Junk journal ideas for pages that feel layered and personal. Junk journal pages, junk journal spreads, smash book ideas and junk journal inspiration for beginners. Each spread lists the papers, the ephemera and the order the layers go down, so a page looks collected, not cluttered.
Which paper takes glue, paint and ink without curling — named in gsm.
Scale, quality and colour mode that keep ephemera sharp on a home inkjet.
What goes down first, so a spread looks collected and not cluttered.
An evening, a weekend or a slow project, said up front.
Stickers, tape and papers that match, so one kit fills a whole journal.
Mix weights: 120–160 gsm for printed pages, heavier card for covers and tags, and thin papers like book pages or tissue for layering. One weight all through makes a flat journal.
Usually the printer is on draft or plain-paper mode. Set quality to best and paper type to matte, and print at 100 percent, not fit to page.
Use a thin, even layer of glue stick or matte gel medium, and press the page under a heavy book overnight. Wet PVA soaks the paper and it cockles.
No. Old envelopes, receipts, book pages and a few free printables are enough for a first journal. Buy only when you know what you run out of.
Every layout names the paper, the printer setting and the layer order, so a spread does not turn muddy or buckle.
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