Dinosaur Notebooks: Five Covers, Dotted or Ruled Pages, and What Each One Is For

A dinosaur notebook is one of the few dinosaur gifts that gets used every day without anybody having to wear it. We print five designs. Four are the same notebook inside, with 140 dotted pages, and differ only in the cover. The fifth is our original design, with 120 ruled pages, and it suits a different kind of writer.

This page covers what's inside each one, what's on every cover, who each suits, and how long they take to arrive. All the specifications come from the product listings. The cover descriptions come from looking at the photos.

Dotted or ruled: the one decision that matters

Choose the paper first, then the dinosaur. The two kinds of page suit different people.

Dotted pages are a grid of faint dots instead of lines. You can write on them as if they were ruled, but you can also draw, make tables or lay out a weekly planner without lines getting in the way. They're what most people mean when they say "journal" now, and they're the better gift when you don't know exactly how someone will use it.

Ruled pages are the familiar lined paper. For a student taking class notes, or anyone who just wants to write in straight lines without thinking about it, the ruled notebook is the simpler pick.

The four dotted dinosaur notebooks

All four are the same notebook: 140 dotted pages, a metal wire-o spiral binding, and a cover with a soft-touch coating. US orders are 5.5″ × 8.5″, which is about the size of a paperback and fits in a bag without taking it over. Only the cover changes.

Serene Stegosaurus. The busiest and most colorful of the four. A teal stegosaurus walks through a jungle of tall palm trees under a mint-green sky, with pterosaurs overhead and pink clouds behind. The picture fills the whole cover. It's the one for a child, or for an adult who likes a lot going on.

Serene Pastel Stegosaurus. The same idea in a softer key. A lilac stegosaurus stands under a single palm tree against a pastel sky of pink, yellow and pale blue, painted as a vignette with white space around the edges. It's quieter than the first, and closer to a watercolor.

Minimalist Dino. The plainest cover we make, and the one most likely to go to work. A tiny long-necked dinosaur stands on top of rolling sand dunes in beige, sage and terracotta, with a large pale circle of sky behind it. From across a meeting table it reads as a landscape, and you only see the dinosaur up close.

Pastel Sunrise. A sail-backed dinosaur in sage green reaches up toward a spray of peach and pink flowers, in front of a big soft sun on a blush background. It's the most floral of the four and pairs well with a gift for someone who likes the pastel look.

The ruled dinosaur notebook: Jurassic Fuji

Jurassic Fuji is our original notebook and the only one with lined paper. A black T-Rex silhouette roars from a clifftop in front of a huge setting sun, in a sky of burnt orange, with pale mountains and trees below and birds in the distance. The listing describes 120 ruled single pages in a spiral binding, a printed front cover and a black back cover.

Its listing doesn't give a page size or a shipping estimate the way the four dotted notebooks do, so if either matters for your plans, check before ordering. It's the right choice for school: lined pages, a bold cover, and a T-Rex.

Which dinosaur notebook for which person

• A child who draws: Serene Stegosaurus. A dotted page doesn't fight a drawing the way lines do, and the cover is the brightest we print.
• A student: Jurassic Fuji, for the ruled pages.
• Someone who keeps a journal or a bullet journal: any of the dotted four. Pick by taste: Serene Pastel Stegosaurus or Pastel Sunrise for soft colors, Minimalist Dino for something understated.
• A colleague, or for your own desk at work: Minimalist Dino. It's the one that doesn't look like a children's notebook.
• A dinosaur journal for a gift where you don't know their habits: go dotted. It works as lined paper and as blank paper, so it's hard to get wrong.

Making it a desk gift

A notebook on its own is a good stocking gift. For something a little bigger, a few things from the same shelf go well with it:

• A mouse pad. Sunny Morning is a T-Rex roaring in a bright jungle at sunrise, with ferns in every color across the bottom. It's 8.7″ × 7.1″ with a soft polyester surface and a natural rubber base, $19.95. The listing says to keep it out of direct sunlight so it doesn't fade.
• A mug. The dinosaur mug collection has 85 designs, so there's usually one that matches the notebook's mood.
• Stickers. A notebook and a few sheets from the dinosaur sticker collection make a good gift for a child who likes decorating things. Our sticker guide explains the two ranges and the sizes.

When to order a dinosaur notebook for Christmas

The four dotted notebooks list a production time of 1–2 business days and US shipping of 2–5 business days. That's 3–7 business days in total.

Working back from a Wednesday, December 23 delivery, the latest safe order date is Monday, December 14. That's the estimate on the listing, not a guarantee. December carriers are slow, so a week earlier is kinder. Jurassic Fuji doesn't give an estimate, so order that one earlier still.

Every notebook is printed to order, which is why there's a production step at all. Tracking arrives when the order reaches the shipping stage.

For more Christmas ideas across the store, see our dinosaur Christmas guide.

Dinosaur notebook FAQ

What are dotted pages?

Pages printed with a light grid of small dots instead of lines. You can write on them like lined paper, but they also work for sketches, lists and planner layouts. The four soft-touch notebooks have 140 of them.

Are there lined dinosaur notebooks?

Yes, one. Jurassic Fuji has 120 ruled pages.

How big are the notebooks?

The four dotted notebooks are 5.5″ × 8.5″ when fulfilled in the US (5.7″ × 8.5″ from the EU). The Jurassic Fuji listing doesn't state a size.

Will the spiral lie flat?

The dotted notebooks use a metal wire-o binding, a double-loop spiral that lets a notebook open flat or fold back on itself. That makes them easier to write in at a desk or on your lap.

Can I personalize a dinosaur notebook?

None of the notebook listings offers a personalization option. Each design is printed as shown.

Do you ship notebooks outside the US?

The listings give US shipping estimates and mention EU fulfilment for the dotted notebooks. If you're ordering from outside the US, check the options at checkout.

If you're not sure which to choose, start with Minimalist Dino. It's dotted, it's understated, and it suits almost anyone, from a ten-year-old to their parent's office.