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Preparing your Materials
Turning your digital download into durable, ready-to-use learning materials doesn’t need to be complicated. These simple preparation tips will help you print, cut, laminate and organize your Little Spark Company resources efficiently.
Printing Your Files
Before printing, take a few moments to review your file and choose the pages you need. Check whether the pages are portrait or landscape and look for any special instructions, such as double-sided printing.
For the most reliable results, open and print your PDF files using Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than printing directly from a web browser. Other PDF viewers can occasionally distort images or create unwanted boxes around graphics. If you use a Mac, we recommend opening your files in Adobe Acrobat Reader rather than Preview.
Choose your paper based on how the resource will be used. Bright white cardstock works well for cards and other materials that will be handled repeatedly, while regular printer paper is usually sufficient for worksheets and workbook pages.
Having difficulty with printer settings or print quality? Visit our Help with Printing guide → .
Setting Up Your Workspace
A little preparation can make assembling printable resources much faster. Start with a clear work surface and gather everything you are likely to need before you begin.
Depending on the resource, your supplies may include printed materials, a paper trimmer, corner rounder, recycling bin, laminator and laminating pouches. If you regularly prepare workbooks, you may also use a binding machine and binding coils.
If you have enough space, setting up your materials in an assembly-line style can make larger preparation jobs much more efficient: trim first, round corners next, then laminate or bind as needed.
Cutting Your Materials
A good paper trimmer can make preparing cards considerably faster and help produce clean, even edges. Use the ruler guides on your trimmer whenever possible to reduce the number of individual measurements and cuts you need to make.
Avoid cutting too many sheets at once, as stacked pages can shift and create uneven edges.
Once your cards are trimmed, you may wish to use a corner rounder to remove sharp corners and give the finished materials a neat, durable appearance.
Laminating: When Is It Worth It?
Lamination can extend the life of frequently handled materials by protecting them from bending, tearing and dirt. However, it also adds preparation time and creates additional plastic waste, so we generally recommend laminating only resources that are likely to receive heavy or repeated use, particularly when materials will be shared by several children.
For many homeschool activities, sturdy cardstock is durable enough without lamination.
If you do laminate cards, consider cutting the individual pieces before laminating. Leaving a small sealed margin of laminate around each piece helps prevent the edges from peeling over time. Always check which pouch thickness your laminator accepts; most home laminators work with 3- or 5-mil pouches.
For reusable worksheets, page protectors paired with a wet-erase marker can provide a simple alternative to laminating each page individually.
Binding Workbooks & Booklets
If you have printed a multi-page workbook, binding can make the finished resource easier for a child to handle and keeps the pages neatly together. A home binding machine can be worthwhile if you prepare workbooks regularly, but it is probably unnecessary for occasional use.
Printable booklets require a slightly different preparation process. Many Little Spark Company resources include booklet templates designed to be printed double-sided, cut, folded and assembled in a specific order. Our separate Booklet Preparation guide walks you through the process step by step, including printing, cutting, arranging the pages and several simple binding options.