SAMANTHA HENRY
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DIY teacher planner

5/10/2020

1 Comment

 
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Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.This means that I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you subscribe or purchase something through the links provided.
Hello teacher friends! I'm so excited you're joining me today for this post! I'm excited to show you all how easy and cost effective it is to make your own teacher planner or binder at home!! You don't have to print anything at a specialty print shop (unless of course you want to!) and you don't need expensive equipment!

​Today I will show you 3 OPTIONS for putting together your planner and lay out the costs as well as the pros and cons! I will also link to my home printer, basic laminator, and my fave budget friendly ink delivery!! **Pictured below: my kitchen island, which makes for a great spot to assemble! Wine optional ;)

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Option 1 - Teacher Binder 

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The cheapest and easiest option is the good ol' 3 ring TEACHER BINDER! I've used it for years. It's easy to assemble and you don't really need anything except paper and a printer. Just pick and print your pages, then organize as needed. 

Pros:
  • Heavy duty (toss it around in your bag, in your car, etc)
  • Pockets for important papers
  • Tons of options for inserts 
  • Little prep
  • ​Tabs/dividers can be protected inside the binder (depending on the size you have)
  • Different sizes/colors 

Cons:
  • Depending on the size, can be a bit bulky (although it never bothered me)
  • Not the cutest option (debatable and for some -> who cares lol)

Option 2: ProClick Binding Machine 

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I've blogged about my ProClick Binding system before (you can read about it here). I love it! I wouldn't advise purchasing it unless you have other projects you want to use it for. If you make a teacher planner, grade book, personal planner, specialty planners, etc. then over time it's def worth the purchase!)

Pros:
  • Easy to assemble
  • Love the look of an actual store bought planner!
  • Spines can be opened as often as you like (as compared to a typical binding machine) so you can insert/remove pages easily 
  • Durable Spines (they may look flimsy but the spines hold up really well!!!)
  • Binding sytem is easy to use, if you aren't crafty you can still figure it out!
  • Binding system can punch through more paper than Happy Planner

Cons:
  • Machine can be costly upfront - ballpark $80-90 (purchased mine on Prime Day & used it for various projects)
  • You'll need to laminate front/back covers of your planner for durability (best to print on cardstock)
  • Slightly more time to assemble compared to the binder
  • Binding system can only punch roughly 5-10 pages at a time (advertises 6) and cardstock/laminate even less
  • Spines come in one color - black

Amazon Links: 
ProClick Binding System
ProClick Spines (these range in size depending on how thick you want your planner, the picture above is 1/2 in spines)
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Option 3: The Happy Planner 

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I received a ton of questions on this when I posted my Teacher Planner on Instagram! To make a Happy Planner this size you'll need a hole punch for 11 holes and the large discs.
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Pros:
  • Beautiful!!! I love the look of a real/store bought planner!
  • Rings can be purchased in different sizes and colors! 
  • Easy to use binding machine - ballpark $40-50 (again, if you aren't crafty you'll still easily figure it out)
  • Lots of Happy Planner inserts to shop for if you want to add/jazz it up
  • Remove or insert pages as needed! Not difficult to do

Cons:
  • Takes significantly more time to set up as compared to the others because you have to push the holes through each individual disc. If you enjoy making a planner, you won't care but if this type of thing irritates or frustrates you, move on! 
  • The most fragile of the 3 in my opinion but surprisingly holds up just fine! If you have a solid front/back cover, you're good. You'll want to switch out the binder covers over time. 
  • You'll need cardstock & a home laminator for front and back covers
  • Punching machine can only handle 3-5 pages at most (time intensive for initial set up)

Amazon Links:
Happy Planner Big Paper Punch (11 hole) 
Medium Discs
Large Discs (these are the ones I used so I would have room to expand)
Gold Foil Dividers

Side by Side of the Happy Planner Discs (left) and ProClick (right)

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1/2 in ProClick Spines/ 1 in 3-ring-binder/ Large Happy Planner Discs

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Printer and Budget Friendly Ink

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I love my HP Deskjet All-In-One Wireless Printer. Ballpark ($50-90) depending on when you buy it! Also because of Covid, the increase on demand is high!

This printer isn't fancy, just a simple home printer. I purchased it on Amazon Prime Day in 2017 and it has held up wonderfully!! As it states in the title, it's wireless (love that) and it also allows me to print directly from my phone (love that too!).

Amazon Links:
HP Deskjet -> PRINTER
Cardstock
 for front/back cover (if you are not using a 3 ring binder)
Copy Paper for individual pages
24 or 28lb paper for double-sided pages

Best of all, it's compatible with HP Instant Ink (my favorite, budget friendly ink delivery service).

What exactly is HP Instant Ink? 

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The best way to sum it up -> I NEVER RUN OUT OF INK and I no longer purchase ink cartridges from the store (HALLELUJAH). I have saved a ton of money by using this service. I receive the ink cartridges in the mail long before I ever run out! And I'm on a monthly plan based on the number of pages I print. There is no better deal out there that I have found! If you already own an HP Printer, you can check HP online to see if it's compatible. 

HP Instant Ink Plan Options

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You can change your plan whenever you want. So if it's Back to School Season and your printing more pages, up your plan. Or if you are on a higher plan and you're not using it much, go to a lower printing plan. Everything is tracked for you. Your printer signals when to mail ink out to you. I have LOVED using this service and I have never run out of ink once!

Try a month of HP Instant Ink for FREE!
You can try HP Instant Ink with my "Refer a friend" code: http://try.hpinstantink.com/hQNTD


Basic Home Laminator

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It's not fancy, it's BASIC. Literally, that's what Amazon calls it LOL! I've had it since 2016. It works just fine. It's not super fast, it's not slow. It's in between. But the lamination holds up great. And it does the job! Plus, it is not going to break the bank (ballpark $20)

Amazon Links:
Laminator
Laminating pouches 
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Get your Teacher Planner DUNN!

​I hope this post helps answer some of your questions about printing an at home teacher planner! If you like the style featured in this blog post (Rae Dunn Lovers unite) or you just like the minimalist feel, you can VIEW MORE PICTURES of it in my TpT Store: Samantha Henry.

Teacher Resource Links:
Teacher Planner

Data Binder
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**** This blog post may contain affiliate links. This means that I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you subscribe or purchase something through the links provided.
1 Comment
Martita
7/8/2020 04:58:22 pm

I love love love this planner and can't wait to put it together. I know the fonts are not transferable, but you usually post where or who I can purchase the fonts from. Could you point me in the right direction?

Reply



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