How to Make Composition Notebook Covers?

School’s out for the summer, but before you know it, it’ll be time to send the kids back to school. The back-to-school season can be stressful and put a financial strain, especially for families with multiple kids under one roof who are looking for the most affordable options for school supplies for the upcoming school year. 

Usually, name-brand items, such as Disney-branded notebooks or backpacks, are not only expensive but also sought after by kids. I know I was the same way growing up. I never got them, but I did find a way to design my notebooks without buying them, which cost around $4, compared to the regular colored composition notebooks, which are affordable at less than a dollar. 

So how can you do the same for yourself or for kids so that you all can get the best of both worlds? To get the best of both worlds, you can buy affordable, plain school supplies and turn them into custom, name-brand-inspired pieces through budget-friendly DIY projects. This lets kids express their creativity while you save money on expensive, licensed merchandise.

Ways To Cover Your Composition Notebook

The start of the new school year means a number of things: new clothes, new notebooks, new shoes, new everything. For me, that was the best part of growing up. It was a fresh start for my younger brother and me, except I never got the name brand because my parents were looking for deals, and even if I begged, the answer was no. 

Growing up, I decorated my notebooks in two ways. I used Duck Brand Duck Tape and Adhesive Laminate. It was a great, easy way for my parents to get a colorful notebook without the high cost and to differentiate between classes. I used to buy them in bulk at Michael’s before the Michael’s near where I lived closed down. 

Number 1: Duck Tape 

Duck Tape comes in a variety of cute printed designs, including but not limited to Cotton Candy, Mac n Cheese, and Mustaches. This Duck Brand tape adds color and design to enhance any of your next DIY projects. I added them to my notebooks to add the designs and color, and I wanted them when I could not convince my parents to get the stylish notebooks while back-to-school shopping. Besides, I have been a craft girlie for years anyway, so I loved the challenge. It was definitely fun, and I made one of my high school friends because of it, too. Granted, she thought I was mean because I had a resting face (I did think and talk to myself A LOT, so maybe at that time I was thinking about something that agitated me).

Either way, it was a fun way to decorate them and easily differentiate my notebooks for each class, since I eventually associated each design with its respective class. Plus, this tape was remarkably strong, so you had to apply it carefully, but once it was on, you never had to worry about it coming off on its own. 

The only disadvantage was that when using the tape on the notebooks, no matter how hard I tried, I could never get a fully seamless look. You could clearly see it was tape, but beautifully designed tape. 

Some Duck Brand Duck Tape Recommendations are linked below. I have several that I can no longer find, such as the mustache, movie popcorn, and cotton candy. If you do find more, do share in the comments below. 

• Tie Dye & Whimsical Unicorns: https://amzn.to/3SKwXEI
• Starry Galaxy: https://amzn.to/4atdrCQ
• Love Tie Dye, Zebra & Rainbow: https://amzn.to/4atdrCQ 

Number 2: Adhesive Laminate

In addition to the Duck Brand Tape, the brand provided adhesive laminate that did not come in as vibrant and varied designs as the rolls of Duck Tape, but it provided a more seamless look and feel. 

Granted, it is labeled as a shelf liner, but it can be used for notebooks if you choose. On their official website and other listings, mentioning “It's great for permanent applications and can even act as a second layer of protection when applied to shelves, tables, and other surfaces.” 

At the time I bought them, there were slightly more options, but definitely not today, with it mostly being clear laminate and more tile-appropriate laminate for shelves. 

Number 3: Vinyl Sticker Paper

Lastly, we have vinyl sticker paper so you can design and make your own notebook adhesives. I wish I'd known then, but I would have annoyed my dad with how much I would have been printing, haha, especially since it would have been his ink I would have been using. 

This is a great opportunity to be creative on Canva, Illustrator, Photoshop, Procreate, or even Kittl, wherever you can create or use beautiful designs. You can get beautiful, seamless patterns on Canva or create your own. I have used Procreate to draw patterns and used Canva’s elements to make them as well. 

Here are some recommendations for vinyl sticker paper options compatible with dye-ink inkjet printers.

• Koala Printable Vinyl Sticker Paper for Inkjet Printers (20/100 Sheets): https://amzn.to/4ateaUA
• Koala Printable Glossy Sticker Paper for Inkjet Printer (50/120 Sheets): https://amzn.to/4v6dGej

Ultimately, whichever way you choose, it is up to your discretion. Whether it is for your personal projects or a cute way to enhance your kids' notebooks for the back-to-school season without breaking the bank.

It is truly the best of both worlds. 

What Now?

Ready to get started? If you choose to make, buy, or own, you can use the affiliate links provided in this blog post for some of the materials I have used and personally loved, as well as the recommendations I have received. 

However, you can purchase our composition notebook sticker or a made-to-order composition notebook with a sticker cover from our back-to-school collection.