Is your school one of the many that's facing
unending budget cuts? If it is, you are probably wondering how you can
help the institution save money and still keep certain programs in
place. One of the first things to go when budgets get tight is the
school yearbook so you'll be glad to know that you can make your own and
save some money. Here's a rundown of how you can do so:
Is your school one of the many that's facing
unending budget cuts? If it is, you're probably wondering how you can
help the institution save money and still keep certain programs in
place. One of the first things to go when budgets get tight is the
school yearbook so you'll be glad to know that you can make your own and
save some money. Here's a rundown of how you can do so:
The first step is to have your students design and
create the contents of the yearbook. Allow them to get creative and
experiment with different fonts, layouts, and such. Once the book is put
together, you can start thinking about printing it. Using your school's
photocopier is the cheapest way to do this. You can either use regular
20 lb. bond paper or something a little bit fancier. Whichever paper you
choose, make sure your machine can handle it.
When
your books have been printed, it's time to select the covers for them.
You're going to need thermal binding covers. These covers have adhesive
in the spines that melt when they're placed in a thermal binding
machine. This produces a strong binding so the yearbooks can be enjoyed
throughout the years. When selecting your covers, make sure you choose
one that are just the right size so that the pages won't fall out of the
books. Both hardback and softback covers are available.
One
thing you might want to consider when selecting your covers is whether
you want them to be customized or not. There are a lot of options
available including offset printing, embossing, foil printing, and so
on. Just keep in mind that customized covers can be a bit pricey. If the
cost becomes prohibitive, it doesn't hurt to hold a fundraiser to get
the funds you need. Also, if you do choose to get customized covers,
you'll need to order them a few months ahead of time since it takes a
while for them to be produced.
Now that
your yearbooks are printed and you have your covers have been selected,
you can start binding them. Since you used thermal covers you're going
to need to use a thermal binding machine. Using this type is device is
very easy. All you really need to do is turn the machine on and let it
warm up, stick the document in, and give it a couple of minutes. You'll
have a bound yearbook in no time at all. Many thermal binding machines
can bind more than one document at a time which is very convenient. One
thing to keep in mind is that you'll probably need to crimp the spines
of the yearbooks. This only takes a minute or so and it strengthens the
spines so the books will last longer.
Although budget cuts have seemingly become a permanent of life,
you can still make sure that your students have yearbooks at the end of
the year. Making your own can help you save a lot of money so you can
continue this tradition. Good luck and have fun creating your own
yearbooks!
Jeff McRitchie is the Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com.
He regularly writes articles, reviews, and blog posts on topics related
to bookbinding, laminating, paper shredding, and office equipment. More
than 2,500 of his articles have been published in thousands of
locations on the Internet. If you're looking for information about thermal binding machines his articles are a great place to start.
