Why people print their own planner
Every November the shops fill up with diaries and planners, and every year a lot of people find the same problem: none of them quite fit. The week-to-view is too cramped, the habit tracker is for habits you do not have, and the cover is covered in slogans. Printing your own planner fixes that. You decide the layout, the paper and the cover, and you end up with a book built around the way you actually plan your days.
A custom printed planner also makes a thoughtful gift. A diary with someone's name on the cover, their family birthdays already filled in and a photo on the first page is the kind of present people use every single day of the year.
This guide walks through choosing the format, designing the pages, picking paper that suits your pens, binding options and the timing you need to have it in hand before 1 January.
Choosing the format: size and layout
Page size
Think about where the planner will live. A5 (148 x 210 mm) is the most popular size because it fits in a handbag and still gives room to write. A6 is pocket sized and suits people who jot short notes. A4 works for a desk planner that never leaves the kitchen or the office, especially for households that plan meals, school runs and work shifts in one place.
Page layouts that work
Most planners mix a few page types. Pick the ones you will use and leave out the rest:
- Year at a glance. One or two pages with all twelve months, useful for holidays, birthdays and term dates.
- Month to view. A grid for each month. Good for appointments and family schedules.
- Week to view. Seven days across a spread. The most common daily planning format, with room for a to-do list on the side.
- Day per page. Lots of space, but it makes a thick book. Usually best for people who keep detailed work notes or a journal.
- Extras. Notes pages, a meal planner, a budget tracker, a reading list, a habit tracker or blank dotted pages for sketching.
A useful rule: if you have never used a habit tracker in a shop-bought planner, you probably will not use it in a printed one either. Fill the space with something you do use.
Designing the pages
You can design a planner in Canva, Affinity Publisher, InDesign or even a carefully set up Word document. A few points make the difference between a planner that looks homemade and one that looks properly made.
- Check the dates twice. Make sure each week starts on the day you want (Monday or Sunday), that the months line up with the right weekdays and that public holidays for your country are correct. Mistakes here are the most common reason for a reprint.
- Leave a wider inside margin. The binding takes up space. Keep text and lines at least 15 mm from the spine edge, more for a thick book, so nothing disappears into the fold.
- Use light lines. Grey or soft coloured lines at 20% to 40% tint look calmer than solid black and leave your handwriting as the main thing on the page.
- Keep type readable. Day and date labels at 8 to 10 pt, set in a simple font. Decorative fonts are fine for month headings.
- Add bleed if colour runs to the edge. If any background colour or photo reaches the edge of the page, extend it 3 mm past the trim.
- Personal touches. Pre-print family birthdays, anniversaries and school holidays. Add a photo at the start of each month. These details turn a planner into a keepsake.
Paper that suits your pens
The paper inside a planner matters more than the cover. You will write on it every day, often with whatever pen is nearest.
| Paper | Feel | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Uncoated 90 to 100 gsm | Smooth, takes ink well, little show-through | Most people, ballpoints, gel pens and pencil |
| Uncoated 120 gsm | Heavier, less show-through, thicker book | Fountain pens, fine liners, light use of highlighters |
| Cream or ivory uncoated | Warmer, easier on the eyes | Journals and planners used for longer writing |
| Silk or gloss coated | Shiny, photos look bright | Photo pages only. Most pens smear on coated paper. |
If you want photo pages and writing pages in the same book, ask for the photos to be printed on uncoated paper too. They will look a little softer, but you can still write captions next to them. If you are not sure, order a sample sheet and test your favourite pens before committing to a full print run.
Binding: lying flat matters
A planner has to open flat on a desk or it becomes annoying within a week. That rules out some binding styles.
- Wire-o binding. The most practical choice. Pages open fully flat and can fold back on themselves. Works well for A5 and A4 desk planners.
- Coil (spiral) binding. Similar to wire-o, with a plastic coil that is a little more forgiving if the planner gets squashed in a bag.
- Saddle stitching. Stapled through the fold. Fine for a slim monthly planner of up to around 60 to 80 pages, but too limited for a full weekly diary.
- Perfect binding. Glued spine, looks like a paperback. It does not lie flat easily, so it is a poor choice for daily planners unless the pages are very wide.
- Lay-flat or sewn binding. Looks premium and opens flat, but costs more and takes longer.
Our guide to photo book binding and paper goes further into how different bindings behave.
A cover with your name on it
The cover is where a printed planner becomes personal. Some popular ideas:
- A name or initials in large, simple type, with the year underneath.
- A favourite photo, a child's drawing or a pet portrait on the front.
- A different cover for each member of the family, with the same inside pages.
- A plain coloured cover with a small embossed or foil name for a more grown-up look.
Use a heavy card for the cover, around 300 to 350 gsm, with matte or soft-touch lamination so it survives a year in a bag. A clear plastic front sheet and a card back board add extra protection on wire-bound planners.
Matching sets and gifts
If you are giving planners as presents, a matching set looks generous without costing much more. A planner, a pad of notepaper with the same design and a wall calendar for the kitchen make a complete kit for the year. Our guides to personalised notepads and writing paper and photo calendars cover those pieces.
Timing: getting it before 1 January
A planner that arrives in the second week of January is still useful, but it loses a little of its magic. Work back from when you want it in hand:
- Allow a few evenings for design, plus time to check every date.
- Leave room for a proof and at least one round of corrections.
- Printing and binding usually take a few working days, longer for sewn or lay-flat books.
- Remember that the weeks before Christmas are busy for printers and couriers. Ordering by early December gives you a comfortable margin.
Printing your planner with us
We print custom planners, diaries and journals in A4, A5 and A6, from a single personal copy to a set for the whole family or team. Through our booklet printing service you can choose wire-o, coil or saddle-stitched binding, uncoated paper weights that suit your pens, and covers with photos, names and laminated finishes. Every order gets a proof so you can check the dates and layout before anything is printed.
Send us your finished PDF, or a rough plan of the pages you want and we can help you sort out page counts and binding. If you are unsure about paper, ask for a sample through our contact page and try it with your own pen first. A planner you enjoy writing in is a planner you will actually open on 2 January, and on 2 June too.
