You know, I’m beginning to think there’s no such thing as ‘planner peace’. At least, not a permanent one. Because our lives progress and things change, so our planners/bullet journals must adjust…
Ever since I made the switch to discbound, I’ve been asked where I got the different supplies from, and whether you can buy pre-made discbound BuJos.
In this post, I’ll be showing you the supplies and the steps I took to make my notebook almost completely from scratch, but I’ll be doing a post about pre-made discbound notebooks in the near future.
WHY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER A DISCBOUND BULLET JOURNAL?
After a long time of journaling in regular notebooks (Leuchtturm and then Nuuna), I started missing the flexibility of my old Filofax Bullet Journal so much.
I was constantly putting off creating spreads or collections because I didn’t know where to put them. I didn’t like having random collections throughout my monthly & weeklies, because that just got me confused, flipping back and forth through pages like crazy.
I’ve tried different methods (indexing, starting collections from the back of the notebook, etc.), but none of them felt right to me.
My old Filofax BuJo had offered me the flexibility that I needed, but, being me, I wanted to try something new (mainly because Filofaxes are quite pricey and I had no use for the papers/inserts that come with it, just the actual binder).
Sooo, after stalking Nicole’s journal like a planner-lunatic-who’s-a-sucker-for-pretty-things, I had to try it out and make one of my own. I mean, her Bullet Journal is out of this world (it’s the absolute definition of creative), and even though I don’t have a fraction of her drawing skills, I thought the whole system would work great for me as well. I CAN draw pretty straight lines without a ruler though, so I got that going for me…
PROS
- Customizable and interchangeable covers
- Flexibility – taking pages in/out very easily
- Rearrangement of the pages
- You can use any type of paper you prefer
- You can add pockets in the back to hold loose paper
- You can punch in journaling cards
- Folds over on itself
- Easy archiving using Expander rings
CONS
- Not as sturdy, depending on cover material
- More bulky, depending on disc size
- Less carry-on friendly
- Discs might get in the way of writing comfortably (keep reading for a tip that might help)
SUPPLIES
Okay, so let’s dive in so I can show you how to make one of your own notebook. Here’s what you’ll need:
1. DISCS
These are the discs that I have experimented with so far:
- Dokibook Disc Agenda Discs – Gold(1.3 in | 33 mm)
- Happy Planner Medium Discs – Gold (1.2 in | 32 mm)
- Happy Planner Medium Discs – Teal (1.2 in | 32 mm)
- Happy Planner Mini Discs – Gold (0.75 in | 19 mm)
- Happy Planner Mini Discs – Black (0.75 in | 19 mm)
- Atoma Discs – taken from the A5 notebook (0.8 in | 21 mm)
- Durable Duralook Discs – taken from folder, only available in EU (0.6 in | 16mm)
From the above-listed discs, all of them are made of plastic except for the Dokibook ones, which are metal.
Other options:
- Levenger Circa Discs (1 in | 25mm)
- Staples Arc Notebook Discs (1 in | 25 mm)
- Martha Stewart Discs (1.25 in | 32mm)
All disc brands have the same shape (with negligible differences), so you don’t have to worry in case you want to switch them out – that’s the beauty of it!
They also come in a bunch of size & color options, so YAY for customization!
How many discs do you need?
- A4 notebook: 12 discs
- Happy Planner Medium Size: 9 discs
- A5 notebook: 8 discs
- Junior-size notebook: 8 discs
- Happy Planner Mini Size Notebook: 7 discs
What size discs should you get?
When choosing the size of the discs, the most important questions to ask are how many pages do you want your notebook to have, and what paper thickness are you using?
You should also consider the number/thickness of the dividers (if you’re gonna use any), and the thickness of the covers.
My notebook has 1.3in discs and I was able to fit 100 pages + 6 thick dividers + 2 laminated covers (and it still has a bit more room to add additional paper).
In general, you should keep adding pages until your notebook feels solid enough. You know you’ve added too many when it’s difficult to turn the pages. 🙂
2. PAPER PUNCHER
If you’re gonna do this, you need a special paper puncher. I mean, there’s a workaround it where you could use a regular hole puncher and scissors, but that would take you ages.
Here are your options:
My Happy Planner Puncher can punch through 2-3 pages (32lb/120gsm) at a time.
These paper punchers have more ‘punches’ than I needed (I only use 7 discs), so I unscrewed the last 2 of them and took them out. This way I made sure that it doesn’t punch more than I need.
3. PAPER
The paper you decide to use is completely up to you. You can print & cut it yourself at home, you can use paper from different planners, you can use ruled, lined, dotted, plain paper. Bottom line: you’re the boss of your own paper. 🙂
I personally print the dot grid pattern at home and cut it to size. You can get the dot grid pattern that I use here. If you download the files you’ll notice that I don’t print 2 pages on one side because my printer automatically sets bigger margins than I like, and it would cut off some of the dot grid. This method wastes more paper, but… it works.
What paper thickness should you get?
The “32lb / 120gsm” stands for the thickness of the paper. Obviously, the higher this number, the thicker the paper.
The most common paper thickness is 20lb / 80gsm, but I personally prefer using 32lb / 120gsm as it doesn’t have any ghosting or bleed-throughs. You can find the one I use here.
4. COVERS
Here’s where the fun begins because you can let your imagination go wild! There are so many options you can use for covers, especially if you make them yourself!
If you have a laminator you can buy cardstock paper that you can get pretty much anywhere and make a cover out of it.
First, cut the cardstock paper to size (I recommend you making them a little bit larger than the size of the paper). Next, run it through the laminator and cut the excess laminate off (don’t cut too close to the edge, otherwise you might open the laminate). Lastly, punch the covers and insert them onto the discs (keep reading to see how).
Laminating the covers is optional, but it greatly increases its durability.
The covers that I used are from Happy Planner (they are sold in packs, you can find similar ones here), and I just trimmed them to fit my size and punched them again (keep reading to see how). Note that the Happy Planner size is larger than A5/Junior, hence the cutting.
How to punch the covers
I’m not sure about the Levenger Puncher, but the Happy Planner one does NOT handle the laminated covers too well. I should know – I tried, and the cover got stuck in there. Not fun.
So here’s a neat trick for you:
In order to punch the covers, mark where your punches have to be and use a one-hole puncher.
5. DIVIDERS / DASHBOARDS
As with the covers, the options for the dividers are as limitless as your imagination. I made mine from thick cardstock paper, and these come is SO many pretty designs that it’s gonna be hard to resist switching them out every week.
You could also laminate these dividers, but I prefer the cleaner look of having them the same size as the paper.
These dividers can serve as dashboards as well, meaning you could add sticky notes or stickers to it, for quick access.
At the top of the dividers, I attached some tabs that I designed and made myself (I’ll have those printables uploaded on my Etsy shop really soon). You could also make them really easily by hand, or printed on your computer.
Of course, you can always save yourself the hassle and buy pre-made dividers.
I divided my Bullet Journal into 6 categories (but I’m sure these will change with time): Journal, Blog, Plan, Collections, Doodles, Ideas.
6. OPTIONAL SUPPLIES
If you have the discs, paper and covers you’re pretty much set, but here are some additional supplies you might need.
- Laminator (if you want to laminate your covers/dividers to improve their durability)
- Paper cutter (to make your life easier when cutting the pages to size)
- Corner rounder (if you want your pages & covers to have nice, smooth and non-pocky corners)
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
The total cost of the notebook will heavily depend on which of these supplies you’ll be using. However, just as reference, I’ll show you how much making my own notebook cost.
- Paper (500 sheets): $13
- Discs: $10
- Covers: $6
- Paper puncher: $19 (on sale now)
- Cardstock paper for dividers: $10
TOTAL: $58
Keep in mind that these supplies (apart from the discs) are enough to make 4-5 notebooks.
So, is it worth spending this amount of money? You decide.
For me, it was worth it because I can use the 500 sheets of paper, the paper puncher and the cardstock for many other projects. On top of this, I have the flexibility of making my own inserts whenever I want without having to buy them pre-punched, paying for shipping, waiting for them to arrive, etc. I can also make a bunch of my own covers, dividers, etc.
Optional supplies (had already purchased them):
- Laminator: $20
- Paper cutter: $10
- Corner rounder: $5
These supplies are reusable for many different projects, so I’m not adding them to the total cost of the notebook.
HOW TO PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER
- Prep the paper (e.g. print, cut to size, round the corners, etc.)
- Make the covers (e.g. laminate, cut to size, round the corners, etc.)
- Get your discs and insert the back and front covers onto them. This will ensure that they stay put while you’re inserting the paper. Then, open up the covers and lay it flat on the table.
- Insert the paper between the covers, about 5-10 sheets at a time. Align the paper on top of the discs and start pushing down in between the discs – they should pop right in. If you’re having trouble, it probably means you’re trying to fit too many pages at a time, so adjust accordingly.
- Insert the dividers (if you have any)
- Enjoy your new notebook!
And that’s pretty much it, guys! 😀
If you have any questions or if I didn’t manage to explain something properly, please feel free to write to me, I’m always happy to help!
Also, if you end up making one, please tag me on Instagram (@my.life.in.a.bullet) or send me a picture! I’d love to see how it turns out.
Do you archive your journals and if so how? In the rings or loose? Thanks for the great blog!
What type of paper do you use? The destination of the link in that section is a rather suspicious-looking page, so I’m not sure it’s valid anymore.
I thought the same thing–it’s supposed to be a “.com”; there’s a typo that makes it “.co” It’s HP Premium 32
Thanks for this write up, looking at a disc bound notebook for much the same reasons you stated – looking forward to eliminating some of the remaining annoying points from my existing note-taking 🙂
Hi this post was uploaded a long time ago but I hope you can still help me – I’m planning on using the disc system but I’m designing my own planner in word. I want to buy the happy planner hole puncher, but it takes super long to arrive if you live on the other side of the planet. Do you know what the margins are for the holes? So how much room do I need to keep empty when designing in word? Thank you so much!
I am interested in this too. I’m laminating something I’m going to punch (with a punch I have yet to buy) and I don’t know how big a margin of laminated material I need to leave so that the holes are entirely within the laminated area.
I highly recommend you to buy the Levenger puncher instead. I got the cheapest one, the travel puncher. It’s the one with the biggest holes which makes turning the pages easier and more comfortable. The one I got is not strong enough to punch covers, even if the plastic is thin (it only punches if it’s REALLY thin), but punches 67lb (148 grm) just fine, one sheet at a time. To be honest, the only product worth it to buy from Levenger are their punchers,
About the space the holes from the Happy Planner puncher consume, it’s about 1.1cm. So I would recommend you to leave the margin a bit bigger than that. Other punchers take less margin. The Levenger, for example, takes about 0.9cm and so is the Staples puncher (this I know because I have their dividers).
I hope this helps somehow.
This is extremely helpful info, Carla! I have some Staples notebooks from when the system was called Rolla instead of Arc (pages are a few mm smaller but the holes still line up) and really like them, but the paper styles were limited. I’ve been using a DIY bujo system with B6 size notebooks in a Midori style elastic binding for the past few years, but was looking for a bit more flexibility, so started poking around to see if anyone had made a discbound bujo, and found y’all 🙂
You didn’t mention Tul disc notebook from Office Depot. (I didn’t get to read every comment completely so if someone already said this, sorry in advance.) They’ve got a pretty good selection of styles & accessories. You can get a full size or their Junior, 5 x 8. The cover range from leather hardbound or a thick plastic cover. I just bought a rose gold leather one. I have a full size & a couple Junior, leather & plastic. It comes with about 50 – 100 lined sheets. They have dividers, pen pouches, rulers, post it inserts, & folders with pockets. And the paper has grid, to do & a 2 different style note taking ones. You should check it out. They’re not bad priced, $20. I got one of mine on clearance for $4.00.
Forgot about their punch. I can punch about 4 -32lb papers.
Have you ever tried to punch thin plastic like Dollarama’s placemats with this puncher?
Hey,
Thanks for the tutorial! Do any of the dot grid templates fit directly into the Medium size Happy Planner?
Thanks Cristina for an amazing and brilliant idea <3. One thing I'm having a problem with is printing your dot grid papers on both sides of the paper! My cutting line does not match on the other side.
Can you explain how you do it?
Oh, thank you for reminding me to update the printables! You can check the link again, I’ve provided the A5 and Junior sizes to be printed on A4 or Letter paper. That must’ve been why yours didn’t match up on both sides. So if you use Letter paper, make sure you download the printables meant for that size. The printables are centered so they should align on both sides now!
Let me know if it all works out, otherwise I’d love to help!!
Hi, I’m trying to print with a junior size print on an A piece of paper (I have selected the correct template) and my dots and cutting lines aren’t matching up. Is there anything I can do? Thanks so much!
I think I got it working, they don’t match up exactly but they are ultimately the same now. Thank you!!
I have a quick question which I am hoping I can use my current A5 ring binder until my budget improves. I originally bought a Happy Planner x 2 and returned both because it was too restrictive in my mind. Then I purchased an A5 ring binder and have been using it for the past 2 months. Still restictive but have been hanging with it. Still not in happy planner paradise. BUJO will bringing me into hopefully, at last, settled into Happy BUJO Planner Paradise.
One of the reasons I like the ring binder and also the disc binder because of the ability to pull out your sheets and not be bumping against the rings/discs when you are planning/writing/stamping. So, with that said, until my budget gets better (I am retired), I assume your system is translated to an A5 Color Crush.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I am so inspired by your creativity.
Hi! You’re right about the disc system, that’s also the reason why I like it so much. I’m not 100% sure I understand what your question is exactly. I’m assuming it’s whether you can use the same system in an A5 Color Crush planner? If so, the answer is absolutely yes. However, I do find that ring binders are uncomfortable when writing, because you can’t fold the covers over themselves, which is possible with the discbound. Whatever fits your budget and whatever works for you – do that!
If I didn’t get your question right, feel free to write again, I’m always happy if I can help.
Hi !
Just a comment about the holes + puncher. I tried the one from MAMBI (Happy Planner) and thought it didn’t work too well and I bought the ARC from Staples. It works better and you can punch holes through laminated pages for your cover, so I think it is a better option. Plus, it cost about the same (it costs less than the pink MAMBI punch which has 11 holes too instead of 9 like the blue one.)
I can’t really see what I am writing, so I’m sorry if I made spelling errors….
I really hate that about the Happy Planner Puncher as well – the fact that if won’t punch more than 3 pages, let alone laminated covers. And I’ve had to learn that the hard way… But I can’t get a hold of any other puncher where I live, so I’ll have to make do with it. 😀
Christina, my local Staples caries the ARC hole punch. Good luck.
Thank you so much for this. I have been searching for ages for a discbound bullet journal and the only way I could get what I want is if I made it myself. I was so confused and worried about making it myself but your steps were really clear and helpful. Hopefully I’ll make it in a few weeks. Wish me luck!!
I LOVE THIS! I’m currently using a binder that I purchased on AliExpress, I was lucky to find one that can holds more than 100 sheets of paper because I like having space. I want to thank you for sharing the dot grid printable but I would like to know if you have a specific setup when you print your sheets, I know printers are different but by getting an overview of your setup yours might help me to print mines, I know you mentioned to follow the guidelines to cut but just wanted to double check on the printer side =)
Thank you!
Hey Marlene,
I simply make sure to set the settings to print at ‘Actual size’ and I set how many pages I wanna print, then just flip them over and print again so that they’re double-sided. After, I just trim each page on the guides and punch them to fit in my notebook. And that’s it! 😀 Oh, and you might wanna also check my Freebies Page, I uploaded them there as well.
I specifically didn’t make the printables 2 pages per side because all the printers are different and they could’ve cut off some of the margins. It’s kinda hard to explain, but anyways, the printables (as they are now) do waste a bit more paper but at least there won’t be problems with any printers 😀
Hope that helps! xx
Thanks for this post! One of the things I like about the disc bound systems is you can remove and add paper and stick with the same notebook. How do you handle storage of pages you remove? Do you keep them in folders?
Hey Denise! I love this system for the same reason, plus I get to make as many mistakes as I want without worrying about tearing out pages 😀 I actually made 2 notebooks, so one I use as my Bullet Journal and the other one I use for keeping refills and also as an archive for my old spreads.
I prefer storing them into a discbound notebook because then I can still flip through them, etc. Whereas in a folder/box they probably wouldn’t be as accessible.
If you have a bunch of papers to archive, you can get the ‘expander discs’ from Happy Planner which are 1.75″, and you could also make some dividers to help you archive them. So there are plenty of storage options, depending on what you need.
Thanks so much for stopping by! <3
Thank you so much for your post! I now have what I need to make my own! I was just wondering, in the section 4 about how to make covers you said you had to cut your happy planner cover to size. Your planner has 7 rings, same as the happy planner mini; is there a difference in size between the two or did you purchase a cover meant for the full size happy planner?
Hey Ashley, thanks so much for stopping by!
My planner is actually a custom size because I really wanted something smaller than A5 (because together with the discs and covers it was a little too bulky for me), but the Happy Planner mini was a little too small (their paper size is 4.6 x 7 in). So mine is somewhere in between (my paper size is 5 x 7.5in).
I already had a set of the regular-size HP covers and they’re so sturdy and pretty that I wanted to use them. I inevitably cut away some of the design, but it’s not a problem with this one.
The good thing is that you can make your planner whatever size you want. However, if you make it a standard size (A5, Junior, HP, etc), then you can buy pre-made accessories for it (covers, inserts, pockets, dividers, etc).
Hope that makes sense 😀
Hugs,
Cristina
Thanks for posting this Cristina! your Bullet journal is always always amazing! I am using a bullet journal using my own paper inserts and levenger disc. Sometimes it does fall apart, so i have made a stack of cover to replace that. And I have an LV desk agenda to sort of protect it, and also act as a place to keep my sticky notes and business card. It is working well for the past 4 months! thanks again for taking time to do the step-by-step 😉 much love to you!
This is beautiful! But I have a question, you said that you don’t like your collections in the middle of your dailies and weeklies, so how do you organize it so that it’s not? Do you have tab dividers? What about the collections and weeklies that are a full spread, do you use the other side of the page on those, or not because it would put it in the middle. I love the concept, just trying to understand how you keep it all organized and your dailies and weeklies separate form your collections? THANKS!
Hi Sydnee!
Since my planner is still kinda new, I don’t have a ton to update you on, but I can tell you what my plan is and how I initially set it up.
So yes, I did make some dividers out of pretty cardstock cut to size and punched. As of yet, I have 4 categories:
1. Planning: here I have my monthlies, dailies, to dos, tasks… anything that has to do with organization and planning. When I am done with a spread, I turn the page over and continue from there. I don’t skip pages or anything like that, because this section is chronological so it makes sense to me to just treat it like a regular notebook. However, it’s nice that when I’m doing a new monthly for example, I can take out the previous monthly to just take a look at what needs to be moved over and so on, and then I put it back.
2. Work/studies/projects related stuff: I added this category just to track my work hours, project trackers, and anything related. I wanted to keep these separate because I reference to them a lot.
3. Collections: here I (plan to) have random collections, such as movie to watch, books, subscriptions, packing lists, wishlists, etc. I’m not too picky about organizing these or over-categorizing them either, so I just write back-to-back as well. We’ll see how that works out.
4. At the very back of the notebook I have a section where I added just regular printer paper (so that I don’t waste the good quality stuff) where I doodle, make brain dumps, practice calligraphy… it’s a complete mess, but I need it. So whenever something comes to mind or I just wanna note something quickly, I do it there and review/filter it later when I have the time.
Long story short, I don’t skip pages inside the categories and just write back-to-back. It doesn’t make sense to me to over-categorize. I’ve made that mistake before and it just got me too confused.
If you’re trying to figure out what categories to add, just think about the major aspects of your life. I feel like a planning and collections categories are most common, but you can add anything else that you think should have a space of its own, or things that you would reference frequently.
Hope that cleared it up just a little, but you’ve just given me the idea to write a blog post about my setup once I fill it up a bit more!
Let me know if you have any more questions, or something specific that you’d like me to write about.
Hugs,
Cristina
I LOVE IT! The way you explained this makes perfect sense to me! Thank you so much! Genius, pure genius! 🙂
Oh, yay! I’m glad it made sense! 😀 <3
Thank you! I have my disc bound ready to go. You gave me the push I needed.
How cool! 😀 Did you use any different supplies? I would love it if you could send me a pic on Instagram to see it!
Great post! I’ve been eyeing the Nuuna notebooks since I found your IG and blog a while back – particularly the post on Nuuna vs LT. I’ve hesitated on beginning a BuJo for the exact same reasons that you outlined in the beginning of this post. I could not wrap my brain around the ‘out-of-order’ concept (even if it does have an index). Disc bound will soon be my beginning step!
In one of my FB groups, someone else posted a link to a customizable dot-grid PDF generator – I plan to use that with some paper I already have at home that I love!
Thanks!
It’s super nice but it seems very time consuming.
I am thinging about switching to a travel journal (or midori) to collect all the collections in one book, and all the daily stuff in another.
Hi Eta! Mine was indeed time consuming because I took the pages out of my notebook, but if you buy the pages separately then all you have to do is punch and pop them in, which shouldn’t take more than 20mins. The traveller’s notebook is also a very nice concept, the middle ground between regular notebooks and having more flexibility. But I like the Nuuna paper so much that I couldn’t give it up just yet 😀
This is brilliant! Thank you fkr sharing. I’m going to try it on my next bullet journal ^^,
Hi Jenniffer, I’m so glad you found this helpful! It was so much fun to make (except for the occasional little fail), and I am absolutely loving everything about it! 😄 it’s definitely worth giving it a try for your next one. Good luck, and thanks so much for stopping by! 💙