How to Create a Custom Journal in Canva + Free Pages!

Instructions

STEP 1: GET MY FREE CUSTOM JOURNAL DESIGNS

First, download my custom journal files from my free library – look for Design #789. Alternatively, you can use the Save This Project form near the top of this post and the design link will be emailed to you.

In the PNG folder, you’ll find a journal cover image, nine full-size images for individual journal pages, and twelve embellishment images to decorate your pages.

TIP: If you’re not sure how to unzip, go to jennifermaker.com/svgs to learn how to unzip files.

Your journal can have a maximum of 200 pages (including the cover page), and it must contain an even number of pages.

I recommend following along to design a journal like my example before trying the same steps with your own theme and goals.

STEP 2: PREPARE YOUR JOURNAL DESIGN IN CANVA

1. To get started, open your computer’s browser and go to jennifermaker.com/canva.

NOTE: If you’re new to Canva, check out my Canva for Beginners tutorial.

2. Either sign in to your account or follow the prompts on the screen to sign up for a free account.

NOTE: Canva does offer paid subscriptions with more tools and elements, but I’ll show you how to do everything with the free account.

3. On the Canva Home screen, click the “Templates” button to open Canva’s “Templates” menu.

NOTE: Templates with a crown are Canva Pro items. You’ll need to purchase them individually or sign up for a paid membership to use them. We’ll use free options.

4. Search for “bound document” in the “Templates” search bar.

5. Click the first result to “Create a blank Bound Document (US Letter)” and open the template in a new canvas.

NOTE: Depending on your view, this might say “Create blank” with a plus sign.

6. On the right side of your screen, you’ll see “Print with Canva” settings for printing your design as a bound document. We’ll go over these in more detail later.

NOTE: If you adjust these now, you can still change them later.

7. Click “File,” go down to “Settings,” and make sure “Show rulers and guides” has a check mark next to it.

8. Check that the “Pages” button in the bottom bar is highlighted gray so page thumbnails appear beneath your canvas. Click the button to highlight it if needed.

NOTE: This makes it easier to see lots of pages quickly without having to scroll through each one.

9. With the new project canvas ready, click the filename field at the top and replace the current name with your own.

10. The first page is your journal’s cover. To add the cover PNG from my design files to your journal, click on “Uploads” in the side panel, then “Upload files.”

11. Select the “cover” PNG and click “Open.”

12. In the “Uploads” panel, drag the cover image over the canvas until it attaches to the background layer and fills the page.

NOTE: There is a column of squares down the left side to show where the journal’s binding rings will be. Anything inside these squares will be cut off, so avoid placing important design elements near them.

13. To design the inside of your journal, decide what kind of overall layout you want and upload your chosen full-page PNGs from my design files following Steps 10-11 above.

NOTE: I’ll show you how to design a yearly journal using the “book-tracker,” “daily,” “lined-left,” “lined-right,” “mindfulness,” “monthly-left,” “monthly-right,” “weekly-left,” and “weekly-right” PNGs in my design files.

14. To add lined pages for writing notes at the beginning of your journal, click the “Plus (+)” button below the canvas twice to add two new pages.

NOTE: Even-numbered pages will be on the left side in your journal, while odd-numbered pages will be on the right side.

15. Select the thumbnail for Page 2, then drag the “lined left” PNG with the top-left floral accent onto the canvas to fill it.

TIP: If you drag your image onto the wrong page, click and drag the page’s thumbnail into the correct position to reorder your pages as needed.

16. Select the thumbnail for Page 3, then drag the “lined right” PNG with the top-right floral accent onto the canvas to fill it.

17. In the preview image within the “Print with Canva” panel on the right, select the inside layout to see how your two lined pages will look when side-by-side inside your journal.

TIP: If Canva doesn’t automatically update your preview window with your new images, click the “Refresh” button on your browser to reload the project.

18. To design your journal’s first month, click the “Plus (+)” button below the canvas twice to add two new pages.

19. Drag the “monthly left” PNG onto Page 4 and the “monthly right” PNG onto Page 5 to fill them.

20. Click the “Preview spreads” button in the right panel and use the left and right arrows to flip through the pages to make sure they look correct when side-by-side. Close the preview to return to your canvas.

21. To help keep your pages organized, rename your page titles to group similar pages together by selecting a thumbnail, clicking the three dots, and entering a name in the “Add page title” area.

NOTE: I like to organize mine by month, so I’ll click Page 4’s thumbnail and change it to “January.”

22. To add weekly pages to your journal, click the “Plus (+)” button below the canvas twice to add two new pages.

23. Drag the “weekly left” PNG onto Page 6 and the “weekly right” PNG onto Page 7.

24. To add additional weekly pages to match the number of weeks in the month you’re designing, click the “Grid view” icon at the very bottom of the canvas to see just the thumbnails for each page.

TIP: Use a calendar app on your PC or mobile device to check how many weeks you need for a particular month.

25. Hold the “Shift” key on your keyboard and click Pages 6 and 7 to select them to start your weekly pages.

26. Click the “Duplicate 2 pages” button in the Page Selection bar to add copies of both pages to your journal. Repeat as necessary to create as many weekly pages as needed.

NOTE: I’ll click “Duplicate 2 pages” three times so I have four pairs of weekly pages, spanning Pages 6-13.

27. Click the “Close grid view” button to return to your default canvas view.

28. Continue adding pages and PNGs to finish your first month’s layout.

NOTE: I’ll add the “mindfulness” PNG to Page 14, the “book tracker” PNG to Page 15, and two more left and right “lined” PNGs to Pages 16-17.

29. When you’re finished with your first month’s layout, refresh the page, then click the “Preview spreads” button to flip through your journal and check that the pages look the way you want. Close the preview to return to your canvas.

30. Repeat Steps 18-21 to begin your journal’s next month.

NOTE: I’ll add monthly pages to Pages 18-19, and rename Page 18 to “February.”

31. To add daily pages to your journal, click the “Plus (+)” button below the canvas to add a new page.

32. Drag the “daily” PNG onto Page 20.

33. Then follow Steps 24-27 to open “Grid view” and create as many copies of the daily page as needed for your month.

TIP: Select and duplicate multiple pages to create groups of copies instead of duplicating one page at a time.

NOTE: I’ll create 29 daily pages, spanning pages 20-48.

34. Follow Steps 28-29 to finish your second month’s layout.

TIP: If your last page ends on an even number (for a left page), add an additional page. This way, your next month starts on a left page, and the next two “monthly” PNGs are in the same spread.

NOTE: I’ll add the “mindfulness” PNG to Page 49, and two more left and right “lined” PNGs to Pages 50-51.

35. Continue adding, duplicating, and organizing your desired pages month by month until your journal is filled up!

TIP: Remember to refresh and preview your spreads to make sure your pages are laid out correctly.

BONUS: HOW TO CREATE A BOOK REVIEW PAGE

1. To create a book review page using Canva design elements, click the “Plus (+)” button next to the page thumbnails below the canvas to add a new page.

NOTE: You might need to scroll through the thumbnails to see the “Plus (+)” button.

TIP: You can use these steps to make a custom page of any type.

2. Click the “Text” icon in the side panel, then click “Add a text box.”

3. Type your desired text in the box.

NOTE: I’ll type in “My Book Review.”

4. To change your text’s typeface, select the text box, then click the font name field to open the Font menu in the side panel.

NOTE: It likely says “Canva Sans.”

5. Click on the icon with three horizontal lines and small circles to open the “Filter” menu, check the box next to “Free,” and click “Apply” to show only typefaces you can use without a paid account.

6. Click a typeface you like from the list to apply it to your text.

TIP: If there’s a down arrow beside the typeface, you can click to expand it and see other formatting options, too.

NOTE: I’ll choose the free Canva font “Apricots.”

7. Use the text box’s corner Resize handles to make your text larger or smaller as needed, and the side handles to adjust the text’s position inside the box. Or type a number in the Font Size field to resize the text.

NOTE: I’ll adjust mine to Font Size 55.

8. Then click and drag the text box to move it into your desired position.

NOTE: I’ll use the guidelines to center my text box near the top of the page.

9. To add a line to your page, click on “Elements,” then click the “Shapes” category to browse Canva’s media library.

10. Click a free horizontal line under the “Lines” section to add it to your canvas.

11. To change the line’s thickness, click the “Stroke style” icon (the button with three horizontal lines of varying thicknesses) and adjust the “Stroke weight” slider or value.

NOTE: I’ll set the “Stroke weight” to “1” for a thinner line.

12. Click and drag the line so its left edge touches the left margin guideline that appears.

NOTE: I’ll place mine about 1.5” beneath my text.

13. Drag the circle on the right end of the line to the right margin guideline that appears to extend the line across the page.

14. To add a graphic to your page, upload one of the embellishment images from my design files, or click the “Elements” icon, then click the “Graphics” category.

15. To find an image that fits a specific design you have in mind, type a related phrase in the “Search” bar.

NOTE: I’ll enter “five stars.”

16. Click an image you like to add it to your canvas.

NOTE: I’ll add an image of five gray stars in a horizontal line.

17. Resize and position the image as desired.

NOTE: I’ll add the stars graphic just above the right edge of my horizontal line.

18. To duplicate a set of elements, drag a selection box over the elements, then click “Group” to keep them together.

NOTE: I’ll group my line and stars together.

19. Click the “Duplicate” icon to add a copy of the group to your canvas, then position it as desired.

TIP: Use Canva’s guidelines to help position your elements with even spacing. Zoom in if you’re having trouble moving the elements.

NOTE: I’ll duplicate and position the groups to create spaces to review eight books.

20. Add, resize, and position elements as desired to finish your page’s design.

NOTE: I’ll add some cute book and plant graphics in the empty space below my lines.

21. Drag your completed page’s thumbnail where you want it to go in your journal.

NOTE: I’ll place mine at the end of March and end of September.

STEP 3: ORDER YOUR CUSTOM JOURNAL IN CANVA

1. When you’re ready to order your custom journal, select “All pages” under “Select your pages to print” in the “Print with Canva” panel.

2. Then select your paper type.

NOTE: I’ll choose “Standard paper.”

3. Choose an option under “Cover type.”

NOTE: I’ll choose “Clear covers” to add front and back acetate covers for additional protection.

4. Choose the number of journals you want to print in the “How many?” dropdown box.

NOTE: I’ll choose “1 Bound Document.”

5. Click “Continue.”

6. If there are any issues with your design on the “Let’s get ready to print” screen, follow the suggestions to fix any problems that can affect your print quality.

NOTE: If you see a “Replace low resolution image” suggestion for any pages using my design files, you can ignore these. I’ve tested the print quality as is, and there were no issues.

7. If you like, click “Download PDF” under “Do a final check” to see a preview of how your journal will look once printed.

8. Click “Add to cart.”

9. Then click “Checkout.”

10. Fill in your details, choose your shipping method, and enter your payment information on the “Secure checkout” page.

11. Then click “Place order.”

NOTE: A confirmation window will pop up to let you know your order has been placed successfully.

12. When your journal arrives, open the box to see how it turned out!

STEP 4: SHOW IT OFF

You now have an impressive custom journal you designed in Canva!