For those of you that don’t know, I’ve been creating printable planners since 2012. As interest has grown, I’ve devoted more time, polished the designs, and introduced more colors. The goal of the modular planner line is to allow each person to customize their own planner by mixing colors, add ons, and planner types. I am always open to suggestions on more ways to make it customizable!
Creating these planners had become a part time job for my husband and I. We spend hours creating each one, adding the dates (no blank fill-ins here!), testing new colors or tracking options, and managing the store. For that reason, the planners are not free. However, I do offer early bird discounts and freebies to my Facebook fans and Email Subscribers!
VERSIONS: The Planners are available in a couple different types. There will be 2 more coming this spring, and the student versions will be available in April.
- Regular Monthly planner with month- only views
- Regular planner with month and week views
- MEAL PLANNING Planner with weekly meal planning views
- LESSON PLANNING Planner with weekly lesson planning views
COLORS: Each of these designs is offered in 4 colors. The grey option is not only pretty, but easier on ink when printing! The pretty orange was inspired by my sweet soon-to-be sister-in-law Ashley!
FEATURES: Inspired by the things I wish in-store planners or other printable planners had, this modular planner is my best and most robust yet!
- Available in full (letter) size and Junior (8.5 x 5.5in) size.
- Yearly view page, with 2015 and 2016 laid out for future planning.
- Contacts, Usernames/Passwords page.
- “Sneak peak” of upcoming month in the month view.
- Filled in dates. (No writing in the weeks!)
- Notes page at the end of every month, so you have a stopping point to put your Add Ons!
- Additional Notes page at the end of the year, as a space to record things you’ll want to copy into next years planner
- PDF format, set up to print front-to-back. Grey version to save on ink!
THE ADD ONS:
This planner is modular. That means that everyone can start with whichever of the base planners they like, and then add more to it. I’m even working on a way to allow custom covers for the planners!
[left]Notes PagesPrint as many as you want and turn your planner into a notebook![/left] [right][/right] [left]Blog Tracking pages
Fill in the blanks with your targeted Social Media or statistics. Track your weekly, or monthly progress. You choose![/left] [right][/right] [left]Activity/Extra curricular tracking
Print one for each child, each sport – whatever! Use these pages to keep track of coaches/contacts, season start and finish, special days, games etc.[/left] [right][/right] [left]Meal Plan & Shopping
The meal planning planner not for you? No problem! Print these pages and tear them out to take shopping, and hang on the fridge after![/left] [right][/right] [left]Dates To Remember
Track baby’s first steps, your fitness goals, or just birthdays and anniversaries.[/left] [right][/right] [left]Class Schedule
Great to use in the Student Planner, or any other planner! Track each semester’s class schedule so that you always know where you’re headed (or what you’re missing!).[/left] [right][/right]
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! Use the coupon code EARLYBIRDPLANNER to get $3 off your planner purchase!
[question] LOVE IT? hop on over to my Shop and get your very own!![/question]
ASSEMBLY:
Binders and Covers
Obviously you can just pop the planner into a regular 3 ring binder. I tend not to like binders because they are so stiff, and the rings get in my way while I write, and they don’t fold back on themselves like a regular notebook. So I searched for an alternative. I came up with two.
Flex Notebook $5:
Five Star has a new notebook line called “Flex.” It is basically a 3 ring binder, but with flexible rings and a cover that folds back on itself. They come in a variety of colors and only cost about $5-7 depending on the version. I think this is a great potential planner cover.
[left]
PROS
- Inexpensive
- Flexible
- Color variety
- No special punch needed
CONS
- None of the regular 3 ring binder folders fit. They stick out of the edges. (Although, I did just notice there is a Flex “Note Binder” for $16 on Amazon that might not have this problem.)
- Cover is a little flimsy.
- Might not hold enough paper. (Pictured holds 120 sheets- again, the Flex “Note Binder”).
[/left] [right][/right]
I think for most people, this option will be perfect. I even found that a good eraser and some elbow grease will erase the brand markings on the cover. Then you could leave it as is, or decorate!!
Staples Arc System/Martha Stewart $30- $70:
Staples has a line of “discbound” notebooks called the Arc system. In recent years Martha Stewart has come out with some office products, including a rebranded, Martha Blue leather discbound notebook for $29. Between the color, the business card pockets and the pen sleeve, I knew this planner cover was perfect for me. I armed myself with a coupon and bit the bullet.
The main drawback (and its a big one) for this notebook is also what makes it so flexible. The cover doesn’t use any sort of ring binding. It uses aspecial, solid disc that the specially punched paper sort of grabs on to. Key word: specially punched. I went ahead an invested in the $40 punch since I’ve been book binding for years, and I’ve used my custom planner for 2 years already. You might not be willing to jump in at that cost. (I’ve recently read that this punch on Amazon also works with the Martha/Staples Arc system. If anyone tries it, let me know)
[left]
PROS
- Professional, business card pockets and pen holder
- Flexible, folds back easily.
- Plenty of accessories to add (I got 3 pocket folders and a clip in ruler.)
- Easily add/remove pages without opening a ring.
- Can purchase larger discs for more paper.
- Can punch and include smaller scraps of paper in with larger pages, since it doesn’t have to be large enough to reach 3 rings like a binder.
CONS
- Expensive to start
- Must use special punch
- Limited color selection in covers
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All in all, I think there are a bunch of great options for binding the planner, and I hope you find the perfect one for you!
Accessories
Accessories : A personal planner is always made better with accessories! Here is what I use:
- I LOVED my Avery stick on printable tabs from last year (#16281). So, I did the same thing again.
- Like I mentioned above I bought some clear paper folders to go inside my planner. These have been ESSENTIAL in keeping me from losing stuff that I normally just “tuck” in.
- I used those folders to hold some post it flags in pretty colors. I just take the backs off the pad and stick them to the folder. (Martha and Staples had a bunch of shmancy post-its and page markers etc but when I buy expensive stuff like that, I’m too cheap to use them. Its plain Jane Post-it Flags for me!)
- I tend to write with my Pilot G-2 pens. I get them in all sorts of colors and change by the day =D
Be sure to use accessories to further customize your planner and make it exactly what YOU want it to be!
Printing
PRINTING:
Printing the planners should be easy. For the regular, letter sized version, simply open in up in a PDF reader, select “Print Two-Sided” or “Duplex” (each printer is different). Then follow your printer’s instructions on feeding the paper. Done!
- TIP: If the words are coming out faint, you might need to set your printer’s quality setting to “high” or “fine” or “best”.
The Junior (half size, 8.5in x 5.5in) planners might be a little trickier. I held off on offering this planners for quite some time while I figured out how everyone would be able to print them at home. Printing two to a side when there are two pages to a sheet gets really tricky.
Then it hit me. Don’t print two to a sheet. Cut the sheets first. I tested this method on inkjet and laser printers, and everything worked with no headaches! Here are the steps:
PRINT THE JUNIOR PLANNER
- Cut your paper to 8.5 x 5.5 sheets. Staples or OfficeDepot will do this for a nominal fee. ($4 or so per 100 sheets). I did mine on my rotary cutter.
- Load your paper into your printer’s tray, being sure to use the side you would normally use for envelopes. If your printer has paper guides, be sure to set them to 8.5 x 5.5.
- Open the planner file and click print. This should bring up some settings. Every printer is different, so it is difficult for me to tell you exactly what to click. But usually there is a “page setup” or “advanced” or “Printer options” tab. In that tab, you’ll usually find the paper size. Change it to 8.5 x 5.5. Here is what mine looks like. I had to click Setup > Preferences > Print Preferences to get here.
- Navigate your menus to find the double sided print option. Make sure that is on too. For most ink jet printers, they will print the back side of all the pages first, then have you put the paper back in (per your printer’s instructions) to print the other side.
- That’s it! If you aren’t printing at home, taking the cut paper to a place like OfficeMax or Staples should work the same way.
What are you waiting for?! Use the coupon code EARLYBIRDPLANNER to get $3 off your planner purchase!
[question] CLICK HERE TO GET THE PLANNER [/question]
Kayla Domeyer
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I am so thrilled to finally find a Junior size planner. I homeschool, but it’s such a part of our ebb and flow of life that I’ve wanted a planner that can handle school plans and life plans in one planner-and that planner must be able to fit in my purse!
While I am creating my own school lesson pages to include (needed more detail for my 4 kids than your lesson plan pages gave), I’m thrilled with the meal planning format and that I can put it all together in the way that makes sense to me!
At any rate, how do you think it would work to coil-bind it at Office Max? That’s what I intended to do until I read your info on the Arc system. I do like that I would be able to add/delete/change it up if need be, which wouldn’t happen easily with coil binding.
One question about the Arc system…can it fold all the way back on itself like a spiral bound notebook can?
Off to Amazon to see if I can figure out sizes/how many pages can fit. Thank you SO MUCH!!!
YES! They totally fold back on themselves with NO OFFSET the way that spirals have. I love it to pieces!
I really like your planner, but I need a January to December format. Any chance you can add one or an undated planner to provide a bit more flexibility?
Debra,
Do you mean for 2015? The Dec-Dec planners are already up for 2015. As for the 2016 planner, that will come out around October. Hope that helps!
I just barely found this blog now – any chance of getting a discount seeing as the year is already half over? Also have you considered doing a 2 year planner?
Hey Christina! The new June- June line of planners is out, but I’ve not done a 2 year planner. Maybe next year!
I’ve purchase 2 Etsy planners before purchasing yours. I loved the bright colors of the other planners but learned quickly that I NEED lines for my calendar. I’m so used to the BlueSky calendars that the lines are a MUST for me. Thanks for creating one that has lines! I’m looking forward to putting my disc-bound planner together again tonight!!!
I love the disc bound options. There are 2 places in Staples to look for the disc bound supplies–the Martha Stewart section & with the notebooks. I have 2 notebooks that came with clear covers & several options to customize the notebook under the clear plastic.
I just bought your junior planner and am trying to print it. I have set the margins to 0 and set page scaling to none but am still getting margins. Any suggestions on fixing it.
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Hey Heather!
Do you happen to be using a borderless printer? Most home printers can’t print the outside .25 inches of a piece of paper. There are some (mostly photo types) that can. Don’t worry though, there is no important information in that area, so you shouldn’t be seeing anything cut off by your printer’s margin.
That would explain why I keep getting a white border around the main document. So I should probably take it to like Office Depot and have it printed???
Heather recently posted..This our wedding day….
Heather,
I’m not sure what capabilities those types of stores have. They might be able to print borderless. One option is to have them print the pages centered on a larger sheet and then cut right to the edge. That could get tricky though with how the file is laid out. So I would send them the file and give them time to test/figure it out before you walk in. Unfortunately, every printer and facility is different so I can’t say for sure. :/
I am totally in love with it!! ♥
What is the name of the beautiful font you used for the headlines of the planner?
I believe you are talking about the Sophia font used for all the titles.
Levenger is the high-end disc-bound notebook company. They are high-end in general but all their Circa stuff works with the Arc and Martha Stewart systems. I LOVE disc-bound systems!
Me too!
When can we expect the full page 2015 planner?
Hey Patricia,
Have another look, both the Junior and the Full Size versions are already out! Enjoy!
These are really nice and so handy to have. I like to have a planner available as life get so busy at times. Stopping over from “Share Your Creativity”. Have a great week!
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Hi there! Very cute designs! I love them. I also create planner type pages but haven’t yet developed my blog or. . . Well, let’s just say I have a to-do list before I can post them. Lol. But I wanted to comment about the punch. . I decided to also buy the Martha Stewart discbound notebook. . I like the ease of changing things out.
But I am also a bargain searching maniac! (will be part of my blog) and I only was able to find a travel size, with the option to punch from smallest to 11″ page sizes.
Plus free shipping! I also ordered some larger discs. I like Martha’s but they just aren’t large enough. . (*sad face*)
So, to end the suspense lol.. . I bought mine from Amazon, free shipping (I’m a prime member! For $75 a year.. It pays for itself after one Christmas!!) for $19.00. Works great!
Thank you!
Awesome – I’m excited to start planning for 2015!