Logbook Tutorials

Bind-It-All Bookmaking Tutorial

Zutter has a great product for binding logbooks of many shapes and sizes called the Bind-It-All. It punches holes in paper, as you might expect, as well as materials such as CDs, credit cards, and more. Then you can push a wire binding through the holes, clamp down tight and finish with some very professional-looking logbooks others would swear you must have purchased in a store. This tutorial was created with the original 1.0 version of the Bind-It-All, but they've since introduced a version 2.0, but the changes between the two are relatively minor and you shouldn't have trouble following this tutorial regardless of which version you have.

The good: It's one of the fastest methods available for binding logbooks, especially for logbooks with a lot of pages. So easy a caveman could do it (so I'm told). The logbooks will also lay completely flat.

The bad: You need to invest in the Bind-it-All created by Zutter or find a friend who has one. They cost about $60, but it comes with a lifetime warranty so there's no reason you shouldn't get years of productive use out of it. Fortunately, it's a one-time only expense.

Supplies you'll need

Most supplies for this project are easily found at your local arts and crafts store or online. The Bind-it-All and Owire bindings, if you can't find them locally, can be ordered online at Amazon.com.

In this tutorial, we will create a logbook with pages made from 3x5 index cards, but feel free to use other sizes or materials for your pages to fit your needs.

Index cards (blank, 3" x 5")
Choice of paper for cover
Bind-It-All
Owire Binding
Cardboard (cereal boxes work great)
Scissors
Glue Stick

1. Cut two cardboard cover pieces

Cut two pieces of cardboard slightly larger than the size of the pages for your logbook. For this logbook, we will cut them 3.5"x5.25". The decorative paper needs to warp around these pieces to create your covers, so cut those into two 4.5"x6.25" pieces.

2. Glue decorative paper to covers

Use glue stick to glue the decorative paper to the cardboard. Use a newspaper or old magazine underneath to keep cleanup easy. Cutting the corners of the decorative paper off helps create a clean fold over the corners.

3. Glue endpaper to covers

Glue an index card into each of the inside covers. These will be the endpapers for your logbooks.

4. Punch holes in covers

Punch holes in the top of the covers. (You can punch holes where the left side of the logbook would be if you want to create a logbook that opens like a regular book instead of this one that will open vertically.)

5. Punch holes for pages

Now punch holes in the top of the pages for your logbook. (Punch the left side of the pages if you are creating a logbook that opens like a regular book.)

"George!" Marjorie cried with exasperation. "Get up here and help me with this handle!"

6. Bind logbook

Now put all the pieces together. First put the pages of your logbook onto the Owire, then the front cover (outside of the cover up), then the back cover (outside of the cover down). The order is important—you want to hide the ugly part of the binding between the inside pages and the back cover. Insert into the Bind-it-All and squeeze the binding closed.

Epilogue

These are simple, professional-looking logbooks, but you can embellish them for different uses and looks. Create covers made out of real CDs. Cut logbook pages into any sizes or shapes you need. You could decorate the cover with stamps, stickers or even actual photos you've taken. You can also create larger logbooks for your own custom-made, personal logbook. The sky's the limit!