The classic cue, notes, and summary study layout.
Free Printable Cornell Notes Paper
Cue column, ruled notes area and summary band, laid out for review. Adjust the ruling and download.
This is the PrintNook page, not the printable sheet.
To print the sheet at its true size, go back and use the Print or Download PDF button, then print at 100 percent scale, not Fit to page.
Print at 100 percent scale, not Fit to page. That is what keeps the measurements true.
Preview: A4, portrait, Cornell notes paper, 8 mm line spacing, 12 mm page margin.
Free for personal and commercial use. No attribution required, no watermark. See terms.
Want tighter or wider ruling in the notes area? Open it in the paper generator.
The Cornell note taking system splits the page into three zones: a wide notes area on the right for the lecture, a narrow cue column on the left for questions and keywords, and a summary band across the bottom. Writing the cues and summary after class forces you to review, which is why the method is a study favourite. PrintNook draws the layout cleanly, ruled inside the notes area, and hands you a print ready PDF.
What Cornell notes paper is good for
Lecture and reading notes
Capture the main content on the right during class, then distil questions and keywords into the cue column afterwards.
Active recall revision
Cover the notes and quiz yourself using only the cue column. The summary band gives you a one line takeaway per page.
Meeting minutes
Record discussion on the right, action items in the cue column, and a decision summary at the bottom.
Why the cue column is that width
The cue column is 45 mm and the summary band 40 mm, and both numbers come from what the zones are for rather than from aesthetics. The cue column has to hold a question or a keyword on one or two short lines, not a sentence: make it wider and people start taking notes in it, which defeats the point of a column you can cover up while you self-test. The summary band has to hold two or three lines of your own words written after the lecture, which at normal handwriting is about 40 mm. If you write large, drop the notes ruling to a wider spacing rather than making the zones bigger, because the proportions are what make the method work.
How to take Cornell notes, step by step
The layout only works if each zone gets filled at the right moment. This is the order the method was designed around.
- Head the page. Before the lecture or meeting starts, write the topic and the date across the top of the notes area so loose sheets stay in order.
- Record in the notes area. During the session, write in the ruled area on the right. Use short phrases, abbreviations and bullet points rather than full sentences, and skip a line between ideas so there is room to add to them later.
- Write cues the same day. Within 24 hours, read your notes through and write a question or keyword in the cue column level with each idea it points to. A cue should be something you could be asked, not a copy of the note.
- Summarise at the bottom. In the summary band, write two or three sentences in your own words that capture the whole page. If you cannot, that is the part of the topic to revisit.
- Test yourself. To review, cover the notes area with a sheet of paper, read each cue and answer it aloud, then uncover and check. Mark the cues you missed and start there next time.
Printing tips
- Check the scale on the first sheet: the cue column should measure 45 mm and the summary band 40 mm with a ruler.
- The default 8 mm ruling sits between college (about 7.1 mm) and wide (about 8.7 mm) ruling. Drop to 7 mm if you write small and want more lines, or go up to 9 mm for large handwriting.
- Print a week's supply in one go with the copies setting in your print dialog rather than downloading again. Every sheet is identical.
Specifications
Counted from the generator itself at its default settings, not estimated. Change a setting and these numbers change with it. How we measure explains where they come from.
| Measure | A4 | US Letter |
|---|---|---|
| Sheet size (portrait) | 210 x 297 mm (8.27 in x 11.69 in) | 215.9 x 279.4 mm (8.50 in x 11.00 in) |
| Page margin | 12 mm | 12 mm |
| Cue column width | 45 mm | 45 mm |
| Summary band height | 40 mm | 40 mm |
| Notes area width | 141 mm | 146.9 mm |
| Line spacing in the notes area | 8 mm | 8 mm |
| Ruled lines in the notes area | 29 | 26 |
| Frame weight | 0.4 mm | 0.4 mm |
Print at 100 percent. Turn off Fit to page in your print dialog so the layout keeps its true measurements. See our print settings guide for the full checklist, or A4 versus Letter if you are unsure which size to pick.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three sections of Cornell notes?
A cue column on the left for questions and keywords, a main notes area on the right for the content, and a summary strip along the bottom for a short recap.
Is the notes area lined?
Yes. The main notes area is ruled so your writing stays even, while the cue column and summary band are left open for keywords and recaps.
Which part is ruled?
Only the notes area on the right. The cue column and the summary band are left open, because keywords and a recap read better without lines forcing a rhythm on them.
Does it fit a ring binder?
Yes. At the default 12 mm page margin there is room to punch A4 four hole or Letter three hole without the holes cutting into the frame.
Can I use it for meeting minutes rather than lectures?
It works well for that. Discussion goes in the notes area, action items go in the cue column where they are easy to scan, and the decision goes in the summary band.
Is the template free to use at work?
Yes, for anything. The PDFs are free for personal, classroom and commercial use, with no attribution required and no watermark anywhere on the page.
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