Tiny Writing: Notes in a Nutshell

motai · Mar 3, 2004

I was wondering if anyone here writes extremely small. I write my notes in a very small font and I am working on fitting my English Composition 2 notes on a single sheet of paper (year course). My personal record is being able to fit seven of my lines into one college ruled line. I take notes using a fine rollerball ink pen.

For instance, this picture is five weeks worth of notes while taking a number theory/linear algebra course on a standard 8.5 x 11 college-ruled paper. It starts at the top, goes all the way down and back up along the margin and along the top margin to the right. The image is slightly skewed to 80% of its original size for size practicality.

http://imageuploader.milbrathnet.net/uploads/notesmall2.jpg

Tsu · Mar 3, 2004

SCARY!
How could you stand to waste all that space at the bottom of the page with that big, giant SQUIGGLE?

holly · Mar 3, 2004

Are you nuts, pardner? What if you LOST that sheet of paper?

You know, too, that there's a theory that those with very small handwriting have very small, uh, amounts of self-esteem...

I don't believe that, btw! But if you're going to write that tiny, you might want to go get a Rapidograph or the throw-away equivalent...any art supply stores near you? That's where I get mine.

I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE HOW TINY YOU WRITE!

Tsu · Mar 3, 2004

Also, if you put tape over both sides of the holes on the side, you could write right over the holes! BTW...what's on the other side of that paper? Is it...BLANK??!??!

one_raven · Mar 3, 2004

Originally posted by motai
I write my notes in a very small font and I am working on fitting my English Composition 2 notes on a single sheet of paper (year course).

why?

Evo · Mar 3, 2004

Motai, it's a sign of an efficient mind. Large script is more time consuming. I notice that the faster I write, the smaller the script gets.

zoobyshoe · Mar 4, 2004

I love it, Motai!

I used to write small in my schedule book because they never gave you enough space for everything a person has to do in a day when you're in college. I challenged my self to get even smaller, for the fun of it.

Since then I met a guy who is more like you, and had me beat by a mile, but I'd say you have him beat. I have never seen anyone write as tiny as you.

I bet there is a whole school of competition for the tiniest writing in Japan. That's the kind of thing they get into.

cookiemonster · Mar 4, 2004

You know, things like that are why I learned to type. Really really quickly.

Other than that, that's... Scary cool, for lack of a single word.

cookiemonster

jimmy p · Mar 4, 2004

and i thought i wrote pretty small. The good thing about writing small is that no-one can say you have spelled something wrong cos they can't read it. Actually, the smaller my writing gets the neater it becomes. Usually my letters like 'a' and 'e' are about a milimeter tall, but that is my scruffy tall writing, if i do smaller, then its SWEET cos even i can read it then!

motai · Mar 4, 2004

Originally posted by Tsunami
Also, if you put tape over both sides of the holes on the side, you could write right over the holes! BTW...what's on the other side of that paper? Is it...BLANK??!??!

Its blank, otherwise the ink would bleed on the other side, ruining it.

Originally posted by Evo
Motai, it's a sign of an efficient mind. Large script is more time consuming. I notice that the faster I write, the smaller the script gets.

It also saves paper and the environment

.

BTW, the first words on that paper are appropriately: Number Theory and the last ones are the smallest.

Njorl · Mar 4, 2004

People still write?

Seriously, I never write more than 5 lines on a piece of paper.

Njorl

Monique · Mar 4, 2004

When I have to write fast, my script gets bigger
Why do they have to make the space inbetween lines so huge anyway? I am always in search of paper with a lot of lines, so more can fit on it and it would look a lot neater and orderly.. but it simply is not available [b(]

My lab journal had 5 mm squares, which was very practical and neat. Now I am back at using ordinary binder paper, though which my ink leaks .. but I am not going to pay €25 for a lab journal .. why are they so expensive??

And oh, I can't see the picture motai.. oh well, reading the reactions it must be too small to fit on my screen..

motai · Mar 4, 2004

Originally posted by Monique
When I have to write fast, my script gets bigger
Why do they have to make the space inbetween lines so huge anyway? I am always in search of paper with a lot of lines, so more can fit on it and it would look a lot neater and orderly.. but it simply is not available [b(]

My lab journal had 5 mm squares, which was very practical and neat. Now I am back at using ordinary binder paper, though which my ink leaks .. but I am not going to pay €25 for a lab journal .. why are they so expensive??

And oh, I can't see the picture motai.. oh well, reading the reactions it must be too small to fit on my screen..

Mine is the exact opposite, when I write faster, it gets smaller. Monique, if you can't see it here go http://imageuploader.milbrathnet.net/uploads/notesmall2.jpg . My english notes are far more orderly, but there is less information (ill have to scan that in sometime as well).

Imagine what my notes would look like if they were full text (no mathematics that take up space)

skywise · Mar 5, 2004

wow...
okay.. I have three questions..
1) Is it completely comfortable for you to go back and read your writing? and related to this question..
2)Do you wear reading glasses?
3)Are you a Virgo or an Aquarius by chance?

photon · Mar 5, 2004

So the next step is putting it all on microfiche by hand?

(hysterical laughing)

Oh man, that made my day and I just got up a few minutes ago.
(ha ha!)

Descartes · Mar 5, 2004

Will those notes actually serve you well referring to them later? I also write very small, but my handwriting suffers as a result; however, I can type ~150wpm on a good day and recapitulate lectures verbatim if I have my laptop with me. I then have all the usual tools available to refer to the notes for searching, storage, etc.

Everyone has their methods, and if that works for you then it's certainly not the place of anyone else to say it's inefficient.

motai · Mar 5, 2004

Originally posted by skywise
wow...
okay.. I have three questions..
1) Is it completely comfortable for you to go back and read your writing? and related to this question..
2)Do you wear reading glasses?
3)Are you a Virgo or an Aquarius by chance?

1. Its readable to me, so long as my pen didn't ink blot on the paper. I can still usually recognize the words though unless the blot is really big. Blots form on new pens, it gets easier to write extra-fine when the ink runs dry. I do refer back to my notes to restart the items that I have forgotten (not generally recommended for learning new material, just for remembering.)

2. Nope, 20/15 left eye, 20/50 right eye (this eye is bad).

3. Yes, I do happen to be a Virgo.

photon · Mar 5, 2004

You got to try the microfiche thing sometime.

Robert Zaleski · Mar 6, 2004

The truly gifted take notes on a grain of rice, Grasshopper.

Monique · Mar 6, 2004

I just bought a 0.2 mm line width pen today, that should help :P

The_Professional · Mar 6, 2004

Originally posted by Monique

Why do they have to make the space inbetween lines so huge anyway? I am always in search of paper with a lot of lines, so more can fit on it and it would look a lot neater and orderly.. but it simply is not available [b(]

Have you considered graphing paper, lots of lines..

Motai I got to hand it to you, I don't know how you're able to efficiently solve those Matrix problems. Linear Matrices gave me a headache, as it loops constantly.

Math Is Hard · Mar 10, 2004

A picture is worth a thousand words, so most of my notes are highly illustrated - no matter what the subject!

motai · Mar 10, 2004

Originally posted by Math Is Hard
A picture is worth a thousand words, so most of my notes are highly illustrated - no matter what the subject!

Im not very illustrative in my notes. Takes up too much space. Usually when I do I end up screwing up somehow and scribbling it (just look at bottom left area of notes). It proves that I can't even draw a decent graph (which has nowhere near the detail a picture would have)

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