How to Cover a Textbook With Wrapping Paper

You can quickly, easily and inexpensively cover textbooks with wrapping paper.

Covering textbooks with a book cover will help protect the textbook. This is especially appealing if your bookstore purchases used textbooks at the end of the term. You can buy pre-made book covers but making a book cover at home can be quick, easy and inexpensive. Use any type of paper, including wrapping paper that can also provide a fun pattern for your book cover.

Things You'll Need

• Piece of wrapping paper several inches larger than the book you are covering on all sides
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Ruler

Instructions

1. Lay the wrapping paper with printed side face down on a flat working surface.

2. Open the textbook you are covering with the pages facing up and place it on the wrapping paper.

3. Trace around the outside perimeter of the textbook with a pencil.

4. Make pencil marks one quarter inch out from the traced rectangle in several places using a ruler. Use the straight edge of the ruler to connect the marks. Make another rectangle four inches larger than the original traced rectangle by repeating this process. When you are finished you should have the traced rectangular outline of your textbook inside two larger pencil-drawn rectangles.

5. Cut the wrapping paper along the outer pencil line.

6. Fold the long edges of the paper in toward the middle of the paper using the second line you drew as a guide for the crease of the fold. Lay your textbook on the cut and folded wrapping paper with the spine perpendicular to the long edge of the paper to ensure the width of the book cover is slightly larger than the length of the spine of your textbook. If the book cover is too short, refold the long edges of the paper until the cover's width is the appropriate size.

7. Pull the left short end of the book cover over the front cover of your textbook by inserting the textbook cover into the opening as if the book cover were a sleeve. Pull the "sleeve" over the front cover of your textbook approximately 3 inches. Holding the book cover in place, fold the excess over the textbook's front cover, around the spine and smooth over the textbook's back cover.

8. Fold the portion of the book cover overhanging the textbook up to make a crease with the outer edge of the textbook's back cover. Open the the textbook, pull the overhanging portion of the book cover over the back cover of the textbook, again like a sleeve, until the crease you made is touching or almost touching the outer edge of the back cover of the textbook.

9. Close the textbook, smoothing the book cover and adjusting as necessary.

References

• Disney Family Fun: Book Covers