Happy New Year All!
Does a notary journal, in New Mexico, have to be a bound and numbered book? I completed a signing last month with 28 entries! I believe paper is best and I am not interested in an electronic journal. However, it would be nice to be able to prefill (type) some of the information to carry to the signing. Any ideas?
Thanks!
If a journal is required, I think every state wants it permanently bound. Notary Rotary has a journal with various types of loan docs already preprinted.
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The problem with prefill some of the information prior to meeting the signer(s). Anything can happen, such as last minute changes in the documents that can cause things needed to be changed in the journal. Signer(s) or hiring company can make changes in the scheduled appointment, such as cancelation. With that being stated, you may have wasted those slots. We should not use any type of “white-out” in our journals. It will not go well if your state request an audit or your journal is needed for legal matters. I know the temptation and desire to speed up the process, truth, there’s very few shortcuts in this business. I had the same thoughts too, at one time. I agree with Arichter, journals should be bound, so things can be controlled and less chance of missing pages.
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Thank you for the information about the journal at Notary Rotary. That will definitely save time. From a records retention standpoint, I agree, bound is definitely the most efficient. I’m old school! I was in the business when copy machines would not pick up the color blue and you used the wet smear test on a signature to determine if you had the original or copy in hand. 
I use a journal I buy on Amazon. It has 9 entries a page but sometimes I put two in a box and re-number. I prefill the journal because in 4 years i’ve only had to mark through as canceled once. That’s just my opinion. The journal is accessible in my state only by subpoena. I make sure it is legible. In my state it must be a bound journal and you can’t use abbreviations for the forms names PofA must be written out, affidavit must be written out etc. I have a library of journals. I guess if I die they have to be turned into the state.
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