Welcome to February! This is the month we celebrate love, so I will share the planner products I LOVE with you! Please note that the links that I share are NOT AFFILIATE links. I am not currently an affiliate with any of these companies. I am just sharing with you the products I love and use to make my planners.
Planner Bindings
First of all, there are several ways to put together printable planners. You can use a three-ring binder and hole punch for a quick and easy setup, You can also have your planner spiral bound at an office supply store, although I do not prefer this method as it is the least flexible for making changes to layouts or adding pages. I use disc-bound planning. You may be wondering, "What is Disc Bound" planning? Think "Happy Planner" Brand. By far, my preferred method is disc binding. Disc Bound planners offer great flexibility with a sleek planner-style look you don't get with a three-ring binder. Disc-bound planners offer the greatest flexibility for adding and removing pages and changing layouts at any time. this is a huge advantage if you live a crazy life like mine and things are frequently changing.
There are several options for creating disc-bound planners. Ideally, you want the flexibility to change your planner anytime you choose, so having the right supplies on hand at home is very helpful. It is also the most cost effective in the long term, as printing and binding somewhere can get quite costly. I am going to share my favorite things with you as you read on.
The Process and Supplies
First of all, you need to print the pages you want included in your planner. You can have this done at a print shop or office supply store but you will pay a lot and it would be more helpful and practical to use that money to purchase a printer if you do not already have one.
Here are my favorite supplies for creating planners. I will post links to some of my favorites at the end.
Home Printer -I currently use an HP OfficeJet Pro 8130e. I have used several HP printers over the years and they have been my preference over other printers. One of the reasons is because of the HP Instant Ink program. Ink can get expensive if you buy lots of ink cartridges and it is never convenient when they run out of ink. With Instant Ink, your printer automatically notifies Instant Ink when your ink is low and you automatically get new ink cartridges in the mail. You also choose your subscription plan based on the average number of pages you print each month. I have found it to be way more economical than buying all the cartridges.
Next is Printer Paper. The paper you print your planner on can be important. Of course, you could use any paper you have on hand, but typical weight printer paper just does not stand up well to the frequent use of planner pages. The heavier the weight of your paper, the more durable your planner will be. I do not use less than 24 lb of paper and try to use only 28-32 lb paper. I am currently using Hammermill 32 lb paper for my own planner. I have used lowerweight and other brands of paper, but Hammermill 28 or 32 lb is my definite preference. I prefer to use cardstock paper for printing covers and divider pages.
After printing all of your pages, the next step is to laminate your cover pages. Lamination - You will definitely want to have your covers laminated for durability. You can choose to have this done at a local office supply store for a reasonably small fee. I like to have things done simply and quickly, and I like to change out my covers with seasons, holidays, or just for a change, so I chose to purchase a home laminating machine. You will want your covers to be laminated with at least 5ml lamination. I use 10ml because my planners get heavy use and it makes them durable enough to stand up to my heavy use. Many home machines will laminate 5ml pouches, but not all will do 10ml pouches, so it is important to pay attention to what you are looking for if you choose to purchase one. If you make the leap, I am pretty sure you won't be sorry. There are so many uses, especially for moms. You can laminate chore charts, memory cards, etc. I will share links for the machine and pouches I purchased at the end of this blog.
A Hole Punch for Disc Bound Planners - Also called a "Mushroom Punch" because of the shape of the punch it makes. I have an ARC punch I purchased from Staples about 2 years ago, but it appears that they no longer carry it. There are several other options out there, and I will link some at the end. Most office supply stores have one in their print shop and can do it for you. However, it is much easier to have one so that you can add pages at any time without having to run out to your office supply store.
The most obvious supply is the Discs - since it is a Disc Bound Planner! There are a variety of options on the market for discs. They come in both plastic and metal, as well as a variety of sizes and colors. You can find discs in most stores that carry Happy Planners, such as Office Depot, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and sometimes even Walmart. You can also find a huge variety of discs on Amazon. I also like purchasing discs from the Happy Planner website when they are on clearance. You can find the discs online/Amazon by typing in "happy planner discs".
Dividers and Tabs - You will most likely want to divide the sections in your planner with tabs to find them easily. there are a variety of ways to do this. You can purchase divider pages with tabs made for Disc Bound planners or find adhesive tabs to add. My personal favorite is to print my divider pages on cardstock paper and use adhesive tabs. If you want to purchase dividers or tabs, you can look for disc-bound divider pages at your office supply or on Amazon.
Writing Utensils - Everyone has their personal favorites for writing. I personally ONLY use Frixion erasable pens and markers in my planner! I cannot stand a messy planner, and things are always changing. Appointments get canceled and rescheduled, or I just make a mistake. I cannot say how very MUCH I love these PENS and MARKERS! It allows me to keep my planner looking cute and neat. They come in a large selection of colors, pens, markers, and highlighters. There is only one thing I will warn you about. It is definitely not a dealbreaker, I just want you to be aware. As the name indicates, Frixion pens erase with friction (heat when the eraser part rubs the paper). I live in sunny, hot Central Florida, and I have never had a problem with this. I do not leave my planner lying in the car, and I would recommend you do not leave it out in the hot sun for extended periods, just to be safe. I have heard stories of people leaving their planner in their hot car and then opening it, and the writing had disappeared. That would be devastating to me. However, I have also heard that if you place it in the refrigerator and cool it off, it appears again! I have not tested this, but I want to one day, and if I do, I will definitely share the results. I do feel confident in the safety of my planner as I have been using them for about 2 years now, and I do not leave my planner lying out in a car or the sun. It is always with me, and I am in the air- air-conditioning as much as possible!
Stickers - Are you a sticker person? Some people are all about stickers, and some never use them. I love stickers! I have a big stash of sticker books, mostly consisting of Happy Planner and Agenda 52 by Recollections. Hobby Lobby usually has a great selection of sticker books, Another great place to find stickers is on Etsy, especially if you are looking for specific ones or custom ones, Etsy is the place to check. I have purchased stickers for Physical, Occupational, and Speech therapy for my planner from Etsy. Would you be interested in Faith+Life Planner stickers? I have considered whether or not to create stickers for our planners. Let me know if you would like to see stickers in our product list!
Ok, as promised, I will list links below for some of my favorites. These are NOT affiliate links, and I receive no compensation for your purchases, just sharing information with you.
HP Deskjet Pro Printer with Instant Ink https://a.co/d/5yUjrKQ
Hammermill 32 lb paper https://a.co/d/3gCEAxV
5 ml Laminating Pouches. https://a.co/d/gFhbuoN
10 ml Laminating Pouches. https://a.co/d/fKUR0Y3
Laminating Machine. https://a.co/d/7TDZmEE
Light Pink Discs 35 mm large https://a.co/d/c5TIbq3
Multi-color pack of 24 mm small discs. https://a.co/d/eKo5Kuf
Frixion Pens https://a.co/d/1qy6G2P
Frixion Highlighters. https://a.co/d/gnKptqg
If you have favorite "planner things" I'd love to hear from you!
