Thursday, December 17, 2015

How to Create Entry Forms and Notepads Quickly

by Jamie Bennett

Alright, who is ready to learn? Not me! But I am ready to show you how to pad entry forms and notepads. One thing, I don't have is a jogger, but that is an important piece of equipment. I recommend getting one if you have the money. It will help make sure all your paper is line up perfect.


1) You will see my cutter. I use a Come 2270ez cutter to cut all my entry forms down to the right size. I originally had these stacked three up on a sheet of 8.5x11, with a piece of chipboard behind each stack of 100. My goal is to have each book padded with glue across the top, and with 100 sheets in each pad. The chipboard provides stability, and a visual guide for the quantity breaks. Note that this cutter cuts only 300 sheets of generic 20lb paper at a time. Paper cutters are dangerous so be careful.

2) Martin Yale made my padding press. You can make your own press if you understand the principle of padding, but I find that it's just as easy and cost effective to buy one. They aren't all that expensive. But in this step you want to push the side that you plan on glueing up against the far wall of the padding press. This wall is removable, and you will use it to make sure all the pages are lined up flat for gluing.

3) Blake Shelton may stop by to check out your padder... Just ignore him, but do notice how I use the screws to put pressure onto the pads. You want to use pressure across the top so nothing moves, everything stays straight, and you want to keep the pads from warping too much during the process. Glue, being a liquid can cause the paper and chipboard to warp slightly. If you add pressure to the top while drying you can help combat any warping.


4) Now you can rotate the padding press,  and open the back hatch, exposing the area that you wish to apply the glue to.


5) I have some padding compound that I bought from Uline. Uline is a great resource for a multitude of products. The padding compound expands a bit as it dries. It is the perfect glue for this process.

6) Get a brush. They sell padding brushes, this is one, and run the padding compound along the edge that you wish to glue.


7) I rotate the paddin press again, and turn on a small fan to aid the drying process. Jason Aldean is are attracted to the scent of glue, so be careful. It usually only takes 30 minutes to dry.

8) Buy yourself a padding knife and work it along the glued edge, just under the chipboard to separate. You don't want to saw it. It works best if you tap it. Gradually working them free.

It is that simple! I just made 12,000 entry forms in 30 minutes.

Let me know if you have any questions. It is all really simple, and knowing how to do this on your own will save you time and money.

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