If you've ever tried to make a digital journal or notebook in Procreate using Page Assist, you might have run into the same problems I did: not enough layers for mixed media, paper textures disappearing, and a workflow that feels a bit clunky. I've been experimenting with a different method that I find more intuitive and flexible, and I want to walk you through it.

This method uses stacks and preview mode instead of Page Assist, and it gives you unlimited layers per page, unlimited pages per journal, and a much more book like feel when flipping through.

Why Page Assist Isn't Ideal for Mixed Media Journals

The way most people set up journals in Procreate is with Page Assist, which you can turn on by going to the Actions menu (wrench icon) → Canvas → Page Assist. Each layer or group in your Layers panel becomes a page in a bar at the bottom of your screen.

There are a few reasons I've moved away from this method:

• Textures are difficult to manage. Any paper textures, shadows, etc you've set up can get lost when Page Assist is turned on, because each layer or group turns into a separate "page." While you can set one layer as the universal background, any additional texture layers on top of the artwork have to be duplicated and grouped within each "page."
• Limited layers per page. If you're doing mixed media work with lots of paper bits, ephemera, stitches, shadows, etc, then you'll likely run out of layers very quickly. This is especially true on older iPads with less memory.
• Awkward grouping. Everything has to live within the same group structure to function as pages, which limits how you can organise your work.
• Clunky Page Assist UI. The bar across the bottom of the page takes valuable real estate while working, and doesn't feel like an intuitive way of flipping through pages in a "book."

For simple notebooks or sketchbooks with minimal layers, Page Assist works fine. But for the kind of layered, textured work I love to do, I don't love it.

The Stack Method

Stacks are the little folders you can make in the Procreate gallery. Each stack can hold an unlimited number of documents, and each document can have its own full layer count. That means every page of your journal gets its own document with up to the maximum number of layers Procreate allows.

Here's how it works:

• Each page of your journal is its own Procreate document
• All the pages live together inside a stack
• You flip through them using preview mode, which feels more like a real book

How to Make a Stack

Stacks are easy to create. From your main Procreate gallery:

1. Tap and hold one document
2. Drag it on top of another document
3. Release, and the two documents will combine into a stack
4. Tap the stack to open it, or tap the name to rename it (I called mine "Art Journal")

You can keep adding documents to the stack by dragging them in, or by duplicating documents that are already inside.

Setting Up Your Journal

Inside your stack, I like to keep things organised like this:

• A cover page as the first document
• All your journal pages in the middle
• A blank journal template as the last document, which you'll duplicate every time you want to add a new page

Here's how to set up that blank template document:

Step 1: Open your journal template document and customise it exactly how you want your pages to look. Choose your paper texture, binding style, background notebook lines (if any), and adjust everything to taste.

Step 2: Delete any layers you're not using. This keeps the file size small, which matters when you're going to be duplicating it many times. It's a good idea to keep a master copy of your full template somewhere outside the stack, so you don't lose the layers you've trimmed away and you can duplicate that for different style journals for other stacks.

Step 3: Place this trimmed down template as the last document in your stack, and leave it blank, ready to duplicate.

Step 4: When you want to add a new page, swipe left on the template in your stack and tap Duplicate.

The original stays blank at the end, and the duplicate becomes your new working page.

This way, every page in your journal will have consistent paper textures, binding, and backgrounds, but you can still customise individual pages as you go.

Using Preview Mode to Flip Through Pages

This is the part that makes the stack method feel like a real book.

To enter preview mode from inside a stack: pinch outward on any document thumbnail. The document will fill the screen, and you can swipe left and right to flip through the rest of the journal.

To enter preview mode from the main gallery: pinch outward on the stack itself. You can preview the entire journal without even opening the stack.

To edit a page while in preview mode: double tap on the page you want to edit. Procreate will open that document and you can work on it. Tap Gallery to go back.

To exit preview mode without editing a page: pinch inward on the screen.

I find this way of flipping through pages much more intuitive than the Page Assist bar at the bottom. It just feels more like a book.

Exporting Your Journal as a PDF

One of the things people love about Page Assist is that it lets you export your whole journal as a multi page PDF. The good news is you can do this with stacks too.

Before you export: delete the blank template at the end of the stack, otherwise it'll appear as a blank page in your PDF.

To export:

1. Go to the main gallery (not inside the stack)
2. Swipe left on the stack
3. Tap Share
4. Tap PDF
5. Choose your quality (Good for sharing, Best for printing)
6. Save or share the file

The PDF will include every page of your journal in order, with the cover as the first page.

Why I Prefer This Method

For me, the stack method just feels better:

• It's intuitive. Swiping through pages feels like flipping through a real book.
• You can have as many layers as you want per page, which is essential for mixed media work.
• Paper textures and binding details stay visible, no matter how you group them.
• You can group layers however makes sense for that page, rather than working around Page Assist's structure.
• You can still export the whole journal as a PDF.

If you've been frustrated by Page Assist, give this method a try and see how it feels.

Get the Free Digital Journaling Starter Pack

The journal template I'm using throughout this tutorial is part of my free Digital Journaling Starter Pack, which also includes a portrait version of the template, a Mixed Media Sampler brush set, and a drag and drop ephemera library full of public domain images you can pull straight into Procreate. The video walks through how everything works once you've got it all downloaded.

Pop your email in below to grab it.