I'm a huge fan of the Arc system and the Plum Paper Planners so I thought, why not combine the 2?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, I just really like these planner companies

Arcing my Plum Paper Planner

Plum Paper have many different planner layouts (I may or may not own 7 of them...) - their planners are simple, functional, affordable and they have reasonable shipping rates to Australia (rare for American planner companies!) However, their planners are coil bound. Coil binding is ok (it's my second favorite type of binding), but nothing beats the flexibility of being able to add, remove and rearrange pages the way the Arc discbound system does.

Related: Why I use the Arc Planner instead of binders

Why I prefer the Arc System

• The discs don’t get in the way when writing and you can fold the notebook back on itself

• The discs don't cut into the page much so it gives you a wider margin and makes it easier to write on the page

• I can easily remove pages (without damaging them) from one Arc notebook and transfer them to another notebook that has the Arc discs

• I can also transfer pages within the same notebook

• Comes in A5 and A4 size (full page and half page size)

• Has accessories such as plastic sleeves, pocket folders and zip-lock pockets

• Sturdy – I use the leather covers. They're expensive but they last ages (I've been using the same ones for about 3 years now). The less expensive poly covers feel a bit cheap

• The coils last a long time - I've never had any coils break and I've been using the same ones for years

• You can punch pages smaller than the size of the notebook i.e. if you purchase the letter size version, you could punch half size pages (on the shorter side) or small lists

Related: Planner Organization: Why I use the Arc Planner instead of binders

To enlarge the screen of the video, click the square icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video (it will say ‘full screen’ when you hover your mouse over the icon).

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Tips on Arcing your planner

• When you purchase your planner from Plum Paper (or another planner company) - ask them to leave the pages unpunched - this way you don't have to remove the coil plus you don't want holes already on the page as when you re-punch it with the Arc there'll be too many holes and it won't stay in the notebook

• I used the 8.5 x 11" page size setting which worked great with the Plum Paper Planner which is approx 7" wide x 9" high

• Always do a test punch on a piece of scrap paper first, then place it in front of the paper you want to punch to make sure the holes line up where you want them to go

• I started from the back of the planner and worked my way to the front

• I punched 4 pages at a time, 1 divider at a time, 1 cover at a time, and 1 laminate cover at a time

• If in doubt, use the larger ring size. For the 18 month planner I showed in the video I used the 1.5" discs. If you're ARCing a 12 month planner I still recommend using the larger disc size, especially if you plan using stickers as these will add bulk to your planner

• There was a slight difference when punching with a slightly wider space between the edge of the page and the first disc. I chose to put this larger space at the top of my planner because if I'm quickly flipping through the pages they're less likely to fall out (as I turn the page from the top corner not the bottom)

• Discs come in different colors including black (which is what I use as it looks good with any color), as well as hot pink

Related: Plum Paper Planners Haul & Review (better than the Erin Condren?)

Note: The Happy Planner punch from MAMBI is cheaper but not as strong. While punching through the thick laminate cover didn't sound the greatest it didn't break the machine - I Arced multiple planners and the machine is still going strong!

A similar system is the Levenger discbound system - they have plenty of disc colors including gold! <3

If you're not sure what binding system is right for you, see: How to choose a binding system for your planner (comparison and which one I like the most)

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• Quick and easy weekly meal planning using sticky notes
• 6 Ways to color code your planner to increase productivity

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