noty: Disinfectable Reusable Lab Notebook

Meet Noty, a 3D-printable, reusable laboratory notebook designed specifically for the realities of wet lab life.

The Problem

If you have ever worked in a biological safety laboratory (BSL-1, BSL-2, or BSL-3), you know the struggle:

• The "Tissue Paper" Habit: Dragging a full-sized paper lab journal into the biological safety cabinet is risky due to cross-contamination concerns. As a result, critical notes often end up on scratch paper, paper towels, or sticky notes.
• The Disinfection Dilemma: When transferring notes back to the office, you have to disinfect them. Spraying standard paper with ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) leaves the ink smudged, the paper soaked, and your notes ruined.
• The Safety Risk: To save their notes, some researchers skip the disinfection step entirely, accidentally bringing contaminants back to their desks, eating areas, or meeting rooms.

The Solution: Noty

Noty bridges the gap between safety compliance and convenience.

It holds standard A5 paper folded into compact A6 pages, secured simply with a rubber band. The 3D-printable hard covers shield the paper inside, allowing you to thoroughly spray down the exterior with alcohol or H2O2 wipes without wetting or blurring the ink on your pages.

Key Features

• Disinfection-Ready Protection: The partially sealed shell protects your notes during routine decontamination procedures.
• Built-in Precision Stencils: Includes printable stencil inserts (lined paper and a checklist box) so you can quickly score guide lines onto blank pages.
• Compact & Portable: Perfect size for lab coat pockets and tight working spaces inside biosafety hoods.
• 3 Shell Style Options: Choose from three distinct cover designs to match your aesthetic or color-code by safety zone/project.
• Zero Custom Hardware: Uses readily available A5 paper (A4 cut in half), a scrap piece of 1.75 mm filament, and standard rubber bands.
• Seamless Journal Integration: Pages are easily removed, allowing you to tape or paste your raw lab notes directly into your official permanent laboratory journal as reference.

Print Settings & Assembly

• Material: PETG or polypropylene (PP) recommended for higher chemical resistance against repeated ethanol/IPA exposure, though PLA works well for standard light use.
• Assembly:

1. Print your preferred cover style and the book spine.
2. Slide a piece of standard 1.75 mm filament through the hinge loops to join the book covers and spine together.
3. Wrap a rubber band around the designated center groove.
4. Slide in your folded A5 sheets to secure your notebook pages.

Protect your data, keep your office zone clean, and upgrade your lab workflow with Noty.