I have been asked many times over the last few weeks how I make my personalized books for my Etsy store. I’m always willing to share my ideas and I thought it would be easier to show you then tell you…
(further instructions are at the bottom of the post)
For the chance to win your own book click here.
1. Design the cover. I use InDesign but you could use word. Design or print in reverse.
2. Print it out onto tracing paper.We find that black doesn't print well, but other colors are fine!
3. We then run it through a Xyron Sticker Maker - this coats the underside completely with sticky stuff (see info below)
4. Now it will stick to any material you want to use as your book cover. The printing is protected because it's on the reverse side
5. Roughly trim. You will cut it to size once it is stuck down. (Make sure you have included cut marks in your original print)
6. Peel off the page and stick it down onto your cover stock. Carefully. Smooth it out as you stick it down. You don't want any air bubbles.
7. Now trim it to the finished size. We use a craft knife (or scapel) and a rule. Much better than scissors.
8. Using a binding machine, punch the holes in the cover, back cover and other pages. Don't try to punch everything at once.
9. Line it all up and prepare to bind. Cut the binding wire to the right length. (Follow the instructions on the binding machine)
10. And you are done! Enjoy the book. It took us a while to work out this system. Don't worry if your first book isn't perfect.
I hope this explains the steps well enough. Please ask any questions you have, they will help everyone. You will obviously need: Card for the cover and back cover. Tracing paper. A printer. A Xyron Sticker Maker* 
(we use a 9″ one, but they also make a smaller one. You can use glue but it doesn’t stick the tracing paper down in the same smooth way), a binding machine – maybe they will let you borrow the one from work? I got mine for Christmas last year.
Don’t forget to enter to win one of your own!
