If you have purchased a copy of my printable reading journal, The Book Lover’s Companion, here are some recommended resources for getting it set up and customized.
First, you need to decide which binding option(s) you would like to use. You can get the book coil-bound at an office supply store, but you won’t be able to add or remove pages with that method. For the most flexibility, I suggest putting your book in a ring binder or using the discbound system. Just be sure to check the page capacity of your chosen binder or discs before purchasing. Printed front and back, The Book Lover’s Companion will be up to 170 sheets. However, since you’ll also likely want to print on thicker-than-normal paper, and add accessories like sections dividers, you need to allow for more space.
Here’s a curated list of suggestions for binding and customizing your book. Affiliate links are present.
Discbinding materials
Discbound Hole Punch
If you are using the discbinding method, you will need to buy a special punch. This is the one I used. It is extremely sturdy and highly rated, and can be adjusted to punch both letter-size pages and half-sized pages (and other sizes you may want for future projects!)
Tip: If you or your spouse works at a school/office/church, etc, they may have a discbound punch you can borrow!
Discbound Cover
There are a lot of discbound cover options out there, but I like this one because it’s sturdy and comes with a built-in pen holder and a couple of pockets. There are a couple of neutral color options for this cover, and you can get it in either letter-size or half-size (“Junior”). But you don’t have to get a separate cover for The Book Lover’s Companion if you don’t want to. You can always just print out one of the provided covers on cardstock and get that laminated, and then laminate another piece of cardstock for the back cover. A disc-bound hole punch will usually punch through cardstock just fine.
Lightweight Cover + Dividers
For a simple, slimmer cover option, try one of these poly covers. They come in half or full size, with tons of different colors–including clear, which is perfect if you are printing off your own cover from The Book Lover’s Companion and want it to show.
Expander Discs – Alumnium
Many discbound covers come with discs, but the discs are small (3/4-inch or 1-inch) and they won’t fit as much paper as you may need for The Book Lover’s Companion. If you think you may print out extra pages from your reading journal, or you want to insert tab dividers or other accessories, get the 1.5-inch discs. These ones are made of aluminum, which many users say is more smooth for turning pages.
Expander Discs – Plastic
If you want a cheaper disc option, these should do the trick!
Tab Dividers
These discbound tab dividers come in white, pastel, or black, and you can buy them for a letter-size journal or a half-size.
Ring Binder Materials
If you plan to compile The Book Lover’s Companion using a ring binder, here are some excellent options!
3-Hole Punch
This punch is a bestseller on Amazon, and is usually marked down significantly from the list price. You can also unscrew the punches and re-align them if you want to punch half-letter size paper.
Mini 3-Hole Punch (for half-size binders)
If you plan to use the half-size version of The Book Lover’s Companion and don’t have a hole punch that adjusts to a smaller page size, you can try this mini punch. It punches 3 holes for a half-size, 3-ring binder.
Letter-Size, Slant Ring Binder
This is an extremely durable binder–including the interior pockets, which you can pack with pens, extra bookmarks, etc! Because it’s a slant ring instead of a round ring binder, you can fit in more pages without getting a thicker binder.
Half-Size Round Ring Binder (3 rings)
If you plan to use the half-size version of The Book Lover’s Companion, this basic, sturdy binder will do the trick!
Leather-Style Ring Binders
For something a little fancier and bookish, try a faux-leather binder. Here’s the 1.5-inch letter-size, and here’s the 1.5-inch half-size, both of which will hold plenty of pages.
Letter-Size Tab Dividers
This pretty set comes with 8 dividers, which is perfect since there’s 8 main sections in The Book Lover’s Companion!
Half-Size Tab Dividers
These dividers will fit the half-size version of The BLC.
Printing and Cutting Materials
Paper Cutter
You’ll need a paper cutter to cut pages for the half-size version of The BLC. This one from Swingline is a best seller, and you can get it for almost half off from Amazon. For a budget option, this one has positive reviews.
28lb Paper
Standard printer paper is 20lb bond. Since you’re printing double sided, you’ll want to use a thicker paper (24- to 32-lb bond) to ensure that your pens don’t bleed through. Personally, I have found that 28lb/105gsm paper provides sufficient thickness without bulking up the journal too much.
Other Accessories
Black Gel Pens
A good journal needs good ink!
Rainbow Gel Pens
For more adding more customization and color, these gel pens give you a lovely spectrum. They have a full 5-star positive rating on Amazon!
Mechanical Pencils
If you’re more of a pencil person, these are the ones we like best around here!
Book Darts
Use these lightweight bookmarks to save your spot in your reading log, or anywhere in The Book Lover’s Companion where you want to flip to a page quickly, but don’t want to use a full divider sheet.
Washi Tape
Add decoration to your journal with this book-themed washi tape. You can also buy various patterns and use along the outside margins to help you identify and flip to a section quickly. This set comes with two book strips, and here you can find a variety of lovely patterns in a range of colours.
