Elastic Folio Inserts
Planner inserts, journal refills, and folio booklets, printed to your specifications.
Elastic folio systems have become one of the fastest-growing formats in the planner world. A folio cover holds several slim booklets on elastic bands running down the spine, and the reader swaps them in and out: a monthly planner here, a notes booklet there, a project tracker for the season. The cover lasts for years. The inserts are printed fresh whenever your customer is ready for something new, and that is exactly the part we produce.
At Vervante we have been handcrafting custom books in the USA for over 25 years. If you design planner or journal pages for this format, we print the booklet inserts for you, any size, black & white or full color, in the counts your customers order, with the same low minimums, print on demand production, warehousing, and fulfillment we offer across our product line.
Want to see and feel the quality before you commit? Order samples to review our paper stocks and finishes in person.
What Your Customers Call These
This format goes by several names. Some customers call them planner inserts or folio refills. Others call them travelers notebook inserts, traveler's journals, or simply Travelers. Whatever your audience calls them, they are the same thing: slim saddle-stitched booklets sized to slip under the elastics of a refillable folio cover. We print them undated or dated, lined, dot grid, blank, or fully designed, in planner, journal, and notebook layouts.
If you are building a whole planner line rather than a single insert, see our Build Your Own Planners page for the other formats we produce, including spiral, wire-o, and disc punched planners.
Please note: we print the booklet inserts. We do not manufacture the folio cover itself. This works the same way as our disc punching service, where we punch and print the pages while the discs come from elsewhere. Source your folios from the supplier of your choice, send them to us, and we will store them alongside your printed inserts and ship the complete set to your customer.
We print the inserts
You supply the folio
Sized to Fit Your Folio
We are not limited to any particular size. The folio is what sets the dimensions, not our press, so tell us the measurements your cover calls for and we will print to them. The sizes below are the ones we see most often, listed as reference points rather than as a menu.
Getting the dimensions right is what makes an insert sit properly under the elastics. A booklet that is even slightly off will not seat cleanly in the cover, so measure the folio you are sourcing before you build your files.
| Size | Inches (W × H) | Millimeters | Good For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular / Standard | 4.33 × 8.27 | 110 × 210 | The classic travelers notebook insert |
| B6 Slim | 4.9 × 7.1 | 125 × 180 | A popular size with indie planner makers |
| A5 | 5.83 × 8.27 | 148 × 210 | Roomy weekly and monthly layouts |
| Planner | 5.5 × 8.5 | 140 × 216 | Common in mass-market folio planner systems |
| Personal | 3.75 × 6.75 | 95 × 171 | A compact carry-everywhere size |
| Pocket / Field Notes | 3.5 × 5.5 | 89 × 140 | Notes, lists, and quick trackers |
| Passport | 3.5 × 5.0 | 89 × 124 | The smallest common folio insert |
| Any size | Your exact measurements | Whatever your folio calls for | |
How the Booklets Are Built
Folio inserts and planner refills are saddle-stitched, the same binding used for slim booklets and magazines. Two staples through the fold hold the pages together so the booklet stays thin and flexible enough to layer several under the elastics. The format is built around a set of light booklets rather than one heavy one, so your customers can carry only what they need.
What we can do:
- Any size. Match a common folio size above, or give us your own dimensions.
- Any layout. Undated or dated planners, lined, dot grid, blank, or fully designed journal and notebook pages.
- Black & white or full color interiors, and you can mix booklets within a single order.
- Up to 52 pages per booklet, the practical maximum for a saddle-stitched insert.
- Print on demand or in bulk. Order a short run to test a design, or a larger quantity to stock, with low minimums either way.
- Ordered in sets. Most folio users rotate a handful of booklets at a time, so tell us how many you want and we will print them together.
Want to add a tear-out page to an insert? We can perforate individual sheets so your reader removes a completed tracker or a shopping list while the rest of the booklet stays intact.
Send Us Your Folios for Fulfillment
We do not manufacture the folio covers, but we can still ship the complete product for you. Source your leather, vegan leather, clear, or fabric folios from the supplier of your choice and send them to our facility, and we will store them alongside your printed inserts. When an order comes in, we pair the folio with the booklets you have specified and ship the finished set straight to your customer.
That means one fulfillment partner for the whole product, not a separate warehouse for covers and another for inserts. It is the same warehousing and fulfillment we provide across our product line, extended to the folios you supply.
How to Order
Design each booklet at the size your folio calls for, with bleed and crop marks, and save each one as its own print-ready PDF. Then tell us your specifications and upload your files.
- Prepare your files. One print-ready PDF per booklet, built to the correct insert size.
- Submit your specifications. Give us the size, page count, color, and number of booklets on our send file specifications form.
- Upload and we print. We produce saddle-stitched booklets sized to drop straight into an elastic folio.
Want pricing before you commit? Request a quote and we will send an estimate for your inserts.
New to custom planners? Our free resource library includes expert guides, product videos, print templates, and FAQs. Everything you need to get started with confidence. Explore all free resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an elastic folio insert?
It is a slim, saddle-stitched booklet designed to slip into an elastic-band folio cover. Customers also call these planner inserts, folio refills, travelers notebook inserts, or traveler's journals. The cover holds several booklets on elastics running down the spine, and the reader swaps them in and out. We print the booklet inserts; the folio cover is sourced separately.
Do you sell the leather folio or cover too?
No. We print the booklet inserts only, the same way our disc punching service prepares pages without supplying the discs. Your customers pair our inserts with the folio cover of their choice. All we need from you is print-ready files sized to fit the cover they use, and if you source your own folios we can warehouse them and ship the complete set.
What sizes do you print?
Any size. We are not limited to the sizes on the market, because the folio sets the dimensions rather than our equipment. Common folio sizes include Regular, B6 Slim, A5, Planner, Personal, Pocket, and Passport, and if your cover calls for something else, send us the exact measurements and we will print to them.
Do you print planner inserts and journal refills as well?
Yes. Undated and dated planners, lined and dot grid journals, blank notebooks, and fully designed pages are all the same booklet to us. Tell us the layout and we will print it at the size your folio requires.
How many pages can a booklet have?
Up to 52 pages, which is the practical maximum for saddle-stitched binding. This format is built around several thin booklets rather than one thick one, so the page limit fits how the inserts are actually used.
Can I order booklets in a set and mix colors?
Yes. Most folio users rotate a handful of booklets at a time, so you can order several in one job and mix black & white and full color booklets within the same order. Tell us how many booklets you want and how each should print.
Can I print on demand instead of ordering in bulk?
Yes. We print on demand with low minimums, so you can test a new insert design with a short run before committing to a larger quantity. You can also stock inventory with us and have us fulfill orders as they come in.
What file format do you need from me?
We accept print-ready PDF files, one per booklet, built to the correct insert size with bleed and crop marks. Specifications for size, bleed, margins, and resolution are on our print specifications page.
Ready to Print Your Inserts?
Whatever stage you are at, here is where to start.
