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I have a notebook, it's perfect-bound like a normal book. I write all manner of things in it - quite often tear out pages when I know I'll not ever have to refer to stuff again, but quite often keep pages as well. Quite often there are things I'd like to have in my notebook that would be really handy for particular meetings and so on - things like lists of projects, particular quotes from pdfs, that sort of thing. Semi-regularly I'll print out something from my computer and then tape it into the book - so effectively I've got a scrap book going on. But this makes the notebook very scappy (obviously) and unwieldy.

What I'd like would be if I could get the printing done directly on the page, while it was still in the book. The obvious thing that springs to mind is a plotter which can just do a bit of text (anything that produces ascii would be fine) but those things are pretty expensive. Any ideas hive mind?

EDIT - turns out that http://www.printdreams.com/index.php (better description at http://www.21stcentury.co.uk/technology/print_dreams.asp) is exactly what I'm looking for - but it isn't out yet.. :s

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Why don't you go fully digital and take your notebook/tablet to the meetings? – 0x6d64 Apr 22 '12 at 16:54
So the quick answers are things like: I often find it more natural to write with a pen, also that I'm more likely to have abstract ideas when the internet isn't quite so there but also quite often this is for one-to-one interviews, meetings or presentations where taking out a laptop would be socially sub-optimal.. – Joe Apr 22 '12 at 21:56
Why can't you just print things out and use a binder, though? It seems vastly simpler and quicker than attempting to print onto bound notebook pages. – weronika Apr 24 '12 at 7:01
No other reason than I happen to prefer bound books... as it happens I used to reuse papers that had been only printed on one side, and bind them into notepads - that worked reasonably but I've grown to really like the bound type of notebook... – Joe Apr 24 '12 at 10:32

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up vote 0 down vote accepted

The page shows how to cheaply transfer output from an inkjet printer to anything. Iron-on transfer paper is available for both laser and injket printers, but can get quite expensive.

Most printer drivers I've seen lately allow you to flip the printout horizontally.

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Sorry Joe, fixed up the link. It was a different page to the one you found. – jontyc Apr 22 '12 at 9:32
up vote 3 down vote

If you really like printouts being in a physical notebook why not try a ring bound notebook? Then you can just use a hole punch and insert any piece of paper as you require.

Modern printers don't really lend themselves well to printing on items which can't be fed through the system - the ones that can are expensive, as you have already noted.

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+1 - if you tear pages out, then this isn't the kind of notebook that's legally required to be bound and have every page accounted for, so why not just switch to something that will clearly work better for the use you're actually making of it? And if you really want it to be bound eventually, just buy a spiral-binding machine or take it to Kinko's once you're done adding to it. – weronika Apr 22 '12 at 3:41
This is what I do for a lot of things. (I have a half-sized three-ring that goes to all my meetings.) If you use good paper and set a generous left-hand margin, you can print on pre-punched paper, too. – Belisama Apr 22 '12 at 13:53
up vote 1 down vote

I know you have your reasons for not going digital, but you may want to consider something like this: http://www.moleskineus.com/mbl6828-moleskine-tablet-cover-volant-notebook.html

It is a cover for your IPad with a slot for a moleskine notebook. This way you can have digital documents along with your written documents; kind of having the best of both worlds. There are apps for the IPad that have offline capabilities and you could always remove the Ipad from the cover (or notebook) for those certain social situations. It will also save you the extra step of printing (however you decide to do it)

I know it's not the answer you were looking for, but it's something to consider.

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I like it though - it's got a certain something - and I'm all in favour of thinking outside the box +1 but it's just not quite answering in the direction I was hoping for… :( – Joe Apr 23 '12 at 21:32

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