lines are nice and close together. I guess the Brits have more writers, fewer people who use finger paints or bananas to write.

Perhaps this is all just a metaphor for my need for a sense of control, keeping my handwriting confined and neat. But I can’t be the only one. Hello, out there?

Photo: By Flickr user Manuela Hoffman.

20 Comments

EMM says:

October 28, 2008 at 8:54 am

I am also also obsessed with notebooks, but prefer mine to have blank pages – guess I’m just a no-rules / no-boundaries kind of person… I like to be able to mix drawing and writing on the same page. I’ve found Clairefontaine brand to be my favorite, but I have to order them. There is a place called Writersbloc in Portland, but they are currently without retail store. Check out their website, they may have what you’re looking for. I know they have something called “French Ruled” http://www.shopwritersbloc.com/frruno.html

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autumn says:

October 28, 2008 at 4:25 pm

also a bit notebook nutty. i like mine blank so i can draw, paste photos & clippings, and other random detritus of nostalgia. as such, they have to have a spiral which is able to expand a bit with the inclusion of said whatnot. moreover i like a heavy bonded paper so i can use fine felt tip markers to write with. its easy enough to find 1 or 2 of these elements, but finding all three has proven to be rather a pain. i tend to buy 3 or 4 at time when i do track them down.

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Cheryl says:

October 31, 2008 at 5:45 pm

I’ve seen a moleskine style notebook with a narrow rule – Quo Vadis Habana Journal in the small size. The same journal in the larger size does not have the nice narrow rules that the small one does. http://www.shopwritersbloc.com/quo-vadis-habana-journal–small.html

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Mike says:

December 10, 2008 at 4:30 pm

I came upon your post searching the internet for a narrow ruled composition book – I really like the cardboard covers and the simplicity of those slim notebooks.

Any sources would be appreciated.

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Greg says:

January 5, 2009 at 9:33 pm

I’m surprised to find so few comments on this piece. I thought this was hilarious, and I can relate perfectly. I’ve always been surprised by the proliferation of wide ruled paper. I also envision that only children would require such width.

Anyway, I only write on the aforementioned Tops top bound legal pad (narrow rule, canary yellow). At Office Max there’s a massive selection of legal pads–only one type offers what I consider a reasonable width. I would die if they stopped making them. Or some online store would probably save me.

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Gwen says:

January 21, 2009 at 8:43 pm

I knew I couldn’t be the only twitchy obsessive desperate for something appropriate for tiny, cramped handwriting. I’m a graduate student, and lately the only way I can keep information in my head is to constantly write and rewrite things down. I stumbled upon a package of narrow-ruled filler paper a year ago, and have been feverishly searching since. I even tore a minute corner off of one sheet to compare available selections at Staples, Office Depot, Target and even a grocery store. Until I can find a source online, I did find a temporary substitute at Target the other day; “Innovative Designs”- their college ruled spiral bound notebook with a garish zebra patterned cover. Thankfully, the sheets are perforated and tear easily, and the narrow margins help make up for lost space…

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greenman11 says:

February 7, 2009 at 9:10 pm

I feel your pain completely! I was in the midst of a furious online search for more legal ruled notebooks when your blogpost poped up on google. Hahah, “dot my i’s with hearts”-line… niiice. Guess you brits are just more sophisticated, cheers.

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Karyl says:

February 26, 2009 at 8:24 pm

I stumbled across your page while doing a search for narrow ruled paper. So nice to know I’m not the only obsessive type out there! I’ve been making do with quad-ruled notebooks (same vertical spacing) but just discovered that ‘narrow rule’ and ‘legal rule’ are one and the same – and there are a couple of sources online for legal-ruled notebooks. Not sure if they make legal-ruled filler paper as well… Good luck!

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Avani says:

March 21, 2009 at 4:41 pm

Thanks so much for your post! The death of the narrow rule is one of the great tragedies of my life. I’ve spent years stalking office supply stores and websites in search of narrow-ruled pads and especially notebooks. Frankly, I don’t understand why – in this new age of “green” products – narrow ruled notebooks are not making a comeback (you can get so much more on a page with normal-sized handwriting). For years, I used National Brand’s 8 1/2 x 6 7/8 inch small notebooks (#33-004), but they stopped making them. I think the Rediform brand has a substitute but I want a normal-sized notebook with perforated sheets (yes, I dream big). I found a limited edition Staples notebook that is narrow-lined about 2 months ago. It’s not available online but check your local store.

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Adam says:

March 21, 2009 at 4:55 pm

I am glad to know that I am not the only one.

I have been trying to find a very particular set of journals that were produced for Target a few years ago. I have been trying to find them or something even remotely comparable for months with no luck.

They came in a pair, one brown, one a very light blue. The covers are cardboard, bound in a standard composition book style with tape. The paper is 10in tall by 7in wide and the ruling seems to be 3/16in.

Anyway, if any other strange obsessive compulsives out there ever come across something like this, please post a follow-up comment about where to find it.

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Renea says:

March 27, 2009 at 7:36 am

Wow I thought I was the only one who really cares about their paper! I just found college ruled in my school’s supply store (Georgia Tech’s Barnes and Noble) and I like it… the problem is I’ve already run out of paper and can’t find it anywhere else!!! UGH!

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Mary in Central Florida says:

April 5, 2009 at 2:19 pm

Oh how I feel your pain, you are definately not alone. My poor husband had to listen to a “why is everything wide ruled” tyraid this morning as a matter of a fact. I don’t have a solution, surely wish I did.

Have you noticed that they are making pens and pencils wider too? It’s a huge mess as far as I’m concerned. Now the “normal” pencil lead is at least .7 or even .9! Maybe it’s a conspiracy by the kindergardeners to not have to learn to do better.

Good luck hunting. I have found one sort of acceptable composition book. Staples has a composition book that is filled with paper covered in squares. They are much better than the regular ones that are so wide my car would fit between the lines, they aren’t perfect. They’re hard to find but when I do find them a buy a few.

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Deb says:

June 23, 2009 at 1:32 pm

I found your blog entry while searching Google to see whether the term for narrow-ruled paper had just changed and nobody told me or if it was indeed disappearing from my world. I feel childish carrying around a wide-ruled notepad, like I just got my school supplies and now I’m ready to start 3rd grade.

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Dan says:

July 16, 2009 at 3:05 pm

Came across this while looking on-line for a source of narrow ruled paper. It always seems such a waste to only use half of the paper when writing (the half closest to the line). In the past I have just put two lines of text for each pre-printed line on the page…and that is with “college ruled” paper. I don’t even attempt using wide ruled paper, why should I pay to use only one-third of the page.

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marciekr says:

August 13, 2009 at 3:53 pm

You can still find the National Brand Narrow Ruled Eye-Ease notebooks online. Luckily there is still one last mom and pop office supply store here that carries them so I don’t have a problem getting them. It’s the only kind I use and I have no idea what I will do if they do discontinue them. No more lists I guess.

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bas says:

August 25, 2009 at 11:23 am

Levenger (www.levenger.com) sells
micro-ruled (3/16″) letter size pads
at the moment.

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Army Wife says:

September 13, 2009 at 5:10 pm

If anybody knows of a good, cheap source for National Brand, Narrow Rule Eye-ease 10″ x 8″ notebooks, please post it! I’m prepared to stock up huge quantities.

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John says:

January 13, 2010 at 5:29 pm

I could never describe the effects of wide rule as well as essay above. However there is nothing weird about your pathos. The lines on today’s paper are actually too far apart to write between with a banana, watermelon maybe.

I started school and used up most of my writing stock unaware of the shortage. I believe i have 16 pieces left and have been looking in stores and websites frantically. I tried writing with the bannana paper today. I mostly wrote two lines of text per line.

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Khimba says:

March 4, 2010 at 6:26 am

Yes! Are there enough of us to reverse this trend? I look longingly at that yellow narrow ruled legal paper, but it won’t work as a notebook, so I’ve settled with college-ruled composition notebooks. Won’t someone bring back narrow ruled composition notebooks and narrow ruled three ring notebook paper? Thanks very much to the tips that narrow ruled is also called legal ruled, and about the National notebooks, those were great notebooks.

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Carol Barber says:

March 10, 2010 at 10:08 pm

For those of you hunting unruled composition books. I found a website that sells them in packs of six or by the single book and a decent price. “Office Quarters” Check it out. I just ordered 2 packs!
GENEALOGY HERE WE COME!

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