Introduction: Paperbag Book Cover
Some classes at your school may require you to cover your books for the school year. Instead of going out and spending money on book covers that may or may not be one size fits all, you can make your own for free out of a paper bag. The Spanish teachers at our school demonstrate the method I'm going to show you here.
Step 1: Materials
- A paper bag
- A book to be covered
- Scissors
- Tape
Step 2: Cutting the Bag
First look for a seem on your paper bag. You'll need to separate the seam all the way to the bottom. If your bag doesn't have a seem just cut it along one of the corners. Then cut the bottom off your bag.
Step 3: Creating the Book Cover
Place your book laying open somewhere in the center of your bag. Then fold the left end of the bag halfway across the inside of the front cover. Tape this end securely. Do the same for the other end. You are going to need to cut off a lot of the bag to make it fit your book. Before you tape this end down, close your book and pinch the bag. Then open it up again and tape securely. Now you can either cut the bottom and top of the bag or do the following. Cut out a notch in the bottom and top of the bag in the center. Fold the top and bottom flaps onto your book and secure with tape. Congratulations you should be done.
Step 4: Decorate!
Pull out your markers, stickers, crayons, colored pencils or whatever and decorate your book cover to you heart's content. Anyone mind making one and putting a instructables robot sticker on it? Feel good about not spending a cent on your book cover and this should hopefully have only took you five minutes.

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25 Comments
13 years ago on Step 4
a great way to make sure that ur book cover doesn't get those annoying rips is to then go over the cover with box tape, which also turns ur book into ur own whiteboard
13 years ago on Step 3
No description about book corners and other problematic areas.
This makes it very obvious and with no additional value.
15 years ago on Introduction
I have done this along time ago. I'm just curious why would some classes require you to cover your books? I thought it was just something cool to do.
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
If I recall correctly, it saves the book covers and makes them last longer, so the school doesn't have to replace books so often (so it's a money-saver)
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
Yep, in french, we have brand new books this year, so they want us to keep them nice with book covers. It also is a barrier to that urge to draw all over them.
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
Your school gives you books? everyone i know and myself have to buy all our books ourselfs
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
Are you in college?
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
nah, im australian and we dont even have college
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
You don't have universities?
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
oh no, we have universities but you just dont live there
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
You don't necessarily live there...you just have to live close enough to get there for class every day.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
We don't use textbooks. All electronics. Our science, we use the Wii, computers, dreamcast, and projectors. I am actually getting the sciencetoo, since we're not sitting there bored...
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Yeah, us too, We rarely use textbooks for anything.
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
There's only one class, we use a textbook for, and that is math...
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
well, duh. Math is supposed to be boring.
14 years ago on Introduction
Thankey, I just came home from school and needed to cover my books. Anf you have a MARIO BLANKET?!!??!?? :D
14 years ago on Introduction
I was wondering if someone had created an instructable about this and found yours. I use old maps to cover books. Saludos desde España!
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Hola. i was looking for the same thing and found ur's y ansanma's. thankz to both of u 4 the ideaz ~_~ -Saludos desde EE.UU (USA) -Ivy
14 years ago on Introduction
Cool, a Meijer bag, you must live nearby. Meijer isn't everywhere.
15 years ago on Introduction
I'm sorry, but French is Wayy Better...