How to Make a Calendar – 3 Best Methods

If you’ve ever wondered how those beautiful wire-bound calendars are made, wonder no longer! You can construct a wire bound calendar in three different ways using the easy instructions in this DIY wire calendar guide. Search for “my tips” along the way if you’d like some personal tips or come across a roadblock.  

To begin, there are three primary types of wire calendars; all three are bound in the same way; the only differences lie in the method required to complete each type. The three styles of wire-bound calendars are: 

• Stand-Up Desk Calendar (or Tent Wire Calendar) 
• Pushpin Hanging Wire Calendar (or Double Sheet) 
• Flip Calendar (or Hanging Wire Calendar) 

Tent Wire Calendars (Stand-Up Desk Calendars): 

[image: Tent Wire Calendars] 

 
This design is a tabletop calendar alternative that resembles an easel. Your calendar is generally bound like a regular bound book, but it also has a paper cover that is pre-creased and can be folded out to make it stand up. The size of these easel calendars is often smaller so that they can fit on a desk without being overwhelmed.  

What you’re going to need: 

• Wire Binding Machine 
• Wire Closer (sometimes on the machine, sometimes a separate tool) 
• Wire Binding Supplies  
• Scoring or Creasing Machine 
• Creased Cover and Printed Sheets 
• Wire Cutters 

How to make a Tent Calendar 

1. Print your calendar. You can make the pages of your calendar any size you want. Desk calendars are typically not very large, making it easy for them to fit and not take up much room. If you wish to add a picture, place it on the same page and side as your main calendar page because only 1 page will be viewable at a time. 
2. Start Preparing the Calendar Base. The base of your card stock calendar needs to be strong enough to withstand the pressure of the pages. To prevent the finished calendar pages from touching your desk, the size should be twice the height of your sheet, plus some extra room. It should also have enough space to stand upright and not topple over. Most users will add 1/2″ for spacing, leaving around 1/4″ between the bottom of the pages and the base or desk, plus approximately 4″ for sturdiness. However, this will depend on the calendar size…a smaller calendar will use less, but a larger one may need more. Additionally, it ought to be a tad bigger than your pages. For instance, your base would be 6-1/4″ W x 12-1/4″ H if you are using calendar pages that are 6″ W × 4″ H. You need to crease your cover three times in total, once at the 1/4″ mark on each side and once in the middle of the previous two creases. After that, fold along the creases to align your base’s borders for punching. 
3. Prepare and punch the pages. Follow steps 2 and 3 from the previous section to punch your pages and get them ready for binding. To conceal the spine, your base page should be the very last page in your arrangement. You might need to punch one side of your foundation at a time, based on your punch equipment and the thickness of your paper stock. But keep in mind that you should punch both sides.  
4. Trim the Wire down to-Size. Measure the width of your stack and then cut the wire spine down to match it.  
5. Bind your Calendar. Set your wire closer to the Wire-O size that you are using, then slide the spine of your wire through the stack’s punched holes. Your paper should be placed carefully on the wire closer table with the open end of the wire pressed against the closer’s back. To shut and seal the wire around your calendar, pull the handle on the wire tighter. You’re done now! For a flip-chart calendar display, prop up that calendar on your desk.  

Pushpin Hanging Calendars (Double Sheet Calendars): 

A pushpin calendar, often known as a double sheet calendar, is essentially just a wire bound book with calendar pages that have holes punched out at the bottom of the pages. It can be hung on the wall using this hole and a pushpin or nail. When hung up, both interior pages are all accessible, much like a conventional stapled calendar (cue name, “double sheet”). A double sheet wire calendar can be bound with fewer materials than a flip-style hanging calendar, but it still needs an extra “punch” to make the tiny, single hole. 

What you’re going to need: 

• Wire-O Binding Machine 
• Wire Closer (Often attached to the wire binding machine, or available as a separate unit) 
• Single Hole Punch/Drill with small hole 
• Wire-O Binding Supplies 
• Your Custom Printed Sheets 
• Wire Cutters (Optional) 

How to make a Pushpin Hanging Wire Calendar 

1. Print out your pages. You can make the calendar pages whatever size you like, but keep in mind that larger pages will weigh more. Make sure to allow room for a hanging hole on the bottom of your pages. Since two pages (the front of the next page and the back of the previous page) will be visible when hanging up, you should print your pages front and back. Use two holes for hanging if you are building an especially large calendar to provide additional stability. 
2. Prepare and punch your pages. To punch your pages and get them ready for binding, use steps 2 and 3 from the previous section. 
3. Cut the wire to the length you need. Only if you are designing a calendar size that a regular wire will not fit is this step necessary. It should be trimmed to fit your paper’s width. 
4. Punch a hole for hanging. Make a hole in the bottom center of each sheet (including the covers) with your paper drill or a small single-hole punch. 
5. Bind it all together.  Set your wire closer to the Wire-O size that you are using, then slide the spine of your wire through the stack’s punched holes. Your paper should be placed carefully on the wire closer table with the open end of the wire pressed against the closer’s back. To shut and secure the wire around your calendar, pull the handle on the wire tighter. To hide the spine and reveal your finished calendar, flip the top sheet (your back cover) to the back of the calendar. 

Hanging Flip Wire Calendars: 

Simply said, a hanging calendar is a regular calendar that has a hook on the back so that it may be hung on the wall. This wall calendar style is arguably the most common wire bound calendar kind. It will utilize both a calendar hanger (or hook) that enables you to hang it on a nail in the wall and a typical wire binding spine. Your pages will be able to flip completely so that they are back-to-back, taking up less room on the wall. This is particularly useful when there aren’t any pictures or graphics on the calendar (or maybe there are but you want to give the user the option to conceal them). 

What you’re going to need: 

• Wire-O Binding Machine 
• Wire Closer (Often attached to the wire binding machine, or available as a separate unit) 
• Thumb Cut Punch 
• Wire Hangers 
• Wire-O Binding Supplies 
• Your Custom Printed Sheets 
• Wire Cutters 

How to make a Hanging Flip Wall Calendar 

1. Print out your calendar pages. You can use any of the calendar templates that are available online, or you can just create your own as you will be cutting your wire to the appropriate length. To help you get started, here is a link to various Microsoft calendar templates. 
2. Punch your Pages. Set the binding machine’s paper guide to the proper paper size. Place the prescribed amount of paper into the opening after gathering your printed pages. Slide the stack to the left once the paper has been fully inserted until it touches the paper guide. Tap the right and top of the stack to confirm that all the sheet edges are flush. To punch the sheets, depress the foot pedal or pull the handle. TIP: Always punch no more than the prescribed number of times and adapt your punching power for heavier paper stocks. 
3. Get your pages ready for binding by arranging them in the desired order. Turn the arrangement over so that the front cover is now on the back. Your arrangement’s first sheet should now be the inside of your back cover. Later phases will demonstrate how this conceals the wire spine and gives the appearance of professionalism. 
4. Trim your Wire to-Size. Using your wire cutters, cut and separate the middle two loops of the Wire-O binding spine, yielding two wire segments. This makes the necessary spacing for inserting the wire hanger. TIP: If you like, you can design a gap that is wider than 2 loops; just make sure your calendar hook is long enough to support it. 
5. Punch your Half-Hole. Center the half circle you’ve created in your pages where the wire was punched out using the thumb cut punch. 
6. Bind your calendar together. Put the two wire pieces through the punched paper. Making ensuring that the wire hanger loop is positioned in the gap between the paper and the wire, center it inside the wire spine. Your wire should be set closer to the relevant Wire-O size you are using. Your paper should be placed carefully on the wire closer table with the open end of the wire pressed against the closer’s back. To shut and secure the wire around your calendar, pull the handle on the wire tighter. To hide the spine and reveal your finished calendar, flip the top sheet (your back cover) to the back of the calendar.
7. TIP: A 1/4″ wire-o size and a 3:1 pitch is used for most calendars, which typically have 12–15 pages.