These instructions will help you complete the assembly portion of your pocket calendar cover inserts.  If you are looking for instruction to completely the digital portion of your covers, please refer to our piece-a-cake page tutorials found HERE.

STEP ONE:  GO SHOPPING :o)

You will first need to purchase a pocket calendar/planner from the store of your choice.  They are generally easy to find at your local Dollar/Discount store, Target, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc.  And...relatively inexpensive, too :)  Be sure that it comes with a clear plastic cover as this is what will hold the insert in place. We suggest that you measure the calendar you would like to purchase to be sure that it is close in size to our Piece-a-Cake Pocket Calendar Insert. Our newer pocket calendar templates measure approximately  6.5” x 7.7” (6.473” x 7.657" exactly).  The size is a little different from our 'older' versions - so be sure to see each product page/description for exact measurements of the collection you are interested in.  NOTE:  at the end of this tutorial, you will find suggestions to alter your insert so that it will fit into your clear cover.  While most pocket calendars are close in size...there will be slight variations as there seems to be no 'standard' for this product.

STEP TWO:  REMOVE THE CALENDAR/PLANNER from CLEAR COVER

Remove the pocket calendar from its clear plastic cover. DO NOT remove the heavy paper/cardstock cover from the calendar. This is needed for the calendar to be inserted back into the clear cover.  Your new cover will simply cover the old :o)

STEP THREE:  THE DIGITAL PROCESS

Add your photos and journaling to the Piece-a-Cake Insert of your choice.  Again, please refer to one of our PIECE-A-CAKE page/album tutorials if you need help with this portion of the process :o)  Even though the tutorials were not created specifically for the pocket calendar covers, the concepts are the exact same - so the tutorial will be very helpful.  We offer this tutorial in both screenshot and video formats - and for both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.  Keep in mind that the pocket calendar cover is mean to fold in the center - this means that half of your page is designed 'upside-down' - remember to rotate (180 degrees) photos and text for that area.  PLEASE REFER TO THE END OF THIS TUTORIAL if your insert/cover needs to be resized to fit your planner.

STEP FOUR:  PRINT YOUR COVER

 Print your cover/insert. This can be done on your home printer (we suggest photo quality paper - matte, lustre or glossy - just depending on your preference), at your local copy center...or any photo printing lab.

STEP FIVE:  CUT OUT YOUR COVER

Cut your insert out. For clean and crisp edges, use a paper cutter or trimmer. If you do not have access to a paper cutter - scissors or a ruler and straight edge will work just fine :o)

STEP SIX:  INSERT YOUR NEW COVER

Place your finished cover/insert into the clear calendar cover and then insert your pocket calendar/planner back into the cover as well.  VOILA...you are FINISHED :)

As mentioned above, there is no industry standard size for these pocket calendar/planners.  So, we have done our best to accommodate as many brands and sizes as possible.  But, if your planners do not fit our covers...no worries - we have several suggestions for you that should help.

OUR POCKET CALENDAR COVER IS TOO LARGE FOR YOUR PLANNER!

OPTION ONE:  If our insert is too large to fit into your plastic cover - measure the size of your calendar cover and then before printing, resize our Piece-of-Cake Insert using your graphics program (techniques will vary depending on software).

OPTION TWO:  If our insert is too large, you may also print the insert in its original size and then trim it to fit your cover.

OPTION THREE:  If our insert is too large (this works especially well if it is only too large on one side/end), you can proportionately decrease the size in your graphics program - and then adhere it to a sheet of solid cardstock.  Not only will this solve your sizing issue, but the cardstock adds a nice 'frame' to the planner.

OUR POCKET CALENDAR COVER IS TOO SMALL FOR YOUR PLANNER!

OPTION ONE:  If our insert is just slightly too small in size, you can just leave the insert at its original size and have a little bit of “empty space” around the insert when it is placed in the plastic cover - or...if you need just a little extra size...you could try to enlarge the insert a bit in your graphics program (just do not enlarge too much or you will begin to lose quality).

OPTION TWO:  If our insert is too small, you can print it at its original size and then adhere it to a piece of coordinating cardstock that is the correct size of your plastic cover. This will also add extra stability to your calendar...as well as a nice 'frame'.

Example of a pocket calendar cover adhered to cardstock in order to make the size fit.  On this particular planner, the width of our cover was just fine, but in order to make the height of our cover work (it was too tall and trimming would have chopped off part of the design) - I had to decrease the entire size in Photoshop.  While this made the height perfect - the width was now too narrow.  So, I simply adhered the cover to a sheet of black cardstock and love the look!

We hope you enjoy working with our POCKET CALENDAR COVERS!  Thanks :o)

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