26 Mar 2018
Grab the printable black and white tarot images I provided in a prior blog post. Choose the size you want to work with (8.5"x11" vs 5.5"x8.5") and print out the pages. I recommend using a nicer, thicker paper than your regular printing paper. I've been using matte brochure paper optimized for laser printers.
The paper curls in the printer, but it can be uncurled with some work on your part. It's easiest when you have several sheets, so print out everything you were going to print, and then sit back and take some time uncurling the paper by gently rolling it in the opposite direction, paying particular attention to the ends of the paper.
Prepare the Paper for Coloring
If you try to color the pages right from the printer you'll quickly notice the printer ink or toner will start to smear around. First spray your pages with a workable fixatif to seal in that ink, and then color away!
When you're done coloring, use a finishing spray which, just like the workable fixatif, will seal in your work and prevent any smudging. Try experimenting with the workable fixatif! Since it seals in the layer underneath you can get different effects by coloring over an area again.
Bind Your DIY Coloring Book
You can take your pages to a print shop and they'll put them in a flexibound book for you.
Personally, though, I love and adore discbound notebooks, and have amassed an enormous collection of notebooks in this system. Just buy a hole punch and the discs and you can bind your coloring pages in this system! The great part is the pages can be easily removed and moved around to different sections or different notebooks altogether. I am frequently rearranging the pages of my notebooks as I decide to organize things in a different way, going so far as to split, merge, or intermix notebooks on the fly.
Here are the supplies you'll need for a DIY discbound notebook:
- Discbound hole punch. Since this is different system from 3-ring binders, you'll need a totally different hole punch. Staples 8-sheet capacity paper punch.
- Discs. These are what actually bind the pages together. Etsy's DisboundMarketplace store offers black discs and multi colored discs for the best price for the smaller sizes, 3/8", 1/2", and 3/4". Staples has a better price for the [1" discs], and 1-1/2" diameter discs. You'll need at least 1" discs to put 78 pages of cardstock in one notebook. Consider making multiple notebooks! I have 3 notebooks: major arcana, court cards, and pips.
- Covers. Protect your pages by putting a cover on them. DisboundMarketPlace has several solid colors. Staples has assorted white, black, and clear covers and assorted patterned colored covers.
- Separators. Delineate major sections of the notebook. Letter sized and [staples.com/Staples-Arc-System-Tab-Dividers-Black-5-5-6-x-8-1-2/product_321298 Junior sized].
- Page flags. I like to use post-it flags to deliniate the different suits. It helps me to jump straight to the page I'm looking for.
If you want a journal solely of your coloring pages, you can fit 78 pages into one journal with 3/4" or 1" discs — or even smaller if you decide to do double sided pages.
However, what's great with the discbound method is how easy it is to mix various content together, so I personally combined my coloring pages with my other tarot journal pages. With the way I combined my information, I ended up with four separate tarot journals: one for the major arcana, court cards, pip cards, and a quick reference notebook. Read my post about my tarot journal for details on how I combined my coloring pages with my other tarot information.