DIY Wingfold Planner: How to Make a Folding Journal with Side Notepads

Want to make a DIY wingfold planner that looks completely unlike anything you’d buy in a store? This unique handmade journal opens to reveal a wire-bound notebook in the middle and two tear-off notepads tucked into folding side wings. When closed, the cover folds shut around it like a little gift — wings first, then the cover snaps over the top.

In this step-by-step tutorial, you’ll learn how to design and customize the inserts, notepads, and covers in Planify Pro, print everything at home on regular copy paper and sticker paper, and assemble the finished wingfold planner using chipboard, o-wire binding, and a few basic crafting tools. It’s one of the most impressive DIY planner projects you can create — perfect for personal use, gifting, or selling in your shop.

Prefer a video walkthrough? Watch the full tutorial on our DIY Wingfold Journal video tutorial page.

If you’re new to planner making, start with our beginner’s guide on how to make a custom planner before diving in. If you love folding cover designs, also check out the DIY double-door Christmas planner which uses a similar folded cover technique. For more o-wire binding projects, the DIY 2026 planner with magnetic closure and the half-hidden wire notebook are great next builds.

You’ll need the following:

✓ Regular copy paper (80–90 gsm) for inserts and notepads
✓ Chipboard (pieces #1 through #6)
✓ White matte or glossy sticker paper (A4)
✓ O-wires
✓ Binding machine (cinch or similar)
✓ PVA glue
✓ Heavy-duty paper cutter (or ruler and craft knife)
✓ Double-sided tape
✓ Bone folder for scoring

For printer recommendations to get the best results with your covers and inserts, see our best printers for making and selling planners.

Open the Wingfold Insert Templates

Go to PlanifyPro and scroll all the way down to the DIY Wingfold Notes template — these are the notes pages for the center notebook. Right next to it, you’ll find the DIY Wingfold Notepad template — these are the side notepads. Click on the planner to open it in the editor.

This planner is in the A6 size, so the entire finished project will be A6.

Customize the Background Pattern

Click Pattern in the right-hand menu, then browse all available patterns on the right side panel and select a new pattern to apply.

The graphics and patterns used in this DIY are from the Regency Scrapbook collection. Feel free to choose any pattern you like, or import your own by clicking My Uploads.

Customize the Widgets

Click on the widget on the page to select it. On the right side, choose from: dotted grid, simple lined, dotted lined, or script widget. Each widget can be further customized — open Spacing to adjust grid size, columns, or rows.

To add an additional widget:

• Click on the existing widget
• Click the + button to add a new row
• Click into the empty space and choose a widget type (blank, to-do, finance, and more)
• Drag the dividers to resize columns and rows

Once you’re happy with one side, click Right to Left (or Left to Right) to mirror the layout to the other page.

Add Stickers and Decorations

Click Stickers to open the sticker panel, open the Regency Scrapbook collection (or any other collection), then drag stickers onto the page and reposition as desired.

Export and Print the Notes Pages

Go to Save / Export, choose A4 or US Letter (whichever paper you have), then click Export PDF and download the file.

Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click Print, set Custom scale: 100%, and print 50 copies, double-sided — this gives you 100 pages total once cut.

For double-sided printing:

• Manual: print all odd pages, flip the stack, reinsert into your printer, then print all even pages
• Automatic duplex: select Print on both sides → Flip on short edge

Customize and Print the Notepads

Go back to the hub and open the DIY Wingfold Notepad template. Customize the pattern, widgets, header text, and stickers the same way as the notes pages. The header is set to “Society Papers” by default — click on it to change it to anything you like.

When ready, click Save / Export and choose A4 or US Letter.

The notepad file has two pages with two different notepad styles. Choose whichever you prefer, or export both. You can also use the A4 Quadruple export option to fit four notepads per sheet and save paper.

Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader, print 70 copies at 100% custom scale, and use regular 80–90 gsm copy paper.

Design and Print the Covers

Click Create a Planner → Full Control. Keep the size set to A5 (this is important — A5 is needed so the cover layout fits all chipboard pieces). Go to Pattern and select your front cover pattern, then click Add Page to add a second page and select a different pattern for the back cover.

When ready, click Save / Export → All Pages, choose A4 size and Default, then Export PDF.

Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Print settings: Custom scale 100%, Quality Best. Paper: White matte sticker paper in A4 size (glossy white sticker paper also works).

⚠️ Use A4 sticker paper, not US Letter. The A4 size is needed to fit all the chipboard pieces side by side on the cover sheet.

Assemble the Wingfold Cover

Take the first cover page (the wide one that becomes the wings + back cover):

• Peel off the adhesive backing
• Place chipboards #2 through #6 onto the sticker paper, lined up in order
• Trim off the corners
• Fold in all the sides

Take the second cover page (the single front cover):

• Peel off the adhesive backing
• Place chipboard #1 in the center
• Trim off the corners
• Fold in all the sides

Line the inside of both cover pieces with white matte sticker paper, then score all the edges so the cover folds cleanly along each chipboard seam.

Prepare and Bind the Notes Pages

Cut the notes pages using a heavy-duty paper cutter (or a ruler and craft knife). Clip the stack together neatly, apply PVA glue along the top edge to keep the stack aligned, and let it dry for at least 15 minutes.

Once dry, hole-punch the notes stack along the binding edge using your cinch or binding machine. Hole-punch the front cover (the single chipboard piece) along the binding edge, and hole-punch the back cover (chipboard #2 of the wide piece) along its inner edge.

Insert your o-wires through the holes in this order:

1. Notes pages
2. Front cover
3. Back cover (the wide wingfold piece)

Cinch the wires closed at the back.

Attach the Notepads to the Wings

Turn the planner over so the wings are facing up. Apply double-sided tape to the back of each notepad stack, then press each notepad down firmly onto the inside of each wing.

Your Wingfold Planner Is Complete!

To close it: fold the wings in toward the center, then fold the front cover over the top. To open it: lift the cover, unfold the wings, and you have a wire-bound notebook in the middle with two tear-off notepads on either side.

If you’re a Business Plan subscriber, you have full commercial rights to sell this project — either as a finished physical planner in your shop, or as digital files for other planner makers and digital planner users.

More DIY Planner & Notebook Tutorials

Love this folding wingfold design? Explore these other handmade projects:

• DIY Wingfold Journal video tutorial — watch the full step-by-step build on video
• DIY Christmas Planner: Double-Door Holiday Planner — another folding cover project with two doors that open from the center
• DIY 2026 Planner with Magnetic Closure — wire-bound planner with a satisfying magnetic snap
• DIY Half-Hidden Wire Notebook — a clean, professional finish with a hidden spine
• DIY Magnetic Planner for Your Fridge
• DIY Sliding Notebook with Tear-Off Inserts
• Book Binding Methods: Guide to Different Binding Styles

Ready to Design Your Own Wingfold Planner?

Planify Pro makes it easy to create professional planner pages, notepads, and covers that are perfectly sized for handmade projects like this one. Choose from hundreds of templates or design your own layouts in minutes — no graphic design experience needed.

Try Planify Pro Free →

Looking for more planner inspiration? Explore our complete guide to custom planner makers in 2026, browse 50+ planner template ideas for sellers, or see our step-by-step roadmap on how to start a profitable planner business on Etsy.

Don’t forget to visit us on Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest for more inspiration — and to explore our wide selection of premade planner templates, design stickers, and fonts.

Happy Planifying,
Jennifer