Let's Blog Office

How to make your own notepad

Lately, there have been many spring up sites that encourage more and more people to DIY, or for those of who aren't aware of what that is, Do-It-Yourself. These DIYers have figured out how to do anything from tile your own bathroom, transform anything electronic into a remote, and also save on important funds by creating your own office supplies. One such product that is gaining popularity is creating your own notepad. In the past, we here at Let's Blog Office have gone over how to create your own notebook, but a notepad is another story. While it does require a few notepad supplies, most of the work can be done quickly and easily. 

Here are steps that need to be taken. 

1. Gather supplies. You will need paper, a paper cutter (or scissors), padding glue, and a paint brush.
2. Cut paper so that it is all the same size. A good notepad can be anywhere from 50 pages to 300.   
3. If you have a padding press, you would use it now, if not continue down this list.
4. Create a back board. It is best to use cardboard, or a very heavy card stock. This back board should be the same size as the height of your paper stack, and the width of the paper stack that will be glued together.   
5. Line up the paper together, and make sure it is perfect. It is a good idea to rubber band the pages, and also to place them in between two books.   
6. Brush on your glue onto the pages, and then place your back board over this.   
7. Once notebook is in place, use to clip to keep it secure while drying.    

There you go! Now you have a working notepad. This is a great project for offices that accumulate multiple sheets of scratch paper. 

Holiday Gifts For Scrapbookers & Hobbyists

If you are like most hobbyists or scrapbookers, you know that low cost equipment, while it saves you money, ultimately breaks. Most of the time, these machines or equipment do not even offer replacement parts. Many go on buying cheap equipment after cheap equipment, and spend sometimes hundreds of extra dollars. Why bother? There are so many machines out there that cost a little more than the average low cost solution, but last longer, and work more efficiently.  

Here are some recommendations that I have when it comes to higher quality hobby equipment. With the holidays coming up, these will serve as excellent gifts for you or your favorite hobbyist. 

1. Professional Grade Rotary Trimmers

Rotary paper trimmers are easy to use, and guarantee a straighter cut than a guillotine cutter. These trimmers can cut in two directions, making them ideal for photo cutting, and scrapbooking. The Dahle Rotary Trimmers offer professional quality for less. These machines are so accurate, that many print shops and advertising agencies use them. They are more expensive then the cutters that you will find Michaels, but with the smallest cutter starting at $42, they are quite a steal. 

2. Professional Pouch Laminators

Anyone who values photographs should invest in a pouch laminator. These affordable machines keep photographs safe from exposure to dust, finger tips, and more. While personal laminators offer an easy lower cost solution, a more professional model will last longer, and will be less likely to jam. This Jam Free Laminatoris priced at $135, and will laminate smaller pouches as well as letter size documents with ease. Professional laminators also heat up and laminate documents faster than personal models. 

3. Wire Binding Machines

While many scrapbookers tend to use comb binding machines, I recommend wire. Wire binding looks a little more professional and keeps it shape longer. Binding machines have many possibilities for projects. Notebooks, recipe books, calendars, scrapbooks, and more can all be done quickly and easily without having to go to the local print shop. This manual Akiles wire binding machine is perfect for low volume use, and is priced around $270.00. It can punch and bind in either 2:1 for low volume projects and 3:1 for higher page volume projects. It uses Double O Wire spines, which are easy to close and look great. 

While these machines may be a little more pricey than your average equipment found at the fabric store, they provide professional quality for the home and make a great gift for anyone who loves creative projects.

Tips to Create Professional-Looking Coil Bound Menus

Creating your own menus for a cafe or restaurant isn’t as difficult as you may have thought! All you need is the materials - coils, covers, and a binding machine - and you’re ready to save loads of time and money by making your menus in-house. The best part about binding on your own is that you’re free to make changes in design and layout whenever you like.

Coil bound menu pages are easy to turn and can lay flat on a table or counter while a customer is reading them. It’s possible to incorporate either soft or hard covers with coil binding and pages can be added or omitted from a menu fairly easily. Also, if you’re concerned with cost, some of the materials including the coil binding and the covers can be reused as long as the basic dimensions and design of your menu remain the same. Here are a few suggestions for creating professional grade menus at a fraction of the cost:

Create your menu design and layout.
Unless you have already compiled the information you’ll need for your new menus, begin by developing item descriptions and gathering photographs (only if you intend to include them in your menu). Develop a design you are comfortable with and print a test copy to bind before you make a commitment. For less formal restaurants and cafes, smaller menu dimensions and more pictures are generally accepted and expected from your customers. For formal menus, refrain from using pictures and provide more detailed item descriptions. Dimensions will be important for deciding on a specific binding machine so initial design steps should be taken before you choose an inserter or machine.

Purchase a coil binding machine.
A variety of coil or spiral binding machines are available that have the necessary features to meet your needs. Depending on the coil material you wish to use, plastic or metal, choose the machine that is capable of binding one or the other, or both. Coil and spiral inserters are also an option for those wishing to automate the entire process. These machines are more expensive than a typical coil binding machine, but can greatly reduce the time needed to bind, especially when producing large quantities. Binding machines and inserters have maximum paper capacity as well, in terms of both the number of sheets they can punch and the size of paper they can accommodate for punching and binding. Be certain the machine you choose meets all of the size and material requirements you demand before you purchase!

Decide on the materials you’ll need to finish your menus.
To bind your menus you will have to decide on the color and size of the coils and covers you wish to use to complete your menus. As you’re shopping for these items, be sure to double check the size specifications, compared to the number of pages you’ll be binding, before you purchase either coils or covers. Coils are available in sizes from 1/8” to above 1”, most likely your menu will have a small number of pages and the smallest sized coil will be sufficient. Have an idea about the number of menus you want so you can purchase the necessary amount of coils and covers; plan on picking up a few extra so you have replacements for menus that are lost or damaged.

Binding and finishing your menus.
Now that you’ve decided on a design, a machine, and the materials, you can begin the process of actually binding your menus. Begin by punching and binding the test copy you printed after designing the menu. If you like the way this copy looks after binding continue with the rest of the menus!

A few final tips.
To help your menu pages last longer, consider laminating them. A sufficient laminator can generally be purchased for less than the amount of a coil binding machine and will help your menus last significantly longer. For less formal restaurants especially, laminating pages, as well as pre-designed covers, can dramatically cut costs and provide your menus with a very professional look.

When designing something like a menu, which a number of people will see everyday, it is a good idea to consult a business partner, customer, or friend before deciding on a final design. Often times others will have suggestions to make a design more user-friendly or visually appealing.

Finally, once you have all of the necessary materials, don’t hesitate to redesign your menus and create a new look. Refreshing the style, layout, and items within your menu can attract new customers and add to the excitement surrounding your restaurant.