27 March 2015

Free For All Friday No 332 by Laurie

I just recently discovered the joy of printable planner pages. I admit I was resistant, for years. But I finally caved and I'm so glad I did!

I keep it as simple as possible and print directly onto A5 size paper so there's no cutting (which would result in disasterously uneven edges due to my terrible cutting skills). I'm loving the freedom of not having to rely on any retailer to produce the pages I want. I just print and go!

It seems to me that printables are becoming more and more popular these days as mass-market retailers offer fewer options. There are loads of downloadables online such as the free printables here on Philofaxy or for sale on other sites like Etsy or people's blogs.

Do you use printable planner pages? Why or why not?

And as always on Fridays, feel free to discuss and/ or ask anything ring-binder related.

19 comments:

  1. I use the free D2P here from philofaxy since January, and it's wonderful. I modified it a little bit (you can't do that with bought pages, you know ;-) )to make it even easier for me... I usually forget to transfer the birthdays so I included that now automatically :)
    The cutting is no real problem for me; we have a cutting machine in the company - I think I wouldn't do the pages on my own if I'd to cut them with scissors - I'm bad with that, too

    So: thank you very much Steve and Ray for providing these useful and modifyable pages for us!

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  2. I have not used printable pages but they are convenient if you can print them without a hassle. I designed all my inserts on lined note paper this year. I cut the paper with a Fiskars trimmer and some of the pages are slightly wider than the other ones. I also trimmed and hole punched a sheet protector and then placed my year calendar in it so that it would not be so worn. I will probably use another sheet protector to hold some informational sheets so that I can save space in my pocket binder. The personal size sheets do not fit in a folder that is already in my binder. I have some old Filofax personal size expense sheets in portrait view that I will photocopy. Then I can have them for a long time since I do not believe they are available now. Next time I want to create a computer version of my inserts and then print them.

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    1. I want to keep personal size sheets in my Franklin pocket binder but I do not prefer to alter the pages to make them fit in the rings. I trimmed and punched a sheet protector and then put the pages in it. However the sheet protector is too wide for my binder. Then I decided to cut and hole punch a one side pocket folder from craft paper. I cut slits in the holes on just the pocket part which allows me to place the sheets in the pocket. I will keep the folder in the back of my binder.

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    2. I decided to not use my one sided pocket folder with slits on the pocket holes because it was not appealing. I did cut and hole punch a sheet protector that holds my personal size pages. This time the protector pocket is not too wide and I placed it in the rings in the back of my binder. I wanted to use a sheet protector instead of a card stock pocket folder because the material is very thin and ideal for small rings. Since last summer I stopped buying inserts and most stationery or craft items. One reason is that sometimes I throw many pieces in the recycling because of inaccurate trimming.

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  3. Yes! I love printable pages! I have a variety of printables, but my daily pages are from Ray Blake. I love that I can pick the weight of paper and how the pages fit into my binder.

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  4. I love that I can pick the papr that I love, but cutting, the fact that I am not technologically literate, along with not finding pages that I can use keeps me tethered to manufactures.

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  5. Since January, I've been happily using a vertical W2P layout printable by 'planner fun'. As the next couple of months already look to be busier, I dug out my Kate Spade inserts, Personal size, and added washi tape along the ring-side edge to extend the page to my FC Compact (4.25"x6.75) and also to give me a little more writing space. I only keep 3 months at a time, so these wider pages, Frixion pen and highlighter, still fit in my Saffiano) I've tried the DIYfish inserts, but while I love her system, I just haven't found the right balance of space for my needs. I've taken up the challenge made by 'Kent From Oz' and will use what I've got. At least for the next 3 months. Then I'll probably try another version of DIYfish. Til then, no checking Amazon or ebay for new, staying away from printables, and definitely no Pinterest. Oooh, this will be a long 3 months. But I can do this. I can do this.

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  6. Would like to add my THANKS to Steve and Ray for sharing their inserts with everyone!

    Have only dabbled in printing my own, as I've just been too busy to spend the necessary focused time to do it right. However, it's clear that you can get good results if you put in the effort.

    As noted, it's great to be able choose with designs/layouts work best for you as well as select the paper you like, including working well with fountain pens.

    @Carla P. Clever idea to 'widen' narrow pages to FC Compact size with tape....interesting, as I am now using FC Compact pages in my Personal Bridle binder....as like you, really appreciate the extra width, especially, as I'm coming to Personal just recently after being used to the spacious width of A5 pages....

    As for the DIY Fish system, seems interesting, but at same time, seems a bit overly complicated at same time, but maybe it's just a matter of using them for awhile and getting accustomed to the system...

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  7. I wish Filofax sold their inserts from the 70s and 80s as downloadable files. They had such a wide range of inserts available to track everything under the sun.

    For those of you with difficulty cutting pages, don't forget that local copy shops and office supply stores can cut pages for you at a very nominal fee.

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  8. I bought a cheap guillotine, it works fine to cut two A5 pages from an A4 printout.

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  9. I'm just using the undated sheets that came with my clipbook for now. But have invested in 3 months worth of DIYfish inserts (v2 I think) to see how that goes. I'm finding it hard to strike a balance between work/ home and may have to separate the two at some point as I use my clipbook as my notebook for meetings at work so done necessarily want my home to do lists on show (they don't need to know how big my pile of washing is or how often mop the floor). Still debating that one...

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  10. I would except I HATE punching holes. But I do love the customizability of printable

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  11. I would except I HATE punching holes. But I do love the customizability of printable

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  12. I must admit i have not tried printing pages yet, but i will d soon. Any advice for printing onto Personal sized paper?

    As for whole punching i use a single punch and use an old divider as a template.

    http://ou-psych.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Hi Kevin
      See this post here: http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/2013/06/printing-your-own-diary-inserts.html
      Steve

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  13. I have an unrelated question. I was able to purchase a used personal Durham zipped binder in black, and I just got it in the mail. I'm very impressed with it. The leather is buttery soft. The rings are bigger than my other personal Filofaxes (Finchley, Holborn), and it has almost as many pockets as the Holborn. Does anyone know anything about this model? When it was produced or the like?

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    1. Wasn't familiar with the Durham, but checked the FilofaxWiki site and found only one reference to this model, the unzipped version:

      http://filowiki.robert-mayr.com/index.php?title=Durham_0CLF_Personal

      So, while not your exact model, it may have some pertinent info....

      This is good reference site to check at first when you're looking for info on a specific model....it's also referenced on this website on the left hand side in the list of other websites....

      Hope this helps a bit...

      Mark

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  14. Thank you, Mark. I looked there, and that version has a few similarities. I then did a google search and had a little more luck--images that match the binder I have--but not a lot of info. I'm guessing (?) that it might be an early 90s model because one description identified the front pocket as a "diskette" pocket.

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  15. I haven't used printable inserts before, because I don't think I possess the technological and artistic know-how to transform the PDF/Word document/Excel spreadsheet into a Personal-sized page. If I were a bit more savvy in those areas, my printer would be exploding with planner pages!

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