How to Cover Paperbacks With Contact Paper
- 1). Open the paperback book and place the open book face down on the table. Measure the book's height and the width from edge to edge, tucking the tape measure in around the book's spine if it is not flat. Add 1 inch to both the height and width measurements. Close the book.
- 2). Place the contact paper face down on a flat surface. Place the square on top of the contact paper with one edge of the paper lined up with one edge of the square. Make a mark at the paper's edge to mark the height, and draw a line along the edge of the square, not lined up with the paper's edge, and make a mark to note the width. Turn the square over, lining up the square's edges with the height and width marks. Draw lines following across the top and edge of the square. Remove the square. The lines you drew and the paper's edge will form a rectangle.
- 3). Wrap the contact paper cover around the paperback with the right side out. Mark the front and back corners as well as the upper and lower spin corners. Cut the marked corners off with the scissors, making a diagonal cut. Cut straight in from the contact paper edge to the spine corner marks.
- 4). Place the contact paper face down on a flat surface and peel off the backing. Fold down the two small tabs formed by cutting straight in above and below the spine corners. Hold the book closed, and with the book above but not touching the contact paper, position the spine with the corners lined up with the folded down tabs. Press the spine against the contact paper when you get it lined up.
- 5). Roll the book toward the front slowly, so the entire front cover touches the contact paper, then roll it backward to join the back cover and contact paper. The paperback will be flexible enough to roll slightly. Push out any small bubbles you notice as you roll the cover each way, because after the contact paper sticks to the paperback it will be too late to push out bubbles.
- 6). Fold the 1/2-inch overlap over the edge, onto the inside of the paperback's original cover. The diagonal corner cuts you made earlier will allow the cover to lay flat with no overlap on the inside of the cover.
Source...