I could buy graph paper, but it's cheaper to print your own -- particularly because it uses almost no ink/toner. While I'm at it, I'd also like to customize the layout a little bit.
First, I take notes in a sort of unusual layout. I'm left-handed so I'll take a half-sheet (usually a full sheet folded in half) and make three sections, each facing a different direction:
+---------------------------------------+
| ^ | |
| | | section 1 |
| section 3 | | |
|---------------------| | |
| | V |
| section 2 | |
| <------ | |
| | |
+---------------------------------------+
This creates some problems for scanning because there's no metadata about which notes face in which direction. So ideally I can solve this problem by adding a few things:
- Markers for the section boundaries
- Directional markers per section
- Sequence indicators so notes are chronologically ordered
I prefer a small graph ruling, about 0.2" per cell. Sometimes the lines are heavier than ideal, so I'm considering doing something like shading the crosshairs more heavily than the cell boundaries:
| |
- - - --+-- - - - --+-- - - -
| |
. .
. .
. .
| |
- - - --+-- - - - --+-- - - -
| |
. .
. .
. .
That way the alignment cues are still there, but there's less visual clutter on the page.