A standard spiral notebook is bound down its left-hand edge, and that is exactly where a left-handed writer's hand ends up. Your wrist comes down on the coils, the page will not lie flat under your hand, and a page or two in it becomes uncomfortable. The usual answer is a notebook bound on the right-hand side instead. We stock these in A4 and A5, and this page explains the alternatives and what to look for in one.

Why standard spiral notebooks are awkward for left-handers

A left-handed writer's hand sits to the left of the pen and travels across the page from the left-hand edge. In an ordinary notebook that edge is the one with the wire on it, so the side of the hand and the wrist rest on the spiral. Many left-handers compensate by turning the book at an angle or holding the hand slightly above the page, which is tiring over anything longer than a few lines.

Ways round the problem

• Turn the notebook over. If the paper is plain, you can flip the book and write on what would normally be the back of each sheet, with the spiral now on the right. It stops working as soon as the paper is ruled with a margin, because the margin ends up on the wrong side of the page.
• Use a top-bound pad. A notebook with the spiral across the top keeps the wire clear of your hand. You turn pages upwards rather than sideways, and these pads are not usually punched for filing.
• Use a pad glued on the right. A glued pad has no wire at all, and if it is glued down the right-hand side the sheets tear away from left to right.
• Use a notebook bound on the right. The wire sits along the right-hand edge of the page you are writing on, well away from your hand, and the paper is ruled and margined in the usual way. This is the closest thing to an ordinary notebook, made for left-handers.

What to look for in a left-handed notebook

• Which side the binding is on. For left-handed writing it should be on the right-hand side, so the book opens from left to right.
• The type of wire. A continuous twin-loop wire binding opens completely flat, so the book lies open without you having to hold it down.
• Ruling and margin. Horizontal ruled lines with the margin on the left, as on ordinary paper, mean you can write exactly as you normally would.
• Size and hole punching. UK paper is A4 or A5, usually punched for UK binders. American notebooks are normally letter-sized with a different hole pattern, which is why they are a poor fit for UK ring binders.
• Perforated pages. Perforation lets you tear sheets out cleanly for filing.
• Paper weight. 80gsm is a good general-purpose weight for pen, pencil and biro.

Our left-handed spiral notebooks

Both are in our left-handed notebooks and pads category.

• Left-handed wire bound notebook, A4 — 160 pages (80 sheets) of 80gsm paper, horizontal ruled lines with the margin on the left, 4-hole punched, perforated, with a board back and a continuous wire binding down the right-hand side. This is an oversized A4: once a sheet is torn out at the perforation it is a standard A4 page (21 x 29.7 cm). The overall width including the binding is 23.5 cm.
• Left-handed wire bound notebook, A5 — the same 160 pages of 80gsm ruled paper, perforated, 2-hole punched, 14.8 x 21 cm, with the binding on the right.

We deliver worldwide. Outside the UK, shipping is charged by weight, so the cost is shown for your own address at checkout.

Frequently asked questions

Do you sell left-handed spiral notebooks in the UK?

Yes. We sell wire bound notebooks with the binding on the right-hand side in A4 and A5, so left-handed writers can write without resting on the spiral.

Can I just turn an ordinary notebook upside down?

If the paper is plain, yes: flip the book over so the spiral is on the right and write on the other side of each sheet. If the paper is ruled with a margin, the margin ends up on the wrong side, which is the reason a notebook made for left-handers is worth having.

Are they A4 and A5 with holes for UK binders?

Yes. The A4 notebook is 4-hole punched and the A5 notebook is 2-hole punched, and the pages are perforated so they can be torn out for filing.

Can you post them outside the UK?

Yes, we ship worldwide. Outside the UK, shipping is charged by weight, and a notebook is a heavy item for its price, so it is worth checking the delivery cost at checkout before you order.

Are there left-handed writing aids for children at school?

Yes. Our school handwriting aids are a good place to start, and there is a separate range of left-handed pens and pencils.

From the archive: how this page began

This page was first written in 2010, in answer to a question we kept being asked. A standard spiral notebook is awkward for left-handers, and the workarounds are limited: turn it over if the paper is plain, or use a notebook with the spiral at the top. Here is the enquiry that prompted it, from a customer in America:

I hope you can help me. I am searching for left handed spiral notebooks with the correct paper size and hole punches for UK binders. I have American left handed spirals but my son just started boarding school in Wales and has asked if I can send him some left handed spirals. The left handed spiral binders I can get here in the USA have 100 sheets of American college rule paper perforated for tear out, a double sided pocket in the back of the notebook and the spiral on the opposite side. Do you offer this product or anything similar or know of where I could find some with UK paper and holes?

At that point we did not stock left-handed spiral notebooks. We had had them specially printed in earlier years, but made in small quantities they cost far more than standard notebooks, customers were not willing to pay the higher price, and the weight made delivery expensive, especially abroad. In 2014 we were able to add the wire bound A4 and A5 notebooks listed above.

If you come across a left-handed spiral notebook we have not covered, or have a solution of your own to this problem, please tell us in the comments below.