Warhammer Notebook vs. Journal: Choosing Paper for Lists, Lore, and Army Planning

Quick answer

Choose a ruled Warhammer notebook if you mainly write army lists, points costs, and painting recipes that need neat columns. Choose an unruled journal if you sketch conversions, map campaigns, or paste in reference images. The Warhammer 40,000: Ultramarines Graffiti Insignia Notebook is the strongest all-round pick for list-focused hobbyists because its 80 lined A5 pages, bookmark, back pocket, and elastic closure keep loose notes secure.

Most hobby notebooks fail for one simple reason: the paper format fights the way you actually use it. A ruled page is brilliant for a 2,000-point army list and miserable for a freehand conversion sketch. An unruled page is the opposite. Before you buy, decide whether your notes are mostly words and numbers or mostly shapes and diagrams.

This comparison looks at the real differences between a ruled Warhammer notebook and an unruled Warhammer journal, using the Ultramarines Graffiti Insignia Notebook and the Dark Angels Poster as reference points for how official merchandise handles paper and print. The goal is to match the format to your hobby workflow, not to chase a single perfect product.

What a ruled Warhammer notebook does best

Ruled paper is built for structured writing. Army lists, points totals, unit upgrades, and painting recipes all benefit from lines because they keep rows aligned and make it easy to scan a page later. If you regularly rewrite a list between games, a ruled notebook lets you compare two versions side by side without guessing where a column starts.

The Warhammer 40,000: Ultramarines Graffiti Insignia Notebook is a good example of this format done properly. It is an official A5 notepad with 80 lined pages, a bookmark, a back pocket for loose notes, a pen loop, and an elastic closure. That combination matters more than it sounds: the pocket catches receipts and reference cards, while the elastic stops pages from creasing in a bag.

• Use the back pocket for a printed army list or a small reference card so you are not flipping pages mid-game.
• Number your pages if you keep multiple army lists in one notebook; the bookmark then becomes a quick index.

What an unruled journal does best

Unruled paper gives you the whole page. That is useful for sketching a conversion before you cut plastic, mapping a campaign narrative, or drawing a colour wheel for a new paint scheme. Lines disappear when you want to work diagonally or fill a page with a diagram, and that freedom is the entire point of a journal format.

The trade-off is consistency. Without lines, your handwriting drifts, lists become harder to scan, and a page of points costs can turn into a mess after a few weeks. If your notes are mostly text, an unruled journal will slow you down. If your notes are mostly visual, a ruled notebook will frustrate you every time you try to sketch.

• Keep a cheap ruler or straight edge with an unruled journal so you can rule off a section when you do need a list.
• Use the first page as a contents index; unruled journals benefit more from an index than ruled ones.

Paper weight, size, and what the specs actually tell you

The supplied catalog facts for the Ultramarines notebook confirm an A5 size, 80 lined pages, a soft finish, a bookmark, a back pocket, and a pen loop with elastic closure. Those are the details that decide daily usability. A5 fits in most game bags, 80 pages is enough for a full escalation league, and the elastic closure is the difference between a notebook that survives a carry case and one that does not.

For comparison, the Dark Angels Poster is printed on 190g glossy paper and shipped in a durable cardboard tube. That is a different product category, but it is a useful reminder that official Warhammer merchandise varies widely in paper weight and finish. If a notebook listing does not state a paper weight, treat that as a genuine unknown rather than assuming it is heavy enough for wet media.

• Check the stated page count before buying; 80 pages suits a single army or a short campaign, not years of notes.
• If you use fountain pens or markers, test on a back page first because the catalog does not specify gsm for the notebook.

Matching the format to your hobby tasks

Army list building rewards ruled paper. Points values, unit sizes, and wargear options form columns, and columns need lines. Lore notes and campaign diaries also work well on ruled paper because they are mostly prose. Painting logs sit in the middle: a ruled page works if you write recipes as numbered steps, but an unruled page wins if you sketch colour transitions or mark placement.

If you do both, do not force one notebook to do everything. A ruled A5 notebook for lists and a separate unruled journal for sketches is usually cheaper than replacing a single notebook that never quite fits. The Ultramarines notebook covers the list side well, and its back pocket gives you a place to stash a folded sketch sheet.

• Write your three most common note types on a sticky note, then check which format serves two of the three.
• Buy the format that fits your most frequent task, not your most ambitious one.

Trade-offs to weigh before you choose

• Ruled pages for lists: Lines keep points values, unit sizes, and wargear columns aligned so you can compare two army lists at a glance. Pick ruled if most of your writing is numbers and structured text.
• Unruled pages for sketches: A blank page lets you sketch conversions, map campaigns, or draw colour transitions without fighting the lines. Pick unruled if your notes are mostly visual or diagram-based.
• A5 size and page count: The Ultramarines notebook is A5 with 80 lined pages, which fits most game bags and covers a single army or short campaign. Buy a second notebook if you expect years of notes rather than months.
• Unstated paper weight: The notebook listing does not state a gsm figure, so heavy ink and wet media are an unknown until you test a back page. Test pens on a back page before committing a full page to a recipe.

Product facts that matter for paper choice

• Warhammer 40,000: Ultramarines Graffiti Insignia Notebook: Official Warhammer 40,000: Ultramarines Graffiti Insignia Notebook with a soft finish, 80 lined A5 pages, a bookmark, a back pocket for business cards and loose notes, and a pen loop with elastic closure. The ruled A5 format suits army lists and painting recipes, while the pocket, bookmark, and elastic closure keep loose reference cards and pages secure in a game bag.
• Dark Angels Poster: Official Dark Angels poster printed on 190g glossy paper and shipped in a super durable cardboard tube, available unframed in three sizes. It shows the paper weight and finish used elsewhere in the official range, which helps you judge how much specification detail to expect from a listing before you buy.

Which paper format fits you?

Best for

• Hobbyists who write army lists, points totals, and painting recipes as structured text
• Players who want an A5 notebook with a bookmark, back pocket, and elastic closure for game night
• Anyone building a warhammer army list notebook they will rewrite between games

Not for

• Sketchers who mainly draw conversions, maps, or colour diagrams and need unruled pages
• Hobbyists who need a stated heavy paper weight for wet media, since the notebook listing does not specify gsm
• Collectors looking for a bound journal format rather than a lined A5 notepad

Match the paper to your most common note type and the decision becomes simple. Ruled pages win for army lists, points, and written recipes; unruled pages win for sketches and campaign maps. If you want one reliable starting point for list-focused hobby notes, the Warhammer 40,000: Ultramarines Graffiti Insignia Notebook covers that job with 80 lined A5 pages and a closure that keeps everything together.