I was working on a set of clipboards this week and wanted to share a small "how to" for putting paper on a clipboard. The challenge is getting around the clip. Here's how I do it:
- Measure your clipboard and cut a rectangular piece of paper to fit.
- Slide the paper up under the clip, matching the bottom of your paper with the bottom of the clipboard.
- Fold over the paper at the top where it hits the bottom of the clip base (the hardware secured to the board under the top clip).
- Mark your folded paper with two little marks on each side of the clip base and remove the paper from the board.
- Unfold the paper and add a mark at the top mid-way between your two clipboard base marks.
- Starting at your top mark, cut away a triangle shape (where the base of the triangle is along your folded line between the two clip base marks).
- Slide the paper under the clip again matching the base of your triangle against the clip base.
- Use your fingers or a small embossing tool to "fit" the paper around the rest of the clip base. These will be your lines for cutting so make them nice and crisp (I use my nails).
- Turn the clipboard over and use a pencil to mark around any excess paper (like at the corners). I do this on the edge of a table so I can keep the clipboard flat where I'm marking.
- Remove the paper again and cut away the rest of the clip base and any corners that you marked.
Sand the edges of your paper and board with a sanding sponge. This is the final touch that takes your paper from being just on the board to actually being part of the board...it makes a huge difference in the look of the clipboard.
