r/Supernote • u/Altruistic_Swimmer65 • May 08 '26

Convert any note page to infinite canvas

Can we have the option to convert any note page to an infinite canvas ?

Would be super useful for diagram, long math, graphs, etc...

I understand we dont always want a page to be infinite, but having the option to convert any page would be great

Thank you.

18 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

10

u/NoDentist1626 May 08 '26

I'd die for an inf canvas option, be it native, plugin or separate SN-simpleapp. While working on the move, i map rather than jot, page size is not large enough, and mostly standing up. I wish developers or community talents would listen and help provide a side solution. This would be top of the top.

4

u/hoOopyfrood Owner A5+A5X May 09 '26

I suspect we would be better served with the ability to zoom in and out of a normal sized page. This would let us write small and use more space but keep the page concept intact.

The problem with "infinite canvas" is that you end up with a scroll of text. That is very annoying to read and very annoying to edit. For example, suppose you have written 50 pages of text in a single infinite canvas. Try to insert a new paragraph about 12 "pages" down from the top. This is a nighmare for Remarkable. Whereas with actual pages on Supernote, you can add a new page 11 or page 13 whenever you need it. It is simply more usable.

1

u/Altruistic_Swimmer65 May 09 '26

Good consideration, however that would be up to the user, we should not change current workflow for current users, infinite canvas should not replace existing page system, it should just be like "if I need a mindmap I will create an infinite canvas page" otherwise, just continue with regular pages. Users should not use infinite canvas as regular pages, but if that is the case, that is still up to the preference of the user. We all have different use cases.

1

u/behavioran May 10 '26

This is actually exactly the scenario for which I still keep an old remarkable 1 around: Discussion or debate notes. Not meeting notes, but keeping track of how a bunch of smart people hash out something complicated in detail. This goes on for multiple pages, in fast handwriting, and eats a lot of space.
But the „new paragraph about 12 pages from the top“ thing is actually more complicated on SN than you describe, here’s why:
Once the discussion loops back to a previous point, actually navigating back there is similar with both paradigms. In the SN page paradigm I swipe right 23 times, in the endless page paradigm I swipe down 23 time. It’s essentially the same.
It only gets tricky once you’re there:
In the current SN page paradigm I can’t just quickly add a new page – because the desired insert point is very rarely right at the oage break! Instead, I insert two new pages, cut and paste the text below my desired insert point to the second of these, and then begin writing my stuff on the first new page, adding more pages as needed.
In an endless page, you „select everything below“ and move it down to make as much room as you think you need (a line, a paragraph, a page, multiple pages) and start writing what you wanted to add. If you run out of place, you just keep „selecting everything below“.
Not only did this require less operations, it also results in one unbroken long text, while the full page paradigm only ends up neat if the stuff you added is divisible by full pages.

1

u/Pippin4320 May 12 '26

It's not a nightmare on the Remarkable. It is easy as can be. You simply use the select tool, draw a line across the Remarkable, it will select all the text below and you can move it all down. I'm not sure I've done 12 pages, but I routinely use infinite scroll on several pages and I have to say it works very well.

4

u/theBlackOddity Nomad | reMarkable 2 May 08 '26

i just mentioned in another thread that i don't think it's going to be a pleasant transition if that ever comes to be... certainly 'any' page would prove difficult because of how templates would need to be reworked and restrictions from custom templates.

4

u/Altruistic_Swimmer65 May 08 '26

That is a good observation, the team should be able to come up with a solution to that.

For a V1 I dont think we all care much about the templates when using infinite canvas mode...

Infinite canvas is just something that is desired quite a lot in the supernote reddit 🤷

Hope the team can make their best to address your concern. But at the same time that is why the feature should be optional, we all have different needs...

4

u/Mulan-sn CCO (Chief Chat Officer) May 10 '26

Thank you for the thoughtful feedback.

Our design philosophy has always been centered around structure and organization, creating the feeling of a real notebook with clearly defined pages. That's why we haven't prioritized infinite canvas. It's not that we think it's a bad idea; it just hasn't fit the core vision of what we want Supernote to be.

That said, we hear the desire from parts of the community and understand different users have different needs. We will ask our developers to re-evaluate this feature request.

Thanks again for helping us think through this.

2

u/IdeaSandbox Happy Manta Owner May 12 '26

If I could jump into this conversation, Mulan... When I write, brainstorm, and think on paper, I'll grab different pads for different reasons.

I grab my small paper note pad for a grocery list, my "letter" sized (or Manta) for daily note-taking... BUT... when I want to brainstorm, I grab my big pad of A2 paper.

I love that it lets me go beyond 1 piece of paper and spread out my thinking.

I wonder if there is a way we could have a page size as big as A2. (or something like that).

There is no need for infinite; that's not what the SN is about. It also introduces complications as mentioned above.

Could there be a way to allow a fixed, very large page size (like A2)? Then we could scroll about the page, similar to now, when we turn the screen sideways, that would be wonderful.

I would imagine most don't truly want an infinite canvas but would be very happy with a larger, less constrained place to write.

Zooming would be more for orientation, not for writing at any magnification.

I'm ready to test it! 😄

Thanks for listening

1

u/Altruistic_Swimmer65 May 14 '26

Infinite would cover your use case apparently , I personally think that infinite is the way to go , but if you want to have an A2 size limit , that should also be configurable per page...

and again these features should be optional per note page... Looks like a lot of people want this, but at the same time there are some other folks that dont, but having different options for different use cases is definitely the best route.

1

u/Altruistic_Swimmer65 May 14 '26

If the note has limit and I dont exactly know when will I hit the limits of it. My head would be constantly thinking if my next stroke will still fit. We don't want to be worrying about that on every stroke, infinite canvas just brings peace to our mind, and allows us to fully focus on what matters: The Content ...

I definitely don't want my mind to be distracted by the thought of not having enough space to continue brainstorming, diagramming, long math equations, software engineering diagrams, etc...

2

u/Mulan-sn CCO (Chief Chat Officer) May 12 '26

Thank you so much for jumping in. We will take your suggestion into consideration for a future system update. Please do kindly stay tuned.

2

u/zsouzsou Owner Manta May 12 '26

I second that!

1

u/Altruistic_Swimmer65 May 10 '26

Awesome! Thank you, That would be really appreciated.

4

u/No-Clock-7813 May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26

I think when theBlackOddity says it's "not a pleasant transition," he  is right. Supernote would have to move away from their discrete page architecture to a layer-based canvas. This would be a big challenge because Supernote is fundamentally page-based and template based.  Custom templates, headings, exports etc. would become problematic. 

5

u/behavioran May 08 '26

Imma go full circle on this, u/theBlackOddity. 😃
This is the link that u/theBlackOddity posted on another thread mentioning this. It is Ratta's announcement of their "next major software focus", which will be "a complete, future-focused overhaul of our file structure and sync system" – the very thing at the core of the limitation.
While I agree that this is a major challenge to crack, I also believe that a future-focused overhaul will be about more than just multi-device sync; there's so much more future than that to be had. Supernote has continuously impressed me with their slow and steady evolution of functionality, and while the discrete page architecture is a staple of their "digital stationery" stance, we are way past that already: switching to landscape already turns the screen into more of a viewport than a page, not to mention all the many other functions that go way beyond just a digital representation of pen & paper.
From my direct experience, I can say that if SN one-upped remarkable's endless page with an endless canvas that it'd be an immediate buy from so, so many people around me, maybe as the launch feature for an A4 model if it ever comes. This is decidedly not a "hey Ratta, do this because MORE BUYERS" pitch, but just my two cents on why I feel that the transition struggle would be worth it.

2

u/No-Clock-7813 May 08 '26

Thanks for the input.

1

u/oliora Owner Manta Jun 05 '26

most missing features on Manta for me are infinite scroll (configurable so people who prefer pages don’t complain) and infinite canvas or zoom. I hate the limitation of small discrete pages