After many requests for half size planner pages, I have created the half size day to a page planner versions as well as the half size extras. Go here to check them out!
I have also designed a new half-size weekly layout that allows more room to write with the days going across the page than the columns like the letter size (full size) planner style.
I hope you guys like this new planner style as much as I enjoyed creating it 🙂
If you’re concerned about using up printer ink you could have the files printed at your local office supply store (send me a convo via etsy and I will give you a print release) the chevron and stripes patterns also print nicely in greyscale.
Printing instructions are included. Before printing you will need to pre-cut letter size paper in half (most office supply stores will do this for you if you don”t have a paper trimmer, you can also buy pre-cut paper reams)
You can read more about the rainbow planner and chevron planners in THIS post.
Please excuse the poor quality photos – the colours are actually much brighter in person!
I. Am. OBSESSED with it! I created the whole planner from scratch (well, except the arc notebook I used to assemble it of course). The planner pages are 8.5 x 11″ in size. I know a lot of people prefer the smaller planner sizes but portability and compactibility isn’t an issue for me as I carry a large handbag. I’ll discuss printing options if you’d like to use the pages in an A5, half size or filofax planner at the bottom of this post.
One of the most important things about a planner is its’ pretty cover page! I am OBSESSED with pretty cover pages. Every binder I use has to have a cover page. I created one cover for the planner then came up with ideas for another cover. And another one. I ended up with about 15 covers before I finally gained some self-control. I get bored with covers easily so I intend to use a different one each month. This is the one I am currently using:
I’ve listed all the other covers in my Etsy shop if you’re a cover addict like me. These covers are personalised with your monogram and/or other wording that you would like. Due to customisation these are sent within 48hours of your purchase.
These covers are an instant download so you can use them right away!
You could also pair the planner with one of my other binder covers
Let’s take a tour of my planner!
After the cover page is the ‘this belongs to page’ in case my planner ever gets lost.
Followed by the 2014 and 2015 dates at a glance pages (with space tor record those new years resolutions/goals that I’m going to try and accomplish)
I forget to take photos of these pages in my assembled planner.
Then the ‘special dates’ page where I list national holidays for 2014 , 2015 and 2016. This sheet is not pre-filled so you could live anywhere in the world and still use this planner! I live in Australia which is why this page is not pre-filled with American holidays. You can find a summary of national holidays relevant to your country on this website
Important dates where I list birthday’s, anniversaries ect. You could also use it for annual planning.
This is the weekly spread that I personally use. I am obsessed with lists so this layout has been working perfectly for me!
The ‘simple‘ version where you can make it your own e.g. add lines across the page to separate each column into boxes to separate things like school, work, social, reminders, meal planning ect. Or just keep the columns blank with lots of open-ended writing space
I also have an undated (and editable!) version. I use this on days where I need to get a lot done and I want to map out exactly how I will use my time. I call this the ‘schedule’ planning method (rather than the open-ended weekly pages). There are 2 lines beside each hour – one line per 30 minutes of the day. I print a few off and keep them at the back of the planner then transfer them to the current week when I need them.
Wondering what that un-labelled box is for? Anything! After designing and using many daily planners I have found that I needed a section that was flexible. Some days I use this box to record my exercise plan, on other days I use it for reminders or calls I need to make. I also like having a large notes section so I can jot down messages when I’m on the phone. I used to scramble around for a piece of paper which I then couldn’t find a few days later. This way I can keep everything in order 🙂 The meals box is big enough to plan all daily meals or just dinner and a few things I need to pick up from the store on my way home.
After all the months, I include extra notes pages as well as pages you can purchase separately from the ‘Extra’s package.’ I store these pages behind the ‘Miscellaneous’ divider (which comes with the planner).
Weekly Planning page. I keep this at the back and use it to note routine things that need to be completed each day (or most days of the week). I am considering moving it to the front of the planner.
I LOVE calendar stickers but they are very hard to find in Australia so I made my own. Because I am obsessed with things being coordinated I used the same colours as the rainbow stripe pattern on the planner. I made my own template in photoshop and printed the 6 sheets onto full sheet 8.5 x 11″ label paper then cut using a guillotine (you could also use a paper trimmer or scissors). I keep them in a clip top bag in the ziplock pouch I also purchased for the back of the planner.
Money Stickers
The colours do actually print that nice and bright. The photos makes them look much darker than they actually are!
I bought these pockets to keep random papers in. E.g. if I get the mail on my way out the door I will tuck it in these pockets and take them out when I get home.
Back cover (should you choose to have your planner spiral bound or use it in a binder)
If you’re concerned about printer ink, here are how some of the pages look printed in greyscale:
Still quite pretty!
HOW I ORGANISE MY PLANNER
1. Colour code. I write everything in my planner in black pen. I don’t use a special brand of pen. I use cheap ones from discount stores like the Reject Shop and Crazy Clark’s. I live in Australia so I don’t have access to Walmart :(. I then highlight each ‘thing’ in my planner in a different colour. For example: yellow is Etsy, pink is personal, green is appointments and social events, purple is to do’s, orange is family and light blue is finances. When I was in school I used to use different colours for homework, assessment due dates ect.
2. Calendar Stickers (which I mentioned above). They’re rainbow and co-ordinate with my planner – nuff said 🙂
HOW I USE MY PLANNER
1. I write things like when bills are due in the monthly view. I also note any appointments and social events. I try to minimise what I write in the monthly view to prevent it from being over-cluttered. One of the reasons I use a full-size planner is because of the large writing space in the monthly view. I have used smaller planners before and found I filled the little boxes too quickly. I also cannot stand trying to write something into a planner and not having the page to lean my hand against as I enter a task (hopefully you understand what I mean, I know I didn’t explain that very clearly :/)
2. The weekly views show each day in more detail. Occasionally I review my ‘master’ to do list which I keep in my lists book. I shared some pictures of it at the bottom of this post. Basically I printed off all the sheets from my lists kit and bound them into a notebook.
Anyway, in the lists book I have monthly to do lists. At the start of the year I list things I’d like to complete for each month (personal, work – everything) and stop about 5 lines short of the bottom of the page (gotta keep room for ideas that pop up throughout the year!) Each month I pick out the main to do’s and fill the first monthly to do list column in the planner (on the monthly planning page). I keep the second column free for to do’s I think of throughout the month. So basically the lists book is a ‘reference’ and my planner summarises those lists.
I’ll pick a few of the monthly to do’s in my planner that I feel are the highest priority. I transfer tasks that need to occur to complete each of those to do’s to the weekly pages of my planner. For example, if I am working on a new planner set then I will break the planner down into smaller to do’s and allocate those throughout the weeks of the month. I write these steps in the unlined section of each day. I keep the checklists for routine tasks such as laundry, grocery shopping, emptying the dishwasher, de-cluttering ect.
The reason I love the layout of the weekly pages is because they are simple, uncluttered, flexible and don’t have too much colour. I do love a bit of colour (hence the rainbow stripe), but because I highlight/colour-code my planner I kept it to black only below the pattern. I don’t like planners that include mini monthly views on each weekly spread as I find this a massive waste of space. I rarely need to know what day a certain date falls on and if I do I have the monthly summary pages and the dates at a glance places to refer to.
I do use tabs as you can see in the pictures. I purchased these from Staples. They were pre hole punched for a 3 ring binder but I punched over the top – they are made of a plastic-like material so they still stay in place in the Arc notebook. I am on the lookout for nicer tabs because I’d prefer them to be thicker like cardstock. If anyone knows of any good tabs please let me know!
So that’s my planner! If anyone has any questions or comments I’d love to hear from you 🙂
***PRINTING YOUR PLANNER***
The pages are 8.5 x 11″ in size. They will work with printers that CAN do duplex printing and also printers that CANNOT do duplex printing. Detailed printing instructions are included in your purchase. As all printers are different, I cannot offer technical support for printing. No refunds will be made if you are unable to print the pages due to your printer having different settings than shown in the example/if you do not know how to use your printer. If you are having problems printing your planner at home, I recommend printing at your local office supply store.
If you want to use the pages in an A5/Filofax/half size planner you can by using ‘2 per page’ or ‘multiple’ print settings and then cut the 8.5 x 11″ sheet in half. However, they will be single-sided.
If you would like to use the planner pages in a personal or smaller than half size planner I do not recommend doing this. You can print any page at any size (smaller than 8.5 x 11″). See this post on printing tips for instructions (tip 2). The reason I do not recommend this is because you will need to cut every sheet down to size.
As a side note – a coupon is included in the printing instructions document which you can use on all future purchases until the end of 2015!
***PLANNER SOURCE LIST***
Arc punch (I’ve read that the Levenger punch is compatible)
Do you have a blog? Want to get this planner for free in exchange for a review? Convo me via Etsy or send an email to allaboutthehouseetsy@yahoo.com.au If I think your blog is a good fit – I will send you a copy of the planner of your choice for FREE!
***HAVE YOU DISCOVERED AN ERROR?***
I have checked each page however, if you happen to spot an error, please bring it to my attention so I can fix it ASAP.
I’ve had a few questions with regards to printing so here are a few printing tips:
This post will cover the following: – Borderless printing (to prevent a thin white border around the planner pages)
– Printer letter size planner pages at half size
– Using the page scaling option for A5, filofax, Erin Condren and custom page sizes
– 2 Per page printing (save paper and cutting time by printing 2 letter size pages on one sheet then cutting in half for half size pages)
– Duplex printing
– Duplex printing (manually)
PRINTING FULL PAGE SIZE
Go to ‘file’ and then ‘print’. This mileage tracker is from the Direct Sales Planner
This printer menu will open. I am using a Canon printer – if you are using another brand your printer menu may look slightly different. Click on ‘Properties’
The second printer menu will open.
If you are printing using 8.5 x 11″ size paper, select fit to page or the bottom of the sheets may get cut off.
If you are printing A4, make sure the printer is set to ‘actual size’ instead of ‘fit’ or ‘shrink oversized pages’.
You can purchase these customised recipe binder printables here.
BORDERLESS PRINTING
When printing binder covers or any of the chevron planner pages, I always use ‘borderless’. If borderless is not selected the pages will print with a thin white border. Some printers may not have a ‘borderless’ option – please check that your printer can do borderless printing before purchasing.
Go to ‘file’ and then ‘print’. This mileage tracker is from the Direct Sales Planner
This printer menu will open. I am using a Canon printer – if you are using another brand your printer menu may look slightly different. Click on ‘Properties’
The second printer menu will open. Click the box beside ‘borderless printing’
Just Ignore the warning message that comes up and select ‘plain paper’.
BORDERLESS PRINTING – LETTER SIZE PAGES
Then change the page size to ‘Letter or 8.5 x 11″‘
Click ‘Ok’
The photo below show the difference between borderless (on the right) and the standard print settings which give a white border (on the left).
PRINTING NON-STANDARD OR CUSTOM PAGE SIZES
Want non-standard size pages? E.g. Personal Size filofax, Erin Condren Life Planner size, Plum Paper Planner size ect.
In the ‘printer paper size’ menu choose then select ‘custom’
Enter the dimensions you would like the page to print at. Here I have used 4.5 inches wide x 6.75 inches high.
Close that menu then go to the ‘page setup’ tab. IMPORTANT: make sure you select ‘fit to page.’ When printed, the sheet will proportionally reduce to your specified page size. If you don’t select ‘fit to page’ some stuff may get cut off.
Close that menu and return to the main printer menu to check you have selected the correct settings. Here I have selected ‘fit’ under ‘size options’ You can see the dimensions you have selected for your page size above the preview. Here it is ‘4.5 x 6.75 inches.’
If it is a landscape page (like a calendar) make sure you change the page orientation to landscape if your printer doesn’t do this automatically.
If you select anything less than full page you will need to trim the page down to size.
PRINTING HALF SIZE PAGES OR ‘2-ON-1’ PRINTING
This why each page in all of my planner sets have 2 copies i.e. 2 pages of the sheet, per PDF file. This is so you can use ‘2-on-1 printing’ and avoid wasting paper and time as you only need to cut the page once, in half.
Note that if you do not want a thin white border to appear around the pages, you will still need to select ‘borderless’ when doing 2 per page printing. The meal planner above can be purchased here or through Etsy. It coordinates with the 2015 Rainbow Planner
After printing, you can leave the pages as shown in the photo above, or if you are using a mini binder, cut the sheets in half. If you are printing onto letter size paper the pages will be 8.5 x 5.5″ when cut in half which will fit Mini Binders, the Arc Junior Size Notebook ect. If printing onto A4 paper, the pages will be A5 size which will also fit A5 Binders and the A5 Small Arc Notebook that can be purchased from Staples.com.au
I print frequently used sheets such as to do lists, grocery lists, daily planners and meal planners in the smaller size. These pages are also great for attaching to a mini clipboard, printing a bunch and pinning to your pinboard ect. You can also make them into a notepad. I used this tutorial to make a grocery list notepad (I used modge podge).
DUPLEX PRINTING
Having 2 sheets per PDF file also means you can also do duplex printing:
DUPLEX PRINTING – MANUALLY
If you’re printer does not have a ‘duplex’ printing option you can still print the pages double-sided.
As there are more pages and page order is important, separate printing instructions specifically written for the 2015 planner are included in your purchase. They include how to print both the letter size (8.5 x 11″) and half size (8.5 x 5.5″) planner versions. Below is an extract on how to print the weekly or daily pages double-sided. The same settings can be used to print any of the planner pages in the shop double-sided.
HOW TO PRINT WEEKLIES WITH A PRINTER THAT CANNOT DO DUPLEX STYLE PRINTING
As all printers are different they can feed the paper in different ways. I highly recommend doing a test print before printing the entire planner. In your printer menu, change the pages to print from ‘all’ to ‘pages’ then enter e.g. 1 – 6. Make sure ‘odd pages only’ under more options is also selected
After the pages print, pick them up and turn them 180 degrees so that the stripe or chevron pattern is farthest away from you and will feed through the printer first. Then open up the print menu again and select ‘reverse order’ after ‘even pages only’
PRINTING 1 PAGE OF A 2+ PAGE PDF
If you’ve purchased a sheet/set where I include 2 copies per sheet (which is pretty much all of them) but only want to print one copy, single sided, in the main printer menu at the top left (see photo below) under ‘pages to print’ (I have Canon printers so if you use a different brand this may vary slightly) click the circle beside ‘pages’ then enter page 1. If, for example, you are printing a calendar and want to print them off each month, as you go, then you will want to use this function.
Another way is to scroll to the page you want to print in the PDF document, or move up and down using the arrows at the top left of adobe reader (see photo below) until you are on the page you want to print. This Christmas Budget is from the Christmas Planner.
Then, in the printer menu, select the circle beside ‘current page’. This ‘anything checklist’ is from the Lists Kit.
PAGE SCALING
Another option for custom size pages is to use the ‘page scaling’ printer function. Go to ‘file’ then ‘print’
Select ‘properties’
Then ‘page setup’ and ‘scaled’
Then change the scaling % from 100% to whatever % you like. Refer to the preview in the top left hand corner of this menu for how large the page will be.
If you are re-sizing printables to fit an Erin Condren planner approx 80% is a suitable size and about 50% page scaling for A5/filofax.
This debt tracker is from the editable finance set available HERE
Want to try out these tips? Download a FREE printableHERE
Want to consult your printer manual but can’t remember where you put it? See this websiteto view free printer manuals for any type of printer.
PAPER TYPE
I usually just use normal 80GSM copy paper. I recently discovered pre-hole punched paper
If you are printing a binder cover that you want to be fade-resistant and last a long time I would recommend using photo paper. A cheaper alternative is ‘quill board’ which is thicker than copy paper at 210GSM. I also use this for printable notecards. You can buy it at Officeworks. I’m sure places like Staples in the US sells something similar. Even though it’s thicker than normal copy paper it doesn’t jam my basic printer. Amazon also sells cardstock.
If you have anymore queries, send an email to allaboutthehouseetsy@yahoo.com.au or contact me viaEtsy
Want to consult your printer manual but can’t remember where you put it? See this websiteto view free printer manuals for any type of printer.
As for what type of paper I print on, I usually just use normal 80GSM copy paper. I recently discovered pre-hole punched paper.
DOWNLOADING FILES
As a side note, if you download files and can’t find them on your computer or accidentally delete them, I would recommend checking the downloads folder of your computer. Go to the start menu (bottom left) then ‘Computer’ then click on Downloads. All the files you have downloaded (such as from the internet, from emails ect.) will be in that folder. There is a search menu you can use to search the name of the set.
If you still can’t find the files you may have accidentally deleted them. Go to your desktop by clicking the button circled in the image below on the very bottom right of your start menu.
Then click on the Recycle Bin shortcut which will look like this:
This will bring up all the files you have deleted on your computer. I would recommend clearing these out if you have a lot as they take up valuable space on your computer and the more programs and files you have, the slower your computer will run. In the recycle bin you can search for the name of the set or the printable using the search box (top right).
I hope that answered your questions! If you have anymore queries, just comment below.
AllAboutTheHouse Printables 