Preparing the Notebook’s Front Cover

Please note this is a draft document in the process of being written!

Gathering the Image for the Front Outside Cover

First, you will want to get the image ready that will go on the outside of the front cover. If you are making more than one notebook at a time, you can either use the same image for all the notebooks or you can change the image on one or more of the notebooks in the batch. In these steps, we will use the term “image” to represent one or more of the chosen images.

Additionally, you may use just an excerpt of an image to go on the cover. In these steps, the term “image” will represent the image or the part of the original image that you will use for the cover.

  • Select an image for the notebooks by:
    • Looking through your library of high resolution images, or
    • Using any high resolution image that has been specified for you
  • Decide how you will adjust the image to meet the following requirements:
    • The image resolution should be at least 300 dpi in order to look good when printed.
    • The orientation of the image should match the chosen orientation of the notebooks.
    • If you need to resize the image to make it larger in order to fill the final notebook size, keep the quality high by enlarging it no more than about 125% of the original image size (unless it is a vector image, in which case there are no resizing limits).
    • When you resize the image, it is likely that you will need to crop the image on at least one dimension. Make sure that nothing important is cut off when you do the cropping.
    • There will eventually be holes punched in either the top or left side of the cover. This will occur within about 1/4” of that edge. Make sure that the holes will not cause important parts of the image to be lost.
  • If you want a white border around the image:
    • Decide how wide the white border should be, and make the image that much smaller than the final notebook size.
    • You will not need a bleed in the layout.
  • If you want the image to extend to the very edge of the cover:
    • You will need a bleed (extra image beyond what you need for the final result). This is because it is very difficult to cut exactly along a boundary line. Having a bleed helps so that trimming the cover later won’t accidentally result in tiny slivers of white showing or making the trimmed area smaller than it should be.
    • To add a bleed, make the image about 1/8” larger than the final notebook size on each side (top, bottom, left, right).
    • Make sure that the important parts of your image will fit within the final trimmed notebook size and won’t be trimmed off later.

Creating the Printing Layout

Please note: This is a draft document! For a more detailed description for this section, please see:

"Creating a Photoshop File for Notebook Front Covers"
  1. Start Photoshop.
  2. If a front cover outside template exists for the chosen size and style of notebook, open it.
  3. If you are not using a template:
  1. bleed, gutter for holes, aligning multiples on one page, esp for small sizes which must be multiples to be large enough for binding machine
  2. <these steps to be written up better>
  1. Do a File> Place> image file. Size it close to what you need. Rasterize it. Move and size it as exactly as possible to where it should go. Repeat for any additional images.
  2. Save this file.
  3. If a template exists for the front cover inside, open it.
  4. If you are not using a template for the inside:
  1. align on backside, get desc, logo, maybe SKU
  2. <these steps to be written up better>
  1. Update the information for these notebooks.
  2. Save this file.

Printing the Layout

Please note: This is a draft document!

  1. Staples matte paper specs
  2. Epson printer specs
  3. printer and color settings
  4. turn over and print backside (specify how to re-insert paper)
  5. let printout dry for a few minutes if possible

Laminating the Front Cover

  1. Locate one 5 mil laminating pouch for each regular sheet of paper that you will be printing for the notebook covers. Keep it free from dust or debris.
  2. Turn on the laminating machine. Select the 5 mil setting. Wait for the machine to completely warm up.
  3. Insert the printed page into the pouch. Remove any dust or debris if possible.
  4. Put the pouch into the laminator gently, sealed edge first, flush as straight as possible to the edge of the machine’s opening. Prop up the remaining part of the pouch a little so the page does not warp as it feeds through on the other side. You may want to also prop the part coming out of the machine a little. If necessary at the end, gently pull the page so it leaves the machine in a straight line. Let it cool a little.
  5. Put away the laminating machine.

Trimming Laminated Cover to Standard Paper Size

Warning

Keep the regular paper cutter away from small children. Be careful when handling so that you don’t accidentally cut yourself, since the blade is sharp.

  1. use the regular paper cutter
  2. trim off just the clear borders around the edges so that you are left with a laminated regular sheet of paper
  3. put the regular paper cutter away safely

Warning

The corners of the laminated front cover will be sharp and could prick your fingers. Later you will soften the corners by trimming them slightly. Until then, be careful when handling the laminated front cover.

Punching Holes in the Front Cover

  1. select correct ratio on binding machine
  2. make note of whether and how to use the handmade guide
  3. insert the edge that will get punched, all the way in and along the guide
  4. bring handle down all the way while cover remains secured in the machine
  5. lift the handle back up
  6. remove the punched cover

Warning

The corners of the laminated front cover will be sharp and could prick your fingers. Later you will soften the corners by trimming them slightly. Until then, be careful when handling the laminated front cover.

Trimming the Front Covers into Individual Covers

Warning

Keep the regular paper cutter away from small children. Be careful when handling so that you don’t accidentally cut yourself, since the blade is sharp.

  1. use the regular paper cutter
  2. cut diagonally on all four corners of outside edge of layout
  3. then align as closely as possible on each outer side and trim
  4. for all other cuts, align as closely as possible and trim
  5. put the regular paper cutter away safely
  6. save any unused pieces that are large enough for another project and discard the rest of the unused pieces

Warning

The corners of the laminated front cover will be sharp and could prick your fingers. Later you will soften the corners by trimming them slightly. Until then, be careful when handling the laminated front cover.