Have you found the perfect monthly or weekly printable planner insert only to see it only comes as undated but you really want it dated for the year you are in?!
Do you have a favorite daily insert or tracker insert that you keep re-writing the same recurring tasks on only to wish you could somehow have it pre-written on there before you print them all out?
Do you love a good printable reference insert for addresses, passwords or any other information that you wish you could type all the info on so it looks neater in your planner?
Do you wish you had the information from your planner also stored digitally to have on the go?
Well, if some of these sound familiar to you, I have a solution!
If you own a device that allows you to use the Goodnotes 5 App on & you have the app, you’re in luck! Today I am going to share with you how you can use the Goodnotes app to customize and date your favorite printable planner inserts and how you can print them to use right in your planner system!
To watch the full time-stamped tutorial, I have a video all about it on my Youtube which you can view below! 🙂
I personally have always loved paper planners. I have been using them for well over half my life. I love to actually be able to flip through all my planner pages. There are so many layers, cute little notes, stationary, page tabs, sticky notes and dividers. I love my planner covers and watching them age over time, collecting more charm and character. I can’t imagine not having actual pen to paper and a paper planner system.
That being said, my planner, although small as an A6 size, gets pretty darn chunky and heavy! I do not always feel like caring it around with me depending where I go (although I tend to have it with me most of the time).
We live in the age of technology and I have also always incorporated some forms of that within my planning system. Let’s face it, it is convenient and helps us to remember important dates and tasks!
For many many years I have used apps to take digital notes, keep reference information stored away & see a calendar overview. It is just nice to be able to access certain information no matter where you are since we all tend to bring a device with us everywhere: our phones. Not to mention I like to set alerts for important appointments so I don’t miss them!
However, like I mentioned before, I couldn’t imagine my life without my actual ring bound planner system. So it is fun & helpful when you can combine the best of both worlds: paper planning and digital!
Maybe you like to fully use digital but found printable PDF inserts you like and want to incorporate them within your digital planning system. Or maybe you like the convenience of digital planning, but really want a hard copy printed off and stored away in your planner for reference. Perhaps you strictly paper plan but want a way to date your favorite printable planner inserts or customize them a bit with some of your recurring tasks. Or maybe, like me, you just enjoy them both and want to infuse a little digital planning within your paper planning system because it is a fun creative outlet.
Whatever the reason, you can do it if you’ve got the right products to do so!
Obviously, you need the star of the show, and that is the Goodnotes 5 App! I’m honestly not sure how much the app costs or if there is a free version anymore because I paid for mine years ago. But it is an app that was worth it in my opinion since I have gotten so much use out of it over the years.
You’ll also need a device to use the app on. If you are simply using it to type then you should be fine using it on a computer or any device. But, if you are wanting to handwrite or draw on it, then it is best to have a tablet, preferably an Apple iPad. I use the Apple iPad mini 5 personally. It is super portable while still being an excellent device to get so many things done on! (Note, I am not sure if the Goodnotes app works on non-apple devices because I personally use all Apple products for my devices).
If you are going to be handwriting and want a really great experience, I highly suggest getting a good digital pencil/stylus. Obviously the Apple Pencil is a great item for this, but if you are looking for something more affordable, looks like an Apple Pencil and is similar in the way it performs, I highly recommend you check out this dupe pencil I found years ago on Amazon for a fraction of the price! It works really well for what I need it for and that is handwriting, some sketching and doodling. I also occasionally do artwork with it. While the Apple Pencil has a few more features, this dupe pencil registers on my iPad as an Apple Pencil, has palm rejection and works great in Goodnotes. (Hopefully it is still available if you want to check it out!) (I also have an old blog post all about the pencil dupe here if you wish to check it out). Just know, the Apple Pencil as well as other digital pencils and stylus do not work on every iPad or device. Be sure to check your device specs ahead of time.
Lastly, you’ll want a printer if you are printing these inserts off to go into your paper planning systems. I get asked all the time what printer I use and I am always happy to say I have the Epson Ecotank 2800 series. I have been using this printer a couple years and have barely had to even refill the ink (maybe 1-2x a year) and I print every single day in both black and color ink. I highly recommend researching eco tank printers if you are in the market for a new printer, print often or want to save money on ink in the long run.
So, you have all the products needed to make this process happen..so now, it is time for the fun part- using Goodnotes! Between the tools offered in Goodnotes, having every color at your fingertips, being able to both type and handwrite within the app on documents and having the capability to add endless images, digital stickers and more, using Goodnotes is a fun experience especially with the right products! Best part is after you print, you then have a hard copy for your planner plus the digital copy on your devices which allows you to have the info on you to access even if you don’t happen to bring your planner with you somewhere.
The video tutorial is the best way to learn the easy process of importing your favorite printable planner insert PDF’s into Goodnotes, adding dates, text, writing, stickers, images, color, etc to them, then printing them out (double sided) to be able to punch and put into your planner systems.
There are some very important tips in the video tutorial that I want to stress- when you are printing these it is important you print for the size of the planner you are putting these into. It is important to print on “actual size” so it prints the planner size it is supposed to be. And lastly, it is important you know which is the front and which is the back page of the PDF printable planner inserts so when you print double sided, your info/dates are in the correct order and your margins match up!
The video above is time-stamped so if you have read this far, simply go to the time stamp labeled “Import Process” to continue.
I want to just say, this tutorial is to teach you how to add to the inserts for your own personal use. One should never alter a creators inserts or try to re-sell or giveaway to others. Planner shop owners put lots of time and creativity into their inserts 🙂
I also want to note that my tutorial is specifically showing you how to do this process using printable planner insert PDF’s from my Etsy shop, PlanWithBeeLLC on Etsy simply because I can show you how to use the files you get in the digital downloads from my shop. However, I am sure with most shops you can do this same process, but it could vary when it comes to printing depending on how others exported their downloads. Always do a test one before mass printing anything.
If you want to test this process out and need some FREEBIE printable planner inserts, head to my freebies page here on my website!
I hope you find this tutorial helpful!
Thank you for stopping by!
-B
