What Does the Paper Emoji Mean?

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Paste these pixelated paper emojis into your next text

Co-authored by Devin McSween Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: July 23, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Types of Paper Emojis
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• Uses
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• Related Emojis

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Believe it or not, there’s a plethora of paper emojis on your keyboard ready to be used when you happen to mention reading or writing important documents. These include emojis like the 📝 (memo) emoji and the 📄 (page facing up) emoji. Whether you’re making your grocery list, signing a contract, or sending an important form to a friend, these are the perfect emojis to include in your text. Keep reading to learn what each of these emojis means, how you can use them in your texts, and other related emojis you can add to really make your messages pop.

What are the Paper Emojis?

The 📝 (memo) emoji represents writing documents, the 📄 (page facing up) emoji signifies written content, and the 📜 (scroll) emoji represents historical and classical texts. Shortcodes and unicodes: 📝 = :memo: or U+1F4DD; 📄 = :page_facing_up: or U+1F4C4; 📜= :scroll: or U+1F4DC.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Types of Paper Emojis

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   📝 (memo) emoji The memo emoji features a piece of paper with writing on it and a pencil hovering just above it. People often use this emoji to represent writing or the signing of documents. The text printed on the iOS version of this emoji is a quote from Apple’s “Think Different” commercial, narrated by Steve Jobs. The quote is:

   • “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules…”
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   📄 (page facing up) emoji This emoji is a white piece of paper with writing on it and with the top right corner folded down. Many people use this to represent documents, written content, and writing. This is also the icon you’ll likely see representing documents on your computer or phone. It’s very similar to the 📃 (page with curl) emoji, and both of them carry the same meanings.

   • The writing on this emoji in the iOS version also comes from Apple’s “Think Different” commercial. The full letter reads:
     • Dear Katie,
       Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.
       Take care,
       John Appleseed
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   📜 (scroll) emoji This emoji is an aged piece of paper slightly rolled up at the top and bottom. This emoji most often represents historical texts and documents, or classical pieces of writing. This emoji in iOS also features a snippet from Apple’s “Think Different” commercial. It reads:

   • “...The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them…”
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Section 2 of 3:

When to Use the Paper Emojis

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   When writing something down, like a note or list If you’re in the middle of taking notes, writing your weekly shopping list, or working on an important essay, let the person you’re texting know by sending something like the 📝 or 📄 emojis. If whatever you’re writing is super long, include a string of paper emojis so they know just how hard you’re working. For example:

   • “Gotta write my weekly shopping list before I forget 📝 I have so many coupons so this’ll be fun haha 😁”
   • “My essay is now 27 pages long…🙃📝📄📄📄📄📄📄”
   • “I took notes during the meeting…but I can’t for the life of me read my handwriting 📝🤔”
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   When sending documents to someone The 📄 or 📃 emojis are very handy when it comes to telling someone that you’re sending them a document. For example, if you’re sending a friend a PDF file, let them know with a short text including one of these paper emojis.

   • “I just sent tomorrow’s reading to your email 📄 Let me know if you can’t open it.”
   • “Did you get the copy of the contract I sent you? 😊 It should be in your email 📄”
   • “Can you send documents over text? 📃🤔 I’ll try it now!”
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   When signing a contract Maybe you’re signing a contract for a new job, the lease for your apartment, or an agreement when buying a brand new car. Whatever the case, the various paper emojis will easily get the message across. If you want to highlight the importance of the document, add the 📜 emoji to your text. For example:

   • “It’s official! I’ve just signed the lease for my new apartment 📜🖊 I’m so excited to move in!”
   • “Just sent in my contract accepting this new job 📝🎉”
   • “Signed all the documents and now I have a brand new car 📃🖊🚗🥳”
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   When mentioning official or historical documents The 📜 emoji come in handy when you want to talk about things like classic pieces of writing, laws, or official documents, like a diploma or will. For example:

   • “I’m reading Shakespeare and honestly can’t understand a word 📜🧐😫”
   • “They just signed a new law yesterday 📜🖊 How exciting!”
   • “I finally got my diploma! 🎓📜 Guess now I have to actually go into the working world 😅”
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Section 3 of 3:

Related Emojis

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   The ✏️ (pencil) emoji and other writing utensils To highlight the fact that you’re writing or signing something by hand, add one of the various writing utensil emojis alongside whichever paper emoji you choose. These include things like the ✏️ (pencil), 🖊 (ballpoint pen), and 🖋 (fountain pen) emojis.

   • “I just hand-wrote all my notes from class in an attempt to study ✏️📄 Hopefully something actually sticks 😬”
   • “Remind me to add milk to my shopping list 📋🖊”
   • “I just signed my first lease 📜🖋 I feel like such an adult now.”
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   The 🗒 (spiral notepad) emoji Rather than just a single piece of paper, the various notepad emojis also convey the message that you’re diligently writing something down. Add something like the 🗒 (spiral notepad), 📓 (composition notebook), or 📔 (notebook) emoji to spruce up your texts. Or, if you want to highlight the fact that you’re reading something, add the 📖 (open book) emoji. For example:

   • “Don’t worry. I’ll be taking diligent notes during the meeting 🫡🗒”
   • “I have like 3 different notebooks where I just write down random things 📓📓📓”
   • “Reading this huge book for class 📖😭 Not exactly my idea of a good time.”
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   The 🖥 (computer) and 🖨 (printer) emojis In reality, you probably read and write plenty of things digitally rather than with your standard pen and paper. So if you’re typing up notes or printing important documents, add these tech-related emojis to properly convey your message.

   • “Typing up the agreement now 🖥⌨️📄”
   • “I just printed the document 🖨📃 I’ll give it to you tomorrow!’
   • “Digital signatures are so convenient 💻📝”
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