Cornell notes: how should the page be split?
The Cornell layout divides a page into a header, a narrow cue column on the left, a wider notes area on the right, and a summary strip along the bottom. Deciding the inches before you rule the lines keeps every page in a notebook consistent. Enter a page size and your ratios, and this tool converts them into the actual dimensions of each area.
The cue column is set as a share of the width, while the header and summary strip are set as shares of the height. Whatever height is left becomes the body, so the cue column and the notes area are as tall as the page minus the header and the summary. A check line breaks the vertical split into header, body and summary and shows that it adds to 100%, and the table reports each area's share of the page. Lengths are shown in inches to two decimal places.
Figures often quoted for the layout, such as a cue column of about 2.5 inches, are suggestions rather than a correct ratio. A diagram-heavy subject may need a wider notes area than a vocabulary list does, so use this to compare splits rather than to find one right answer. The page works out dimensions only; it does not set line spacing or produce a printable file.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no correct width. The figures usually quoted are suggestions, and the useful width depends on the subject and on how you take notes. This page simply converts whatever ratio you enter into inches.
Enter 0 for that share or leave the box empty. The area then has zero height, all the remaining height goes to the cue column and the notes area, and the table shows it with zero size.
The body share is worked out as 100% minus the header and summary, so the vertical split always totals 100% and the check line confirms it. If the header and summary together pass 90%, no room is left for notes and a message appears instead.