How Best to Turn My PHB into a Paperback?

Rune · Jan 20, 2015

So, my 5e PHB's binding is giving out and I'm wondering if I could take the opportunity to make the book a bit more portable.

Can anyone offer suggestions on how to do that at reasonably low cost and without losing important page-real estate? (And scanning it into a PDF is not an option I'm going to pursue.)

'Cause, right now, it's even less portable than before.

TreChriron · Jan 21, 2015

Hit up Staples. Have them use their cutter to trim (closely) the end binding off. This should separate the covers and all pages. Try and get the book pages "aligned" at the binding before they cut it.

Then you have a couple options.

Option 1: Spiral or comb bind the pages. They "might" be able to add the covers, but likely not. There's a download here for "do it yourself basic 5e covers" you could have printed on card stock and used as replacements. Then I would frame the actual covers as a cool wall decoration.

Now, this could shave off a tad of the "real estate" on the page.

Option 2: Put all the pages into plastic sleeves and put in a 3 ring binder. Print cover pages and insert into front/back of binder (you obviously need one with sleeves in front/back). This will preserve more "real estate" However, it will also make a MUCH thicker tomb...

Have you contacted WOTC? I'm wondering if they wouldn't offer you a replacement? Frankly, for the trouble I would buy a new one, see if I can't get a trade in on my busted one, and then have two books. I could then give one away to a new impressionable player down the road.