A notebook is a simple object with four decisions inside it. Suppliers usually quote one and default the rest.

Ask for sizing, not just gsm

Weight is thickness. Sizing is how far the sheet is sealed against ink soaking in, and it is what decides feathering and show-through.

A well-sized 80gsm sheet outperforms a badly sized 100gsm one, which is why buyers who paid for the heavier paper still get complaints. Ask for a sheet to write on before you commit — ten seconds with a rollerball settles it.

Wire or coil, decided by how it travels

Twin-loop wire lies perfectly flat and keeps facing pages aligned, because each loop sits in its own hole. Crush it and it stays crushed.

Plastic coil is one continuous helix: the pages step very slightly as they turn, and it bends and springs back rather than deforming. For anything living in a bag, that is the right trade.

Decide whether pages come out

If they do, insist on a micro-perforation set inboard of the punched holes. Without it the sheet tears through a hole and shreds along the coil.

If they do not, the punch line should sit further from the edge so the paper between hole and edge cannot fail. One book can do both, page by page, but somebody has to decide.

Cover: pay for rigidity, not for looking expensive

The function of a hard cover is that it gives you a writing surface without a desk. If the book lives on a desk, put the money into paper instead.

If you do buy hardcovers, check the covering is wrapped and turned in at the edges rather than trimmed flush. Flush-trimmed corners soften and peel within a term.

What to send when you ask for a quote

Artwork, page count, ruling and spacing, whether pages tear out, and how the books will be carried. That is enough for a real quote, a paper sample and a mockup the same day.