This was going to be a quick tip today for punching holes in your planner pages, refills + inserts. But I’m glad to say it’s turned into a Beginner Guide to Hole Punching Planner Pages.

Actually this will be the first article of The Beginner Guide Series about the basics of creating your own planner. Over the coming weeks, I’ll take you through hole punching, planner binders and page sizes, printing your planner pages the easy way + more.

Paper planners don’t have to be boring notebooks that leave us uninspired to take action on our dreams.

Having a gorgeous planner that you want to use everyday is a brilliant way to be inspired to make plans you actually want to take action on + add a little more creativity into your day.

Creating your own planner is good for the mind, body + soul!

Today we’re covering the how to on hole punching planner pages, whether its for ring, spiral or disc bound planners … I’ve got you covered!

I use two kinds of planners. My everyday planner is a large Kikki.K or a medium | A5 and my business planning planner is a large disc bound or A4, with Levenger gold metal discs. We’ll get to sizes and binding in an upcoming article, so stay tuned for that one.

Even better, sign up to my mailing list (at the bottom of this article) to be sure you receive the rest of the Beginners Guide Series articles. And when you sign up you’ll get some free printables to help you organise your day with less overwhelm so you can have time for what matters most.

One of the best things about creating your own planner is being able to add pages when + where you want. It’s the secret to having a planner that works the way you do!

My Kikki.K planner is a 6 hole binder and I use a standard 2 hole punch for my planner inserts. Or you can purchase a specialty hole punch. I have listed some specialty hole punches below with places you can purchase them from. If you have a favourite place you like to purchase your hole punches, please add them to the comments below, with the country you shop from, for our fellow planner lovers.

If you don’t have a specialty hole punch you can follow these simple steps with your two hole punch for the same result.

Punching Holes for Ring Bound Planners

Below are two methods I have used to punch holes in my planner inserts for my ring bound binders. The first method is how I began punching holes in my planner pages and the second method is how I punch my pages now.

Method 1 : using a 2 or 1 hole punch

1. Use an existing planner page with holes already punched to mark where your holes should go. Use a pencil and trace the outlines of the circles.
2. Next I’d take the bottom off my hole punch that collects the confetti. Be sure to check that it is not holding any confetti first.
3. Turn your hole punch over so you can see the bottom when the sharp circles poke through to cut your card + paper.
4. Position your card or paper into position so you can see the circle you drew in the middle of the hole.
5. Hold steady + punch. Repeat steps 4 + 5 for all your holes. Easy!

Method 2 : using a 2 or 1 hole punch

You can use this method if you can see through the base of your hole punch.

1. Use an existing planner page with holes already punched to mark where your holes should go. Use a black pen to mark the centre with a dot.
2. Turn your hole punch over so you can see where the sharp circles poke through to cut your card + paper.
3. Position your card or paper into position so you can see the dot you drew in the middle of the hole.
4. Hold steady + punch. Repeat steps 4 + 5 for all your holes. Easy!

Punching Holes for Disc Bound Planners

If you use a disc bound system for your planner you’ll need a specialty hole punch to make the unique holes that attach your paper to the discs. They really are worth the investment for a good one.

I use the Levenger Circa Universal Desk Punch and it’s fabulous! Easy to use and even cuts through clear kitchen mats that I use as covers. I’ll talk more about binding + covering your planner in an upcoming article.

#tip : I’ve read that pages punched with a Levenger punch turn easier with all kinds of discs than pages punched with a Staples Arc hole punch. The arc on the Levenger is just a tiny bit more spacious which is why the pages turn more freely.

We R Memory Keepers have a very unique planner punch that fits all kinds of planner binder types and sizes. I’ve linked to it in the shopping guide below. You can use the accessory pack for special spiral punches and have the punch do the hard work for you.

If you don’t want to purchase a specialty disc punch you can use a one or two hole punch just like you would for ring bound planners with an extra step at the end.

1. Use an existing planner page with holes already punched to mark where your holes should go. Use a black pen to mark the center with a dot.
2. Turn your hole punch over so you can see where the sharp circles poke through to cut your card + paper.
3. Position your card or paper into position so you can see the dot you drew in the middle of the hole.
4. Hold steady + punch. Repeat steps 4 + 5 for all your holes.
5. Then to finish use your scissors to do two small cuts between the edge of your paper and the center of the hole about 1mm apart. This small gap will give your the room to attach your page to your disc rings.

Punching Holes for Spiral Bound Planners

We R Memory Keepers have a very unique planner punch that fits all kinds of planner binder types and sizes. I’ve linked to it in the shopping guide below. You can use the accessory pack for special spiral punches and have the punch do the hard work for you.

I also found in my research that you can insert pages into your spiral bound planner by using a disc hole punch. Because of the unique way the holes are cut you can add the pages as long as they fit the width of your spiral coil. I haven’t tried this technique but thought I’d share it with you in case you wanted to try it.

Hole Punch Shopping Guide

We R Memory Keepers Planner Punch Board { adjustable holes } : this beauty is your one stop shop for all kinds of planner binder and systems. The punch board comes with planner chart on the base of the punch for punch positions for a wide range of planners such as such as Simple Stories Carpe Diem (ring version), Webster’s Pages Color Crush, Prima, Heidi Swapp, Filofax, Daytimer, Franklin Covey, A5, 7 ring, and others.


Scrapbook.com | Craft Online

There is also an accessories pack that punches holes for disc + spiral bound planners too!

Scrapbook.com | Craft Online

Ring Bound Hole Punches

Heidi Swapp 4 Hole Punch { fixed holes }

Simple Stories Carpe Diem 6 Hole Punch : A5 { fixed holes }

American Crafts 6 Hole Punch : A5 and Personal { fixed holes }

Disc Bound Hole Punches

Levenger Circa Universal Desk Punch { fixed holes } : I use this one and it’s fabulous!

Levenger Circa 1-2-3 Portable Punch { fixed holes }

Staples Arc Desktop Punch { fixed holes }
 In Australia Staples in now Winc

Me and My Big Ideas Happy Planner Punch { fixed holes } 
also on Amazon

Me and My Big Ideas Planner Punch Big : 8.5×11” { fixed holes }
 also on Amazon

Hole Punch Accessories

Create your own hole reinforces with this cool tool.

We R Memory Keepers Reinforce Hole Punch

Other places you can buy Hole Punches

Fishpond Australia | Ebay | Officeworks Australia | Scrapbook Store

Pick up your Printable Planner Kit here and create a planner you’ll love using everyday! Organise your day with more joy + less overwhelm!