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Bookmark gift ideas for a reader

Give the printed strip with the book it belongs in, on paper they can write on, and add a ribbon or a short note. Hold that strip to the cover before you cut a whole sheet.

What do you pair with the book?

Trim the bottom so it stays inside the book, and leave a short tab above the top edge to pinch and to hold the ribbon. Print one strip and lay it on the closed cover before you commit to the cut. A strip that hides inside the page is hard to find, and a strip you never held against this cover is a guess. Measure the copy in the gift, or the copy already on their shelf, not a different edition, because a paperback and a hardcover of the same title can differ. Round a sharp corner if it catches the page when you slide the strip in. Keep the tab short enough to pinch, and stop the cut while the bottom edge is still on the cover.

Listed lengths are in bookmark size.

Diagram in four parts: a closed book, a bookmark strip with a hole and ribbon loop in the top tab, a small tag, and an envelope.

What paper should the gift use?

Use paper they can write on, and stay inside the feed limit of the printer you will actually use. Run a scrap of the sheet you mean to use and see whether it feeds. Write one pencil line on that scrap before you print the gift. If the line skips or smears, change the paper. A face that looks finished can still be a poor place for a title. Keep the side they will fill in able to take a pencil, and store the sheet flat until you cut. A matte face takes a pencil more readily than a glossy one. If the scrap curls, flatten it under a book before you print the gift sheet.

Brother's paper guide for its inkjet models puts most cardstock (65 lb and up) outside the recommended specs, so treat your own manual as the rule for any other machine. Pound and gsm for other machines are in the paper-weight guide, and the shop steps are in a copy shop handoff.

How do you add a ribbon?

Punch one hole in the tab that sticks out of the book, then tie the ribbon with a folded loop. Fold a length of ribbon so the two ends meet, and push the fold through the hole from the front. Pass both loose ends through that fold and pull until the ribbon sits snug against the paper. That knot is the whole tie. A tassel can use the same hole if you want one: thread it through and knot the end on the back so it does not pull out. A hole in the buried half traps the ribbon between the pages, so keep the punch in the tab. Skip beads and a flame on the cut ends. A clean knot is enough for a strip they will actually use. If the tails hang out of the book, trim them after the knot is tight.

For that loop, cut the ribbon 6 to 8 inches long.

How do you hand it over?

Hand the book and the strip over together when you see them. If you have to mail the gift, a narrow strip may fall under letter minimums, so check the letter standards or put the strip in an envelope. Slide it into the book and mail the book, or pair it with a card that is large enough to mail on its own. A tag can ride with either choice. Write the book title and one line only they would recognize, such as where you were or why you thought of them. Tuck the tag under the ribbon, or drop it in the envelope. Write the address on the envelope or the book mailer, not on the strip.

A letter has to reach 0.007 inch thick, 3-1/2 inches high, and 5 inches long, so measure the envelope rather than the strip.

Which titles go on the gift?

Write the next titles they already named, in words they will still recognize, and leave room to cross one off. The personal part is those titles, not the ribbon. Use short titles, and add the reason in a few words if you know it, such as the trip, the friend, or the mood. Skip a yearly count, a score, or a book they never mentioned. If you do not know the next titles, write only the book you are giving and leave the other rows blank so they can add one later. A wrong title shows you guessed. Leave the writing side unsealed, so a pencil still works after they open the gift. If you want the front to stay bright, seal only that face and keep the back bare. Tell them the list is a start they can cross off, swap, and prune.

How they keep the list short later is in a TBR bookmark. Pouch size and a sealed edge are in laminating a bookmark.

Can you send the file instead?

Send the file only if they will print it, and put the print notes in the same message. Name the sheet size in the file, US Letter or A4, and tell them to print at that size rather than shrunk to fit the page. Name the paper, and name the printer's feed limit if you know their machine. If they will not print, the file sits unopened, so print the strip yourself and hand it over. Still write the personal line in the message, whether that is the titles or why this book. A bare attachment is a task, and a note plus a file is a gift they can finish. Do not assume a shop will know the cut, the paper, or which side is for writing. Put those words in the note before they print.

Sheet layout is in A4 or US Letter. The size control on a home printer is in printing bookmarks at home.

You can only fit the strip to a copy you can measure, and a sent file becomes a bookmark only if they print it.

When the present is a list you would rather not rule by hand, use All three from Print Bookmarks.

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