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TUL Student Planner Discbound Notebook Review (Pros, Cons & Video Walkthrough)

Discbound is my favorite type of planner so when I found the TUL notebooks online which looked quite similar to my favorite ARC discbound notebook I wanted to see it for myself!

I purchased the TUL student planner although there is also a teacher planner and refills to create your own personal planner.

Related: Planner Organization: Why I use the Arc Planner instead of binders

Quick facts

  • Size: approx 6.5″ wide x 8.75″ high
  • Discbound binding
  • Softcover
  • This belongs to page in case your planner is lost
  • Dates at a glance
  • Neutral inside pages
  • 2 page weekly spread (starts on Monday)
  • 2 Page monthly calendar (starts on Sunday)
  • 12 double sided lined notes pages
  • Some student oriented pages
  • 1 sheet of planner stickers
  • Pocket folder
  • Snap in ruler with tab top
  • Sticky notes dashboard
  • No tabs

Let’s take a closer look!

To enlarge the screen of the video, click the square icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video (it will say ‘full screen’ when you hover your mouse over the icon).

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Mentioned in the video: How to make a DIY Planner Cover (plus free printable cover) 

The Cover

Similar to the Arc notebook, the TUL planners come with poly covers making the planner very lightweight. There is also the option to purchase more sturdy leather covers.

tul planner review weekly horizontal discbound insert amazon pros and cons video review simple minimalist gender neutral notebook

Approx 0.5″ thick

This belongs to page & Yearly overview

tul weekly planner review discbound similar cheaper alternative to arc notebook add remove pages junior size bright white ultra smooth no bleed through paper

Holidays Page

The planner is from the USA so has USA holidays pre-printed. There is also space to add your own important dates.

tul planner review holidays special dates annual overview discbound notebook a5 half letter size

If you run out of space on the above pages, or you want to plan things in more detail (like a future log) there’s additional annual overview pages. <3 this horizontal layout.

tul notebook review organizer discbound cheap alternative to arc teacher student planner weekly horizontal lined pros and cons paper quality pen testing

Monthly Calendar

Week starts on Sunday. Unlike most monthly calendars this planner has lined writing space.

TUL student planner monthly calendar lined 2 page

US holidays are pre-printed on the monthly calendars (and weekly spreads).

Unfortunately the planner does that annoying thing where it splits a box in 2 rather than re-starting the dates on the top row.tul student planner monthly calendar discbound pros and cons add and remove pages junior size

Weekly Planner

A very simple lined horizontal weekly spread that starts on Monday (not consistent with the monthly calendar).

tul student planner horizontal weekly lined saturday and sunday combined checklist discbound planner gender neutral planners for pen

tul student planner review discbound notebook pros and cons add remove rearrange pages horizontal weekly lined monday start

Saturday and Sunday share the same amount of space as a weekday.

tul planner review junior page size pocket folder rule snap in discbound system cheap affordable amazon pros and cons student weekly horizontal pros and cons

Assigned Reading

While this is a student planner, there aren’t that many pages specifically oriented towards a student. You could tear these out and use the planner as a normal weekly planner.

The only student pages are assigned reading and class schedule.

tul student planner notebook review pros and cons junior size discbound pros and cons minimalist simple

tul student planner class schedule pros and cons discbound junior size teacher add remove rearrange pages cheap affordable poly cover

tul notebook review video pros and cons student planner junior size bright white paper

tul student planner notebook review video

Extras

A snap in ruler with a tab top and double sided pocket folder are included.

tul planner review junior page size pocket folder rule snap in discbound system cheap affordable amazon

As well as sticky notes and planner stickers

tul student planner stickers gender neutral male blue reminder don't forget exam no school mid term assignment paper

Notes pages

12 double sided lined notes pages (TUL have pre-punched refills you can purchase separately if you need more)

tul planner review custom discbound notebook pros and cons video review cheaper alternative to arc amazon minimalist teacher planner student

Tabs

There are no tabs in this planner. You can purchase TUL brand divider pages separately if you’d like to add them. The cover extends beyond the pages so any dividers / tabs will be protected.

Pen Testing

The paper feels so smooth to write on (just like the ARC paper)

There was light ghosting for most pens, especially marker pens (my Uni Pi dual tip) and the highlighters.

tul planner paper pen testing ghosting bleed through highlighters stamps gel pen

tul planner paper pen testing ghosting bleed through highlighters stamps gel pen cheaper alternative to arc

Pros of the Planner

  • Portable size
  • Very lightweight
  • Discbound
  • 1 sheet of planner stickers
  • Double sided pocket folder
  • Snap in ruler with tab top
  • Sticky notes dashboard
  • The paper is bright white and very smooth to write on

Cons of the Planner

  • For being a student planner there aren’t that many student oriented pages
  • Paper had some pen ghosting
  • No cover personalisation (and the cover is plain)
  • No tabs
  • Not widely available (could only get it online)
  • Generic layouts

Things to Note

Much like the ARC discbound notebook, TUL have a punch so you can print, punch and add your own refills (although the punch doesn’t look as sturdy as the Arc). They also have pre-printed inserts, expander rings, list insert pages, sticky notes, leather covers etc.

TUL also have gel pens that write super smooth which are available on Amazon (affiliate link).

Tul brights 0.7mm fine tip needle point gel medium rainbow blue aqua red black smooth green hot pink swatch test bleed through ghosting

Would I use this planner?

Yes! I love discbound planners so I’d definitely use the TUL planner / notebook system. With a much more affordable price tag than the ARC notebook I’d recommend this if you’re buying your first discbound notebook to try.

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tul student planner review discbound horizontal lined notes pros and cons minimalist gender neutral junior size similar to ARC

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Comments

  1. Christi White says

    This TUL planner is sold at Office Depot (in-store) and online at officedepot.com. The teacher planner is very nice also. The pens are great too!

  2. Emily says

    My only comment, after following you for several months/a year? is that you should toss that purple highlighter. It ghosts/bleeds through every single thing you’ve ever reviewed. Not just a little. It is the worst ghost/bleeder on Every. Single. Planner you have ever reviewed. I’d red at her see purple in a different brand. Switch it up. I like Sharpie brand regular versus florescent yellow. What does that look like? Whatever brand that purple is in (that’s horrible), what other colors does it come in? Is the orange that bad? Green? Pink? Help me out.

    • Rachael says

      Hi Emily, I try to keep the pens, highlighters etc. that I use for pen testing consistent between the planners, so people can see a like for like comparison between the paper quality of each planner.

  4. Ronda Wilson says

    Hi Rachael,
    I learned about Tul almost by accident. I love the plain notebook for notes in class settings. When I first found Tul I didn’t even know there where other disc bound note books. Have you tried any of the Arc pages/discs with the Tul, or vise versa? What I mean is how much different is the disc spacing for Tul than other brands? Any help is awesome. I have been following you for a while now, and love your style of writing.

  5. Alicia says

    I’m reading this on my phone. Maybe I missed it but how do I order this? I live in Canada.

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