Buzz
Making a handmade notebook is an easy and enjoyable craft. You can use it for journaling, sketching drawings, or even as a gift for someone. It’s also a fun activity for kids. DIY notebooks are more affordable than store-bought ones, and you have the freedom to design the cover and pages as you like.
Steps
Creating a small notebook
Fold a sheet of paper into 8 sections. Take your time when folding, as the quality of the folds will determine the final quality of the notebook.
- Make sure to fold evenly and press each crease carefully. You can use your fingernail or a hard object like the edge of a pencil to press the fold down.
- Start by folding the paper vertically to form a long rectangular shape (fold the long edges together).
- Next, fold the short edges together.
- Finally, fold the paper in half again, aligning the short edges with each other.
Unfold the paper. You will now have 8 sections. These sections will become the pages of your handmade notebook.
Fold the short edges together. Fold the paper in the opposite direction from the first fold.
Cut the paper. Place the paper with the folded edge facing towards you. Cut along the center fold until you reach the point where it intersects with the horizontal fold.
- Be sure to stop cutting once you reach the horizontal fold. You only need to cut halfway through the paper, not all the way through.
Unfold the paper. The paper will still have 8 sections like before, but now there will be a gap in the center of the 4 middle sections.
Fold the paper in half again, bringing the long edges together. Repeat the initial fold exactly. The gap will now be in the center of the paper’s edge.
Fold the paper into a book shape. Stand the paper up so the gap is at the top, then push both ends of the paper together. Separate the two folds in the middle so they spread apart.
- You may need to reverse the direction of the fold on one of the seams.
- Push the ends of the paper together until you have 4 “wings” moving outward from the center, resembling a cross or X shape.
Flatten the notebook. Choose two adjacent “wings” and press them together, closing the remaining pages inside.
Secure the pages. If you want your notebook to hold its shape, you can use a stapler or string to bind it (see the “binding the book” section below).
Making a medium-sized notebook
Decide on the number of pages for your notebook. The number of sheets you need depends on how many pages you want in your notebook. 6 or 12 sheets will create a notebook with 12 or 24 pages (including the cover).
- Think about what you plan to use the notebook for to decide on the appropriate number of pages.
- Consider using a special sheet or a different color for the notebook cover.
- You can use more than 12 sheets, but a notebook with many pages may be more difficult to bind.
Choose the paper for your notebook. Regular white printer paper is typically a good choice, but depending on the purpose of the notebook, you may opt for other types of paper.
- This guide assumes you'll use standard printer paper (22x28 cm), though other paper sizes can work too.
- Heavier (thicker) paper may be more durable than regular printer paper.
- File folder paper or colored paper can make a beautiful effect for the notebook cover if you're planning to make it as a gift.
- Avoid using lined paper if possible. The vertical lines will make the notebook look less attractive.
Fold the paper in half. Fold the short edge of each selected sheet with the short edge of another.
- Fold each sheet individually for sharper, more even creases rather than trying to fold all sheets at once.
- Make sure the edges align before pressing the crease down.
- Use your fingernail or a hard object like a pencil to crease along the fold for sharpness.
Stack the folded sheets together. Stack the folded sheets inside one another. If you have more than 6 sheets, don't stack more than 6 sheets per batch.
- If you stack more than 6 sheets, the inner pages will stick out further than the outer pages, making the notebook look messy.
- If you have an even number of sheets, it’s best to stack them in even batches (e.g., 2 stacks of 6 sheets, 3 stacks of 4 sheets, or 4 stacks of 3 sheets).
Staple the stacks together. To make your notebook sturdier, you can staple the stacks of paper together. Staple at least 2 staples as close to the fold of each stack as possible.
- Try to staple each stack in different spots to avoid having the staples overlap and create lumps.
- Depending on your bookbinding method, this step may not be necessary. If you’re using tape, you will need to do this step.
Assemble the stacks into a notebook. Make sure to align each part of the notebook neatly. Line up the folds of each stack with each other.
- Ensure that all the edges of the stacks are neatly aligned. If any sheet sticks out, it means the folding was not done properly. You may need to replace it with a sheet that’s folded more carefully.
Binding the Book
Create the notebook cover. Select a piece of paper for the cover of your notebook. You can use colored paper, thick paper, or decorate the cover with stamps, stickers, or your own unique designs.
- Fold both short edges of the cover paper towards each other and press the crease sharply.
- Attach the cover at any stage depending on your binding style.
Use tape to bind the pages into the notebook. This method is especially useful if your notebook contains multiple stapled stacks of paper.
- Cut a strip of sturdy tape, like fabric tape, a little longer than the notebook.
- Carefully apply the tape to the front cover of the notebook, wrapping it around the spine and pasting the other half on the back cover, ensuring half of the tape is on the front and the other half on the back.
- Trim any excess tape on the top and bottom of the notebook.
Attach the cover to the notebook. To bind the cover to the notebook's body, you will clip the folded cover over the spine of the pages that have been glued together.
- Cut two strips of tape that match the length of the notebook.
- Fold the tape lengthwise, with the sticky side on the outside.
- Open the back cover of the notebook and place the folded tape along the inner edge of the back cover. One side of the tape should adhere to the inside of the back cover, while the other side sticks to the outer edge of the last page of the notebook.
- Open the front cover of the notebook. Place the second strip of folded tape along the seam between the inside edge of the front cover and the outside edge of the first page inside the notebook.
- Fold the notebook shut and press along the creased edges to ensure the tape sticks firmly.
Bind the notebook with string or ribbon. With this method, you don't need to staple each section of the notebook.
- If you plan to bind the cover as well, clip the folded cover around the stacked pages.
- Use a hole puncher to create holes through the notebook where you want the binding. Make sure the holes are close to the crease but avoid punching through the spine.
- Punch at least two holes. You can punch more if desired, but make sure the holes are evenly spaced for a neat appearance.
- If your notebook has more than 6 sheets, you may need to punch holes in each stack separately, ensuring the holes align properly for a neat binding.
- For a shorter journal, try using decorative staples through the punched holes.
- Thread string or ribbon through the holes and tie securely. You can weave the string through multiple holes, then pass it over the back cover, running along the spine, and tie it tight, or tie small bows through each hole by threading the string through one hole, looping it over the spine, and tying it off.
- For longer journals, you can sew the stacks together by punching holes in each sheet and threading a needle in and out through the holes until all the sheets are bound together.
Warning
- Children must be supervised when using scissors to bind the notebook.
