There are a wide variety of papers that are suitable for your cover. In general, thicker papers (such as construction paper) will provide the most protection, though decorative papers (such as wrapping paper) can be more visually appealing. (Later in the article there will be a discussion on how to decorate and strengthen paper covers. ) You can also use materials that are paper-like, such as wallpaper, Tyvek (often used for packaging), and duct tape (see below in the article).

If you don’t do this, you will run into problems in the next step when you fold the extra paper material over the edges of the cover. It is physically impossible to fold the paper over the pages themselves, so your paper cover will scrunch and eventually tear as you open and close the book.

Use pieces of tape to hold your work together as you go and to secure the cover once you are done folding.

Congratulations! Your book cover is now complete. Anything you do to your cover after this point is completely optional. One thing you may want to experiment with is laying a strip of tape along the spine while the book is closed. Generally, the spine is the part of the cover that receives the most wear, so protecting this with tape can prevent it from wearing out prematurely. Taping the corners likewise helps eliminate a common wear point. It also has the advantage of making the cover stay on more securely to the book. Sturdy tapes like packing tape or duct tape are best, though layered scotch or masking tape can work surprisingly well. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/7/75/Cover-a-Textbook-Step-6. jpg/v4-460px-Cover-a-Textbook-Step-6. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/7/75/Cover-a-Textbook-Step-6. jpg/aid279893-v4-728px-Cover-a-Textbook-Step-6. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

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Drawings and doodles (take care not to use pens or markers that bleed through your cover) Stickers Duct tape designs Negative-space designs (i. e. , cutting some of the cover out in a decorative shape) Cut-outs from magazines, advertisements, etc. Just cut and paste.

Include a way of reaching you if the book is lost, such as your school, a phone number or e-mail. If you leave your textbook somewhere, it is more likely to get to you or the school if the do-gooder who finds it can know how to get it to you. Just be sure not to include any sensitive identifying information like an address or a student ID number.

Make sure your bag is large enough to cover both sides of your book before beginning.

Ignore the folds that may remain in the sheet of paper you have cut from your paper bag — make your own folds. Ironing the paper on medium heat on an iron can get rid of any fold marks that may confuse you, or just make a really nice, tidy piece of paper.

However, since sticking duct tape directly to the textbook can be quite damaging in its own right, before starting, you’ll need to make a “sheet” of duct tape material that’s non-sticky on both sides. This isn’t as hard as it sounds, though it can be somewhat time-consuming. To begin, pull a single long strip of tape and lay it on your work area face-up. [3] X Research source {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/b/bd/Cover-a-Textbook-Step-11. jpg/v4-460px-Cover-a-Textbook-Step-11. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/b/bd/Cover-a-Textbook-Step-11. jpg/aid279893-v4-728px-Cover-a-Textbook-Step-11. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

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<br />\n</p></div>"} Your strip of tape should be about three to six inches longer than your book is in height. In the rest of this section, you will want to use tape strips that are roughly the same length as your first, but keep in mind they don’t need to be exactly the same.

You may even want to overlap your tape slightly to make sure that no stickiness shows through.

When you’re done, you should have a sheet that’s perfectly rectangular (and still extends beyond the edges of your book by a few inches on each side).

This is done for the same reason as in the paper method above — without this, opening the book puts stress on the portion of the cover next to the spine, causing it to fold awkwardly and eventually wear.

As advised above, label your textbooks and make it easy for a lost book to find you. You may also want to try laying strips of white masking tape down on the front cover and spine to use as labels. This is a good idea for keeping track of the subject of each book.