Why is legal pads yellow

It's definitely more convenient to write these things on different mediums, so there must be some kind of benefit that comes from using them. Suzanne Snider, a journalist, did some research on the history of the legal pad and why it's so valuable to us as a culture.

She states that its a perfect object, classic, and cheap. Another reason that she cites is that we aren't typically allowed to use them as kids. Legal pads are seen as the notebooks of our parents, detailing important matters like bills and schedules. Seeing a parent's handwriting as a child elicits a certain feeling of authority and importance.

Add that handwriting to a yellow sheet of paper and you better be sure that you don't spill your juice on that thing. When we grow up and finally have access to the magical yellow pad, we feel as though we're doing something important. That confidence in our own importance may just be the reason that some of our best work is done on these pads.

Whatever the reasons are, hopefully the mystery of the importance of the yellow pad doesn't get lost in the popularity of the internet. There's something about America that needs lawyers scribbling away on their legal pads to enjoy the confidence booster that it provides. If you work in a law office and are curious about other intriguing mysteries of law, there are places on the internet that can give you the answers.

Legal pads are not the only classic item that lawyers lay claim to. Whether you need supply lists , advice, or entertainment, we have all of the law office information that you need. Defined by its wide margins and yellow paper, the legal pad has become a staple in every office, especially for lawyers.

But where did legal pads come from, why are they yellow, and why are they so popular? We'll answer all these questions in this article. Jerry Seinfeld says that he has to write all of his jokes on the yellow paper with blue lines that we all know as legal pads.

The History of Legal Pads The history of legal pads, or what we just see has a writing pad, dates back to the late s. At the time many recycling companies were only accepting white paper, which was more profitable.

Law firms and other businesses faced a quandary: not recycle or steer away from the yellow legal pad. Since then recycling has evolved to accept paper of almost any color, and the recycling rate has doubled since Along with the increase in recycling the use of paper has continued to decline over the past decade.

Report, revenue from American paper mills continues to drop as use of digital communication continues to increase and paper manufacturing shifts overseas. In their heyday yellow legal pads outpaced sales of white legal pads up to 3 to 1. Color options range from yellow to white to lavender to green. The options are seemingly endless. A simple search on the Staples. Moving into the future, Rocketbook is set to launch a digital notebook that they claim is a replacement to a legal pad.

Neither is available in yellow however. There may be another psychological logic behind the use of yellow notepads. Research has shown that seeing the color yellow makes people happy.

Logically that makes sense. The sun is yellow; smiley faces are yellow. Perhaps the use of a yellow notepad subliminally helped shape the success of Seinfeld, Walton, Dee and Conroy. With recycling now commonplace across the country and more people needing some optimism and inspiration in their lives, the yellow legal pad just might see a resurgence in the near future.

Heather is a journalist and freelance writer with a passion for history, travel and home restoration. You can read more of her material at TheQuillHeather. A second theory is that yellow provides a background that contrasts well with black ink without glare, making text easier to read and providing a professional feel.

And a third theory is that Holley or his successors eventually decided to dye the paper to hide the fact that the pads were made from scraps of varying ages and quality, and yellow was the cheapest or most readily available dye at the time. Ultimately, what makes a legal pad a legal pad is the red vertical line on the left side that creates a 1. It can be any color, any length or size and the lines can be any width. Although you can buy them in the length of a legal brief—8. Despite the prevalence of digital note-taking, it seems unlikely, however, that the yellow paper will ever vanish entirely.

Click here for our selection of premium legal pads. I combine eye-catching and engaging visuals with compelling and appealing copywriting, making appropriate adjustments based on analytics and the success of the campaigns. My training in graphic design, animation, and storytelling has instilled in me the ability to creatively problem-solve, both visually and in writing. To understand why lawyers in the US use legal pads, we need to first know the history of the pad.

Why do lawyers use legal pads?