How to make a homemade hard cover book?

How to Make a Book Cover for Free to Print

• Answer:

  Schools expect children to take care of their books, but normal usage eventually takes its toll. According to the Martha Stewart website, schools "[ask] kids to protect [school books] in paper covers." (See Resource 1) Covers for books can be simple brown paper bags, or they can be personalized to express the individual carrying them. The Better Homes and Gardens website says, "Books covers don't have to be boring," and they are completely right. (See Resource 2) Book covers are for more than school books. You can make covers to "replace missing or torn book jackets or to layer over book covers you want to preserve," according to the Martha Stewart website. (See Resource 3) Using a computer, you can create a sophisticated book cover. Difficulty: Easy Things You'll Need Ruler Computer Printer Paper Scissors Contact paper Bone folder Instructions Measure the outside dimension of the book with a standard ruler, noting the width and height of the front cover and the spine of the book. The front and back flaps of the book will be the height of the book but only half the width. Create the front of your book cover using a picture from your computer. You can also use Microsoft Word or Paint (or a similar program) on the computer to create a personalized cover. The outside dimensions of your picture must be the same size as the book's cover. Repeat to create the back cover, spine, and front and back flaps for the book cover. Print the finished pages from your computer. Print shops are great places to have large images printed. Double check the measurements and trim each piece of the book cover to the correct dimensions using a pair of scissors. Add up the length of the book from the front flap all the way around to the back flap of the book. If your book is 8 inches wide on the cover with a 2-inch spine and you have a 4-inch front and back flap your total measurement would be 26 inches. Add two inches to both the length and the height of the book. For example, if the total length of the book is 26 inches and the height is 10 inches, you will measure contact paper for 28 inches by 12 inches. Cut a piece of clear contact paper to the dimensions above. According to the Martha Stewart website, "The laminating roll makes your paper cover considerably stronger." (See Reference 4) Add two inches to the width of one flap. Start at the top left corner of the contact paper and measure horizontally; mark this location. Next measure two inches vertically from the top left corner and mark this location. Draw a line from the measurement marks until they intersect. Cut along these lines. Remove the rectangle. Use it as a pattern to cut the same rectangle from the remaining three corners. Lay the contact paper on a flat surface and remove the paper backing. Place the front of your custom book cover face down two inches from the left edge of the contact paper. Evenly space the printed cover between the top and bottom edges of the contact paper. Repeat the above step to position the front of the book, followed by the spine, back cover and back flap. Leave a small space between each piece of the book's cover. This will allow the cover to fold around the book without buckling. Fold the clear contact paper over the ends of the book cover so that they wrap around the back of the paper. Fold the front and back flap in to form the pocket for the book. Press firmly along the fold. Hold the left and right flap down. Fold the clear contact paper on the top of the book cover so that it wraps around the back of the book cover and holds the front and back flaps in place. Repeat for the bottom edge. Use a pair of scissors and cut the contact paper along the inside edge of the front and back flaps to allow a book to slide into the opening. Place the outside cover of a book into the front flap of the book cover. Repeat for the back flap of the book cover. Close the book to ensure the cover fits correctly. Tips & Warnings Tip: Use a bone folder to remove bubbles from the contact paper. Tip: Smaller book covers can be made with one piece of paper.