The term ‘digital stationery’ generally refers to an item that can be used in the digital space just how you would use physical stationery in the real world. Majority of digital stationery creators today create these items mainly for use with a tablet and stylus but you can also find items that can be used on your computer or phone. For this article, we’ll discuss digital stationery mostly in the context of using it with an iPad. When it comes to my own use, I use an iPad Pro 11” with an Apple Pencil and the GoodNotes app.
How is digital stationery used?
The easiest way to use the majority of digital stationery is to use a tablet with a stylus. You can then download some note taking apps and explore which one you like the best. These apps will have their own notebooks and paper template built in and you can use these just as they are for things like note taking. However there is a whole other world and variety of stationery types that digital stationery creators sell, these usually come in the form of a PDF, why this particular format will be explained later. Some apps on the App Store that have both the built in notebooks / templates as well as support PDFs that you can check out are:
GoodNotes (paid)
Notability (paid)
CollaNote (free)
What types of digital stationery are there?
Notebooks
Use it to take notes, sketch, highlight etc. You can also create cute journal spreads / collages and scrapbook.
Planners
Just like you would expect in a physical planner, you can often find calendars, weekly, daily planners etc.
Journals
Specific journal content tailored towards different interests such as for food, religion, gratitude etc.
Workbooks / Activity Books
Educational books or activities such as colouring books that you can import into your note taking app and complete digitally
Other PDF / Scans
Because the above apps support PDF annotation, you can also bring in your school or work notes and add your own notes and highlights to them.
Stickers
Digital stickers are often used in conjunction with the above, these come in the form of image files such as PNG or JPEG and can then be brought into the notes / PDF
Digital stationery whether its custom notebooks, planners, journals or workbooks usually will come in PDF format. The reasons for this are:
PDFs support hyperlinks which many of these items utilise. These hyperlinks, when clicked, will jump somewhere in the document. This gives users easy access to different sections
PDFs can be used across different applications (rather than creating an item in an app native format which can then only be used on that one app)
Where can digital stationery be found?
You now know what apps you can get and what kind of stationery you can use in those apps, but where can you buy these digital stationery? There are many different creators out there and so many types you can choose from, some marketplaces you will be able to find digital stationery on are:
Etsy: Just type in the kind of digital stationery you are looking for
Kraftora: A new marketplace in the scene, the great thing is that the entire thing is dedicated just to digital stationery
Creative Market: Creative Market is known more for their resources for designers but you’ll be able to find pretty fonts you can use and some templates you can use in your notes apps too]
Instagram: Many digital stationery creators will be on Instagram! You can look through digital stationery hashtags and accounts to find their shops
Why use digital stationery?
It’s paperless - There’s no need to feel guilty about how many pages you use (or tear out because you didn’t get it right the first time). All you have to do is add a new page to your digital notebook or duplicate a template in your digital journal. The pages are virtually unlimited and you add to your heart's content
No need to worry about getting all the right colours for your pens and highlighters - you can choose whatever colour you want to match your pages’ theme
Undo and erase - With digital stationery, you can get your pages looking exactly how you want them to. Mistakes can easily be erased or undone with a click of a button.
Reuse stationery - Want to use that super cute sticker again in another planner? No problem, you can duplicate it as many times as you want for your stationery. Have a journal you love and want to use for next year, you can just duplicate it again! (Please take note of usage rights when it comes to specific creators. You should definitely only be using it for yourself)
Portable and convenient - You can bring your entire stationery collection around with you as it’s all stored on one device, making it easy for you to create, journal and study on the go
Other digital tools - there are other things you can do with digital stationery that you just wouldn’t be able to do with physical stationery such as adding photos in easily from your gallery or the internet, adding different paper types / templates to one notebook, changing your notebook cover and adding typed notes
Should you use digital stationery?
It all really comes down to each individual, what you want to use it for and whether you already have the tools (such as an iPad) or want to invest in one. Some things to consider when deciding if you want to try it out:
Do you already own an iPad? If you already have one and you’re not sure if digital stationery is for you, try out a free app like CollaNote. You can look for freebies that digital creators offer or buy something that you like to see if it’s something you want to get into and perhaps buy more stationery in the future.
If you don’t already own an iPad, it may not be as easy a decision. Especially since the iPad is such an expensive tool. If you are only getting one for the occasional use of digital stationery, it will not be worth it. If you are thinking of getting one, think of what other uses you may use it for (drawing, doing work etc). Or if you already know that you will use the digital stationery extensively, then it could be worth the money.
Is there something in particular you want to achieve with digital stationery? Some people get planners to keep organised, others get journals to reflect and others get notebooks to get creative. I believe it is a good idea to have in mind what you want to do with it, it could be one thing or it could be all, but just like any physical journal / notebook / planner, it does take time to create things each day. Having a clear idea of how you want it to fit into your life makes the transition to using digital stationery frequently easier.
Conclusion
Digital stationery is versatile, fun and convenient. There is a massive variety on online marketplaces these days that you’re sure to find different stationery that will suit your style and the purpose you want. You can collect journals, notebooks and stickers and explore all of them all on one device as well as go back and forth between them easily. If you have an iPad and haven’t explored the world of digital stationery yet, I definitely encourage you to go for it, as you’ll find that it opens up a lot of possibilities and it is a lot of fun!