notebook

A notebook is a book of paper sheets bound together along one edge, intended for writing, drawing, or note-taking. Pages may be ruled, grid-lined, or blank, and notebooks come in various sizes and bindings. They are used in education, business, journaling, and creative work.

Paper notebooks are manufactured with different bindings: stitched, glue-bound, or spiral; covers range from soft to hard; common formats include pocket, A5, and A4. Some are refillable with loose-leaf inserts; others are single-use. Specialized notebooks include laboratory field notebooks and sketchbooks with durable covers. Paper quality and page ruling influence writing experience and durability.

Digital notebooks refer to electronic note-taking environments that simulate a notebook. They store notes in apps and cloud services and support text, handwriting with a stylus, images, and links. They enable search, tagging, and syncing across devices. Examples include OneNote, Evernote, and Apple Notes, among others.

Notebook computer describes a portable personal computer marketed as a notebook or laptop. They integrate a screen, keyboard, pointing device, and battery in a compact chassis. Since the 1990s, notebooks have evolved from bulky devices to thin, lightweight models with varied processors, storage, and connectivity, serving computing tasks, media, and mobility.