Today, I’m showing you how to make a lined paper template in size 12 ” x 18″ for bookbinding. If you’re thinking this size is odd, let me explain… It’s all about efficiency and economics!

Efficiency & Economics

My journals are slightly larger than a standard A5, coming in at 8.5 x 5.75.” This means I need to find a sheet of paper at least 11″ wide by 16-1/2″ tall. A 12×18 sheet of long grain 80lb text weight paper allows me to get two full sections with very little waste. It also helps that 12×18 sheets are a common size & readily available.

This is my template. I print on both sides, then fold the entire sheet in half vertically (along the grain) and make two cuts (each at 8.25″ high, the height of the signatures I need) and a final cut on the foredge at 5.625″ wide.

how to book binding lined paper

Instructions

I used Adobe InDesign to create the template because InDesign is used to organize text and other content for catalogs, books, portfolios and more. It’s very straight-forward and intended for this type of work.

12×18 Page layout

Page height: 18.0”
Page width: 12.0”

12×18 Page settings (for two 8.25″ x 5.625″ signatures)

  • Margin-top: 0”
  • Margin-bottom: 1.5”
  • Margin-inside: 0.688”
  • Margin-outside: 0.688”
  • Columns: 2 (each column is a page)
  • Gutter: 0.5”
lined paper bookbinding layout template
The paper is divided into four “pages” – the top two are one section and the bottom two are the second section.

12×18 Table settings

  • Table Setup:
    • Border: 0pt (I’m removing any border around the entire table)
    • Space before/after: 0
  • Row Strokes:
    • First Rows: 0 (the header is technically the first “row”, so I skip the program’s idea of a first row with a zero)
    • Next: 27 rows / 0.25pt
    • Skip: 0
bookbinding paper lines template table setup on indesign
Creating a table style lets you apply specific colors to your lines, regardless of the size. These styles can be reused over and over.

Creating the lined pages

After creating the table style, it’s time to create the table itself. To do this, you’ll go to Table > Create table and enter the number of columns, rows, headers and footers necessary.

Each table just needs one column, one header and 27 rows. No footer.

Once the table is “drawn”, you’ll start to see the page coming together.

creating lined paper template drawing the table in adobe indesign
Drawing the first table in the top left
bookbinding paper lines template table setup
After drawing the rectangle, release the mouse pointer and the table will fill in with lines

Creating the page title

Next, I set the height of the header row to be 1/2.” This gave the top of the page enough room for a date, entry title or anything else I might want to write before journaling. Since it’s a “header” row, the line is darker by default.

The main body of lines were set to a height equal to 0.27″ each. It took some trial and error to figure this out, because I wanted enough room to write in cursive, print or another language. A little more than 1/4″ was perfect.

Finally, I gave the last row of the table the same 1/2″ line height to add balance.

Rinse and repeat

Once the first table is created, it’s as simple as copy/paste! I copied the table four times – top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right.

copy and paste tables once the first is created properly
Just finished copying and pasting the first table into the second position (top right)

Printing

I have a Canon Pixma Pro-100 at home, which is capable of printing paper 12 inches wide. If you don’t have a printer that can do this, export your template as a PDF, load it on a thumb drive and take it to any big box office supply store (Office Max, Office Depot, Staples, etc.). Make sure you bring your paper and ask them to print it for you on one of their wide-format printers. The cost is usually a few cents per sheet, which is less than the cost to buy ink for my printer! ?

If you’d like to see this entire process visually (and a little bit of my face), watch the YouTube tutorial I created:

how to make create lined paper bookbinding

Resources

My Preferred Paper & Printer

I print my lined paper on a Canon Pixma Pro-100 Inkjet printer using my favorite PC 100 Environment 12×18 long grain paper by Neenah (80lb text). This paper is 100% recycled, environmentally-friendly and compatible with nearly all printers.

Don’t feel like making a template?

In How to Find Lined Paper for Bookbinding, I explained where to find pre-printed lined paper. While there are no big box producers, there are several smaller sellers on Etsy who can print this paper on demand. The sizes are limited, but this is a great option if you’re just getting started and don’t feel like making a template of your own.

You can also grab my 12×18 template (below) in PDF format!

More sizes

More about paper

12×18 Lined Paper Template (PDF)

If you’d rather not create your own, you can enjoy mine! The template I personally use is available below, plus you’ll be able to join my newsletter for more great templates in the future. Enjoy!

Find me on Instagram if you have any other lined paper questions!

ALL my best,

Misty