Custom Notepads

Choosing a Size and Sheet Count

A5 is the most popular size for desk pads and meeting rooms, giving enough space for proper notes. A6 suits bedside tables, kitchen drawers and bags, where a smaller pad is handier. DL, a tall slim format, is ideal for shopping lists and fits easily on a fridge with a magnet. A4 pads work for planning sheets, order pads and desk planners.

Sheet count is a balance between cost and usefulness. Thinner pads are cheaper to post and give away in quantity; thicker pads last longer and feel more substantial as a gift. Your custom quote can show prices for two or three options so you can compare. Our guide to how custom pricing works explains why sheet count moves the price more than size.

Paper, Backing Board and Binding

Most notepads use an uncoated writing paper that takes pen, pencil and gel ink without smudging. A heavier sheet feels nicer to write on and stops pen showing through to the next page. Coloured or tinted papers are possible for a distinctive look, but keep in mind that very dark sheets are hard to write on.

Each pad is glued along the top edge so sheets tear away cleanly, and mounted on a stiff card backing so it can be used without a table. Some customers choose a printed backing board with extra information, or a full card cover for a more finished look. Magnetic backs turn DL pads into fridge lists, and a hole drilled through the top lets pads hang on a hook.

If paper feel matters to you, mention it in your enquiry and we will talk you through the writing papers available; it is the quickest way to judge writing comfort before you commit. Writing papers and backing boards are compared in the board and card types guide.

• Uncoated writing paper for pen and pencil
• Heavier sheets for premium pads
• Glued top edge for clean tear-off
• Card, printed or magnetic backing

Laying Out Each Sheet

Keep the branding to the top or bottom band of the page and leave most of the sheet clear for writing. A logo, a short strapline and a phone number or web address are usually enough. Faint lines, a dotted grid or a light watermark of your logo can make the page more useful without crowding it.

Functional layouts work well too. A to-do list, a weekly planner, a meal plan or a property viewing checklist turns the notepad into a practical aid, which means people keep using it. Ask for the proof to show the full sheet at actual size so you can check how much writing space remains. Pads with a duplicate sheet for orders are covered under carbonless pads for order taking.

Getting Custom Notepads Into the Right Hands

A box of notepads in a stockroom does nothing. Decide before you order where each batch will go: a stack on every reception desk, one in every welcome pack, a few in each viewing folder, or a bundle for every exhibition. Knowing the distribution plan helps you choose the right quantity and size, and avoids ordering a large A4 run when most pads will be handed out at a busy stand where small and light works best.

Estate agents often pair a pad with a short leaflet when leafleting a street, while hotels restock rooms with each change of guest. If staff are expected to hand pads out, make it part of the routine at the end of a meeting or viewing, and track how many go out each month so you can reorder before you run dry.

If notepads are going into a kit, think about the other items. A pad that matches the size of a pen or fits beside a bottle in a box packs more neatly. A6 and DL sizes slip into most gift bags and boxes, and a shrink-wrapped pad keeps clean in a mixed kit.

Matching colours across the kit helps it feel planned. If you are also ordering printed boxes, folders or envelopes, we can set the notepad design in the same palette so everything looks like one family. Matching folders for the same kit are on the pocket folders for welcome packs page.

Choose the Sheet Count by How the Pad Is Used

Sheet count is the decision that changes the price of a notepad most, and it should follow the job. A pad left in a hotel room or handed out at a show does its work in a week, so 25 sheets is enough; a pad given to a client or kept on an office desk should last months, so 50 or 100 sheets feels right. Decide which job yours does, pick the size that fits where it lives, and ask for the proof at actual size.

Tell us the size, the sheets per pad, the quantity, the paper and any backing preference, and a custom quote comes by email within one working day, with low minimums quoted per job. The free proof shows the sheet and the backing. Pads are printed, glued and backed over 4 to 7 working days after approval and reach UK mainland addresses on a free tracked service in 2 to 3 working days; pads that arrive misprinted or damaged are reprinted or refunded if reported within 10 days. Pads that need to stick to a screen or a file are covered under sticky notepads with a glued strip.