27. The Margins on Notebook Paper Were Originally for Binding, Not Notes
Those blank margins on the side of notebook pages aren’t mainly for doodles or teacher comments. Early notebooks and printed books left space so that when pages were sewn or bound together, the stitching wouldn’t eat into the actual writing area. The habit stuck even in loose-leaf paper.
You’ve filled countless notebooks since school days and assumed margins were generous blank space for thinking. Over-35 professionals who take meeting notes or journal regularly now see every lined page as a quiet reminder of old bookbinding craftsmanship. The white space has purpose after all.
