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How to Make Bookmarks + 25 DIY Bookmark Ideas

These bookmark ideas allow you to make homemade bookmarks, get printable bookmarks, and more.

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How to Make Bookmarks 25 DIY Bookmark Ideas

Learn how to make different types of bookmarks with all of these tips, techniques, and ideas below. With How to Make Bookmarks + 25 DIY Bookmark Ideas, you will see how easy it is to make your own bookmarks. From using free printables, such as faux book pages or printable coloring pages, to creating a new bookmark from book pages, cardstock, or scrapbook paper, you will be set to mark any page in any book.
 
We even have cute bookmark ideas that any literary lover will want to make. From the ease of using printable bookmarks to the creativity allowed with making your own, there’s no reason to ever buy a bookmark again. Making your own bookmarks is thrifty, fast, and easy for anyone. Kids and parents can prepare for school by making some fun bookmarks before heading back.
 
There’s something about DIY bookmarks, especially since reading real books is a little old fashioned at this point (for some, not me!). Make that experience of picking up a book and flipping through the pages even more special by holding your place with something handmade. We even have some exclusive free printables so that you can print and design your own bookmark. So, check out the info below!

Estimated CostUnder $10

Time to CompleteUnder an hour

Primary TechniqueGeneral Paper Crafting

Materials List

  • Paper such as cardstock, scrapbook paper, thin cardboard, book pages, or construction paper
  • Paper cutter or scissors
  • Straight edge or ruler
  • Pencil
  • Colored pencils, pens, markers, or paint (optional)
  • Embellishments such as stickers, stamps, or paper punches (optional)
  • Laminating sheets (optional)

Common Bookmark Sizes:

Fortunately, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to handmade bookmarks. The most important thing to consider is the size of your book. If you have a book in mind, measure it and make your bookmark a couple inches shorter than the height and between 1 and 2-1/2 inches wide. Paperbacks are usually about 5 to 6 inches wide by 8 to 10 inches tall.

"Trade paperbacks, a pretty loose category of books, are often in the 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" to 6" x 9" range. This page proportion—for instance in the 6" x 9" size—of 2:3 has long been considered an ideal for a book page, and you can create good looking books at different sizes but in the same page proportions. Most self-published books are trade paperbacks." – Joel Friedlander, The Book Designer

If you’re making a bookmark for a school or art book, it could be a lot larger, and even square, such as 12" x 12." Keep in mind that many craft stores sell blank bookmarks, which you can buy and decorate instead of cutting out your own.

You can even make non-rectangular bookmarks. Corner bookmarks or shapes are fun but take more creativity and skill. Further down on the page, you can see some of the non-traditional bookmark ideas that AllFreePaperCrafts feature.
 
Here are some of the most commonly suggested sizes for bookmarks:
1-1/2" x 5"
1-1/2" x 6"
1-1/2" x 7"
2" x 5"
2" x 6"
2" x 7"
2" x 8"

How to Make Bookmarks:

  1. Gather your paper materials.

    Use coloring pages, free printables, cardstock, scrapbooking paper, or even old book pages (check out this Assortment of Printable Book Pages).

    Note: If the paper material you want to use is too thin, you can always glue the page a thicker piece of paper or sandwich two of the papers together. Your new DIY bookmark can be one sided or two sided, depending on what you prefer.

  2. Gather your supplies.

    You can use scissors and a straight edge or ruler. The easiest and fastest way to make DIY bookmarks is to use a paper cutter.

  3. Determine the size.
     
    See the "Common Bookmark Sizes" section above for suggestions. If you are not sure of the size, a good size to choose is 2" x 6" so that it works for most books. You can always trim if needed.

  4. Measure and cut.
     
    If using a paper cutter, simply line up the paper to the lines and cut.
     
    If using scissors and a ruler, measure the size and mark with a pencil. Then use the scissors to cut out the rectangle.

  5. Decorate your bookmark if desired.
     
    If you are using already decorated paper, you may be done at this point. If not, use drawing tools, stickers, or even stamps to decorate your bookmarks. Another idea is to use paper punches to cut out shapes inside your new handmade bookmark.

  6. Laminate your homemade bookmark.
     
    This optional step will help to keep your bookmark protected. You can either buy and cut lamination sheets or use a machine.
     
    Note: This is an important step if you have used anything on your bookmark that may bleed or stain. You don’t want anything to get on your books!

  7. Cute Bookmark Ideas:

    Now that you know how to make DIY bookmarks, get some ideas to get your imagination going.

    1. Seriously Pretty Watercolor DIY Bookmarks (Image 1 below)
    2. Book Page Bookmarks (Image 2 below)
    3. Paint Chip Pikachu DIY Bookmarks (Image 3 below)
    4. Beautiful Mixed Media Bookmarks (Image 4 below)
    5. Upcycled Cardboard Bookmarks (Image 5 below)
    6. Minion Crafts DIY Bookmark (Image 6 below)
    7. Pretty Paper Cutting Art DIY Bookmarks (Image 7 below)
    8. Paint Splatter Feather Bookmark (Image 8 below)

DIY Coloring Page Bookmarks:

Did you know that you can make handmade bookmarks from coloring pages? Adult coloring pages work especially well because they are more detailed. I colored a De-Stressing Mandala Coloring Page and then used the shapes as my measurement marks instead of putting a lot of time into calculating my bookmark size. Winging it worked for this page and may for others.
 
A lot of printable coloring pages do not have clean lines, so you may not get everything you want into your bookmark. In those cases, pick the part of the image you definitely want as a focal point and cut around that.

Learn how to make coloring page bookmarks by following the steps below.

  1. Decorate your coloring page.
     
    Color your page before turning it into a DIY bookmark, like is shown with the mandala page below. If you wish, you can cut first and then color later as is shown with the Bug and Butterfly Coloring Page below in Step 3. You can even choose not to color in the page at all. The black and white look is very chic and clean.

  2. Measure and mark where to cut.

    If your page has separate shapes, then you may not have to measure but merely follow the lines or shapes. If there are no clear lines to follow, then measure and cut as is explained in Step 4 above in the "How to Make Bookmarks" section.

  3. Cut out your bookmarks.
     
    This mandala coloring page created four different bookmarks because of how I chose to cut the page. The bug coloring page had fewer that I wanted to keep since those shapes did not line up as well.

  4. Printable Coloring Pages to Use as Bookmarks:

    Below, find some great free printable coloring pages that you can decorate and then turn into bookmarks.

    1. Free Printable Houses Coloring Page (Image 1 below)
    2. Apple of My Eye Free Printable Coloring Page (Image 2 below)
    3. De-Stressing Mandala Coloring Pages (Image 3 below)
    4. Free Printable Robot Coloring Page (Image 4 below)
    5. Blank Faces Printable Coloring Page (Image 5 below)
    6. Vintage Flower Child Adult Coloring Page (Image 6 below)
    7. Bug and Butterfly Coloring Page ​(Image 7 below)

Printable Bookmark Templates:

There are tons of free printable bookmarks available that already have colored designs on them. All you have to do is print and cut! Some other printable bookmarks have designs to color in, like mini coloring pages.
 
In order for you to get a little more creative, I have designed some printable bookmark templates. Click here for the bookmark templates PDF. There are three pages, with three, two, or one of these bookmarks. You can choose to print only one of the pages or all three for lots of options. I also made them large enough so that you can change the scale before printing to get any size you desire.
 
Once you've printed out the templates, start decorating. You can color them, decorate them with stickers or glitter, cut out pieces with scissors or punches, or anything else you think of. This is one of the coolest after school craft activities for kids.
 
Instructions for how to print the bookmark templates are shown below.

  1. Open the PDF by clicking on the green link above or here.

  2. Find the Print icon button and click it.

  3. Choose "More Settings" to see all of your options.

  4. Select what and how you want to print.

    To change the scale so that the bookmarks print smaller than 100%, change the scale by typing in a number lower than 100. For example, to print the bookmarks at 75%, type 75 in the Scale box. You can also choose the "Fit to page" box to shrink the bookmark templates down slightly.
     
    To print only a certain page or two of the three, select the box to input the page or pages you want. To print the entire collection, choose the "All" button.

  5. Free Printable Bookmarks:

    You are going to love these cool printable bookmarks.

    1.   Printable Woodland Creature Bookmarks (Image 1 below)
    2.   Ice Cream Bookmarks (Image 2 below)
    3.   Continuous Circles Coloring Page Bookmarks (Image 3 below)
    4.   Printable Elephant Bookmarks That Never Forget (Image 4 below)
    5.   DINO-Mite Printable Bookmarks (Image 5 below)
    6.   Cool Cat Bookmarks (Image 6 below)
    7.   Trip to the Zoo Animal Bookmarks (Image 7 below)
    8.   Book Quotes Printable Bookmark Set (Image 8 below)
    9.   Little Bunny Printable Bookmarks to Color (Image 9 below)
    10. Whale of a Tale Printable Bookmarks (Image 10 below)

What’s your favorite book?
Let us know in the comments

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