How to Create a Weekly Planner in Affinity Publisher

[@harryhayes2412]

This is probably the best tutorial I've seen to get you up to speed quickly in the creation of a nicely designed weekly planner. By the time I got to the end of the video, I also had a very good grounding in Affinity Publisher. There are so many videos churning out bland design examples and this really is a breath of fresh air for those who want to enter into this seriously as a business. Low content shouldn't mean low quality, and I think a lot of people forget this. Many Thanks Rachel for another in-depth tutorial.

[@3PairDesigns]

Wow, Rachel, you are a really good teacher! I have been looking at getting serious with a design program and while I know you did this video less than a year ago, this is something I will definitely look into for sure. Thank you again for your time and patience. 👍

[@moosolutions]

Hi Rachel, why you don't use the "power duplicate" feature (Ctrl + J on Windows) for the lines and checkboxes? This is much easier and faster than copy & paste or drag & drop. With "power duplicate" feature you can duplicate an element and line it up correctly.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks for the feedback! I didn't know that this feature existed, so I appreciate the tip. Very helpful!

[@peace.n.blessings5579]

Thanks Moo

[@jenbcosgrove]

Love all your videos and the Affinity tutorials have been particularly useful lately. I have been using Affinity Designer to create covers and didn't even realize that they made a publishing tool. I made my first planner using Google slides but when I watched this tutorial, I realized how much easier it would be to make much better interiors with Affinity Publisher. And your tips in other videos about using type styles, editing templates, etc., have been fantastic. Love your teaching style and signed up for your email list so I can keep getting info about new videos and other resources. Thank you!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks Jen, I'm thrilled you've been finding all my videos so useful! Messages like yours make it all worthwhile. :)

[@Jadestar83]

Great video, Rachel! I finally understand tables!

[@TV-gy1nf]

I've been trying to learn how to create forms with Affinity Publisher. Your video is the best! You are a great teacher. Please do more Affinity Publisher videos!

[@pineapplesandpinwheels2491]

I would love to see you create a digital planner from start to finish. You are an amazing teacher. I hope see more tutorial videos from you.

[@lightbeams]

I'm new to Apple and trying to publish a book. Thanks for these tutorials. Sometimes I have a bit of trouble tracking quickly enough where you are placing your cursor during a tutorial and I get lost looking for what you're talking about, but appreciate now knowing where I can go for lessons.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Glad it was helpful, and thanks for the feedback!

[@rebeccaowsley7233]

This video is amazing. I've been putzing around with Canva and Affinity publisher but making interiors has been such a headache, until watching this. Thank you so much for posting

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks Rebecca, I'm so glad it was helpful!

[@Just-Jaci]

Which do you prefer, Canva or Affinity?

[@doraima29]

This is my software of choice since Adobe Creative Suite is so expensive and it is geared for creative professionals. Thank you for sharing this tutorial on producing content on creating a weekly planner in Affinity Publisher( almost like Adobe InDesign). I liked how this software is great for this project. I use Affinity Photo and/ or Affinity Designer to design my cover pages.

[@ShawneeUnion]

Really amazing instruction! Just downloaded this software and you took me from zero knowledge to know how to fumble around in 30 minutes. Thanks!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Amazing; glad it helped!

[@tiantuatara]

This was an awesome video. Thank you for explaining all the bits and pieces of Publisher.

[@jms9057]

I'd love to see a video about the copyright issues around the usage of fonts. Most, if not all, of the fonts that come with your computer, for example, are not actually free for commercial print use.

[@WeaselWorks]

Wow, this is an excellent, purpose-driven tutorial! Great pace, very easy-to-follow directions, clear voice. You made learning a pleasure! Thank you.

[@BabyTheSkiesWillBeBlue]

Hi Rachel... would you ever consider creating an e-course on using Affinity Publisher, specifically to make printables? I'd like to learn how to make printables in Affinity Publisher. There is another e-course out there from another KZbinr but she speaks so quickly and sounds rushed and I enjoy listening to your voice. :o)

[@rockaby86]

I downloaded Affinity Publisher because of your awesome video, and will try to make a planner now. Thank you Rachel!!

[@rockaby86]

Mhh KDP butchers the lines and the squares look super weird. Are the lines maybe too thin and too light?

[@leosuniverse]

@@rockaby86 I had this issue with photos in the background when I first started. I stopped doing it but I'm gonna try this one and see what happens. I'm not clear if it's actually fine and just kdps view on screen is bad. I had tables move uploading to but I figured some of that out.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Sometimes files show up weirdly on KDPs previewer, but it should be okay if your PDF looked good on your computer.

[@leosuniverse]

@@RachelHarrisonSund Thanks. I was wondering why that was happening.

[@k-deleon]

You're amazing Rachel 🙌🏻😃🧠💡

[@barbclark69]

Very useful tutorial. Thank you. I'm a new user of Affinity Publisher and an old dog about In Design. Great to start making notes of the new keyboard shortcuts.

[@bosslifebeauty]

Thank you, Rachel, for this helpful detailed tutorial, with your lovely mannerisms making even more pleasant it was so very helpful. A working graphic artist before I became a flight attendant I decided on Affinity Publisher as I have given Adobe plenty of money over the years and wanted the same power with less monthly cash layout. Do you remember the CS disc versions of Adobe with those costly upgrades every year? You may be too young. OMG thousands spent after I left the Ad agency and the free versions. So, I really appreciated your tutorial. Joined the FB group, really helpful. Thank you.

[@KelseyJordan]

Great video! I have definitely been struggling to use this program and I love all the other Affinity platforms.

[@silkeschumann7261]

First of all this video is solid with a ton of good, useful information and a real pleasure to watch. Thank you for sharing. So please take the following as constructive criticism. You are teaching a bad habit. Affinity has the ability to manage several masters. You start with the master that has common features with all pages, which is usually the background or decorative elements like a border. You then copy this master and set up common features like the weekly planner tables. after that it is just a matter of defining sections and assigning the respective master. At least since I'm a newbie myself this looks like it works in Affinity. Since I'm usually not a person who carries a library of journals, planners and notebooks around, with this format that is usually a stand alone booklet, I'd leave space for other content, like birthday lists, shopping lists, the usual helpful information like tables with conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, cm to in, major faires (online or post pandemic), etc ... I think the choices of additional features within your weekly planner will make a major difference when it comes to the competition. ;)

[@abbimason6360]

Thank you for all the tips in this video, I picked up a few that will be very handy!

[@susannelahn9249]

Learned so much! Thank you!

[@ImTotallySummer]

i accidentally bought this and im trying to figure out a use for it, thank you!

[@chrisford7351]

@Phoenix Devin - U going to JAIL.

[@carolward1142]

This is really helpful thank you and definitely takes me a several steps forward in using Affinity Publisher :)

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Synartist]

Very nice tutorial Rachel.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks Christopher!

[@annabellak.2864]

I love your design 😍 Does 0.5pt line thickness print nicely? In the guide, they recommend a minimum of 0.75pt. Also, since I had (inkjet) printers that print greys either much darker or lighter than on screen, I wonder: does KDP print it correctly?

[@amoon227]

Great video! Thank you so much for sharing

[@felixscholz]

Thank you so much for this awesome video - its well thought structure and your voice make it very easy to follow every step you're making. I was wondering if switching to affinity from indesign would make sense for me, and you just convinced me that it will.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You're welcome, Felix! Affinity is definitely giving InDesign a run for its money, and it's an easy switch if you're already familiar with InDesign.

[@Chancy515]

Love your videos and you are one of the best in this space! I have been using Affinity Designer and will be adding Publisher!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thank you Cheryl, so glad you're finding my videos helpful!

[@barbsfreedman9216]

Found your tutorial by happy synchronicity! Wow fantastic and I have learned soooo much in your video that I am no longer nervous about learning Affinity. I will be able to produce something quite quickly. Thanks so much

[@catherinevo9270]

Thanks so much for a super helpful tutorial! It gives design-impaired people like me hope! :D

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You're welcome!

[@fdelaneau]

Instead of aligning grey rectangles before each day you could have used the decorations option of text styles. The added benefit is that if you change the text position you won’t need to realign all your block :)

[@blackkitt98]

Great tutorial! Can this be done with Affinity Designer (inner and outer gutter and bleed)? I mainly do t-shirt design and would prefer not to get another piece of software.

[@SylviaDallas]

wow, wow, wow.. You are an excellent teacher. Do you have any tutorials if I have more than one master page?

[@kqxx]

Do you know how to add a bit of space on the side for hole puncher?

[@JackMaga666]

I love you, Rachel!

[@rich_h483]

Great video, I was really considering this software and this has really helped me decide. It’s a bit of a learning curve from what I’m used to but will be worth it.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Glad to help! Yes, there is definitely a bit of a learning curve to start with, but once you go through the process a few times you'll be able to whip off these interiors in no time!

[@lelanacroft]

Superb video! I learned a few new tricks today!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Awesome, so glad you liked it!

[@lifesouvenirswithmelann]

This tutorial helped me so much - I have this software & this is the best way for me to learn. I could not figure out how to do the lines. I’d love to figure out how to do a grid for people who prefer grids instead of just lines for my journals.

[@ck1425]

Just started following you. Hope to learn a lot. Very helpful & informative 😃

[@NicholasGomez]

Thanks a ton, Rachel! I am really enjoying these vid tuts on Affinity Publisher. These vids are really going to help with making me feel more comfortable in learning this program. As an InDesign user - i don't think the learning curve will be very much. But knowing where everything is a bit more of a challenge. You really helped in demonstrating this software. I'm Sold!!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks Nicholas, I'm so glad you're finding the videos useful! You'll definitely have an advantage as an InDesign user-I downloaded the software the day before creating this video, and I found it very intuitive, and almost exactly the same as InDesign.

[@NicholasGomez]

Rachel Harrison-Sund thank you again! I would be curious to k ow how it if you can use this publisher for interactive documents or pages as well. Little out of the scope of low content books but something I’d be curious on. Thanks again !

[@BrittMalka]

Great tutorial. One person has hit thumbs down. I don't get it, but oh, well, just goes to show that even with a great tutorial, not everybody is happy. I wish I've had this a few months ago when I first started to use Affinity Publisher. I used the table tool to make those lines, and it took me forever. Thank you for making this tutorial.

[@mikeyking7249]

Rachel Harrison-Sund you have just got a new subscriber. Your channel is brilliantly wonderful. Do you have a video on setting up the bleed formatting. I'm guessing the bleed formatting for the part of the page we don't see will need to be added?

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thank you, Mikey! I don't have a video specifically on setting up a bleed, but you'll set this up in your document when you start. Create a new document, enter your page dimensions under the Layout tab, then enter 0.125" in all 4 boxes under the Bleed tab.

[@WaleedNezzar]

Very helpful video Rachel thank you very much 🙏.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You're welcome!

[@transunicorn]

Thank you very much! I'm a student and learning how to design a planner. And thanks to your detaliate tutorial I just finished my first designed panner=) Yay! Thank you. Is fun to do it. Now I just need to do it at least a hundred times to memorize all this operations) Is my first time I have used a soft like this. Not easy for me, but with a bit of persistence can be done=)

[@paulinaaliaga7868]

Hi Rachel! I just discovered you channel, I love your approach to the self-publishing journey. I have a question though, most planners, log books and the sort are spiral bound, many have stickers and pockets and etcs, is it really possible to compete without those features? Thank you!

[@histrus42]

Great, hopefully InDesign tutorial coming soon also.

[@staffordmitchell]

Thank you. This is a good idea

[@rathernotdisclose8064]

If you struggle with things snapping to things you don't want while moving them or copy-pasting them with ctrl+shift, include "alt" into the key combo. It will allow you to adjust pixel perfectly while ignoring snap until you stop holding alt.

[@iluvdramarock]

How you do that with MAC keyboard? She using Mac computer not pc

[@rathernotdisclose8064]

@@iluvdramarock I've never touched a mac sorry heh...

[@elkrull]

Super super helpful!!

[@MaxWinner]

Awesome video - Learnt a ton by following along - My layout is quite a bit different, and shift does completely different things, like full-screen lol - But found my way around it by playing around and some workarounds - A big problem im having is the text in my text boxes using the "Text Frame Tool" sort of snap to points when I move the box, and vanish if the box is in a certain place - ie..the word NOTES is at the top of my text box, i move the text box down to centre it, and word vanishes, continue moving box lower, and word "NOTES" appears again, but in the middle, or the bottom of the box - Its as if the word is snapping to some horizontal lines, but vanishes between them too - I turned snapping on and off, and various other parameters, but nothing fixes it

[@TinTeddyVideos]

Does Affinity Publisher have a way to make it easy to turn something like this into a dated planner? Or would one have to add all the dates in manually for every page?

[@Thehamautachannel]

Hi Rachel, could you kindly explain how to print the document so its A4 double sided and it comes out in the original size??

[@Drathaar01]

Wow. That's so much nicer than PowerPoint.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Yes! PP is for creating on-screen presentations, not print documents, so much more in the way of features.

[@stashaholic]

Hi Rachel...i'm having troubles seeing some of what you're doing because you are working at a high resolution and the boxes come out really small. That combined with the dark mode makes it tough to see and follow. Could you consider adjusting this for future sessions? I love them, but end up with a headache at the end from trying to see what you're doing.

[@tyronebenjamin6640]

This is great information for beginners!

[@monicalc4656]

Thank you for your time and effort. This was an absolutely lovely video.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You're welcome!

[@kerrythomson7788]

Great video. Thank you Rachel.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You're welcome!

[@jbhavens7933]

hi rachel please reply to this. amazon said your 6*9 book with bleed should be 6.125*9.25 but you added 0.125 to all sides now your book will be 6.25*9.25 isnt that wrong

[@oussamaderg2606]

Thank you this was helpful, it's my first time working with bleed , so working on the cover, do I use the same measurements?

[@THand141Homestead]

Great Video! I am having trouble finding the pages tab that would show me the master pages as I am on windows some of the stuff is different. any help would be greatly appreciated!

[@Martin_Cole]

Great well done. One question. I want to create a journal the spans two pages (different kind of journal) You mentioned that KDP would not accept that at the end of your video. That seems odd unless I have missed the point. Could you please explain. Thanks

[@rizkanadhira]

Thank you a lot for your sharing. May I do this in Affinity Designer?

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

It's best to create your interiors in Publisher, as Designer is meant for vector editing, so doesn't include many desktop publishing features that streamline the process.

[@robertw.]

Thank you for the great video! Where do you hit 'option'?

[@LK-3000]

She's using a Mac. She answers the question below.

[@deewhite0612]

What is better for KDP low content? Designer or publisher?

[@intheatmosphere2090]

I found you very helpful, thanks a lot ❤✌

[@kerriw232]

Thanks Rachel! Are there any tutorials on how to create multiple master pages or do you plan to create one? I am not even sure if that is what you would call it but for Ex. First page you want a weekly planner, next 2 pages notes, next page goal setting( or something like that) and then repeat the cycle.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Yes, you can create multiple masters. In the master pages area there should be a page icon that will create another master page.

[@craftduoramz9221]

Thanks for the lesson! Really appreciate it!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Glad you found it useful!

[@awebbdigitals]

Rachel, I've learn from your videos, thank you! Question... I am designing a journal w interior but it's getting closer to 200 pages... do you ever create books that large for lcb? Thanks!

[@tianikamakea5995]

When this is sent out for printing, will they be printed double sided? I'm assuming pages 1 - 2 will be on sheet front and back, pages 3 -4 will be the second sheet and so forth?

[@gadotak]

also curious about this

[@zhanchik7887]

Rachel, thanks for your neat tutorial! Is there a source to get decorative borders and frames to use with Affinity? What's a good way to add a decorative border to a text frame? If you have any of these tips on other videos, please point me to them. Thanks a lot!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Hi! You can browse sites such as Vecteezy, Freepik, Creative Fabrica, DepositPhotos, etc. to find borders (just ensure you read and understand the licence for any image you plan on using). You can place your border around any block of text (it doesn't need to be attached to the text frame), but you may have to edit it so that it properly fits. You can do basic vector editing in Publisher as well.

[@howardlunn4291]

Tried adding a master Page as described. Firstly the insert field option is only available when you have clicked on a certain element, which you omitted to say. Secondly the page number did not get applied automatically to the other pages - so there must be another process involved, which was not mentioned. Worst of all, the Master page got stuck somehow, so I could not even return to the normal pages. Finally the whole application crashed and closed out completely. As far as your videos are concerned, what you say it very clear. However, your years of experience perhaps mean that you make assumptions and don't say those little things, which are crucial to a total novice user. Appreciate any comments. Very many thanks.

[@joymwangi5137]

Thank you for the great work that you are doing to help us.Do you keep the same margin and bleed measurements for all different sizes of interior manuscripts.Thanks

[@internettenkurs]

Thanks for Video.which program is it? If i make planner with this program can i sell them what i made?

[@raysrcsandtech]

Would you recommend "Publisher" and "Designer" just the two or add the "Photo" from Affinity, do you recommend buying form the Affinity website or from the Mac APP store?

[@rathernotdisclose8064]

Also: CTRL + mouse-wheel for zoom in/out

[@louisewillis5398]

Great video, though I’m sure I’ll have to watch it more than twice. One question, though. Where is the ‘option’ key that you use to drag? Thanks!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Hey Louise, on a Mac it's at the bottom left side of the keyboard; on a PC you'll need to press "Alt".

[@louisewillis5398]

Rachel Harrison-Sund Ah! Thank you so much!!

[@NextLevelArcadeGame]

Keep doing this great work, I love it

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks, will do!

[@scales7989]

Thanks again Rachel!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You're welcome!

[@deloreshillcreative]

Rachel, I am trying to follow along. When I got to the master page I only saw one page. Did you select a duplicate master page to get the second facing page? I just did to get a second master page. Is that the correct thing to do?

[@fredsmedley]

Hi Rachel, I've now watched all of your videos and have to say that they are tremendously helpful to a newbie like me. Most of my queries have been answered along the way but there are a few things that I would like to ask if you don't mind. (Sorry in advance for being so long-winded). Have you any experience of Bookbolt, and if so, what do you think of its usefulness? I have Canva Pro. If I buy Affinity, is there any need to also have Canva? Before creating a pen-name, how do I check in Amazon whether it is already in use? Is there a limit to the number of pages that can be created in Affinity? You mentioned several times in the above video the 'option' key. Is that a Mac thing or is it within Affinity? Any idea when your course is going to be on sale? There's a buyer ready and waiting right here! Cheers.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Hi Fred! So glad you've been finding the videos helpful! I haven't tried Bookbolt, but it's on my list to take for a spin. Will keep you posted. You don't need Canva if you buy Affinity Publisher. Enter your pen name into Amazon's search bar to see if it's already in use. No limit to the number of pages you can create in Affinity Publisher. Option key is for Mac, Alt key for PC. Course will be available Nov. 19!!! Thanks for your interest!

[@KelliDBH]

This may be a dumb question but--- are grays considered B/W or will you be charged at the color price?

[@carltonmerriam7282]

Great video. Thanks so much. Just one thing I couldn't follow. Lowering all the days together inside the boxes. Your interface is set up different than mine. Is it a trial version?

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Yes, this is a trial version. You can do this by finding your table formatting button, which should look the same as mine did, and using the Cell Insets fields to move the text inside the cells.

[@grantlmiller]

Hi Rachel, thanks for all you do. It's truly appreciated! I have a general question about page numbers when adding a sheet to a pre-packaged interior file in Affinity Publisher. Do you account for the additional page when submitting to Amazon? Or do you remove the last 2 pages when adding one to the beginning of the file, to keep the count at 120? What's the general practice here? So, when I advertise a 120 page book on Amazon, must there be 120 actual useable pages? Hope this makes sense! Again, thanks!

[@c.h.2627]

Hi Rachel, As soon as you hit "Master page" two pages (side by side) showed up for you. On my screen only a single page showed up. I've double checked all of my margins and numbers to ensure I did everything as you did, and I still can't get my master page to look like yours. Also, you have a ruler, and a much more detailed menu toward the right hand side of your page, that I'm missing on mine. What am I doing wrong? Thanks. :)

[@DorsetGirl]

I had the same problem. Double click the master page. That worked for me.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You should be able to just click the master page twice to get two pages. If that's not working, ensure you have "facing pages" checked on your document setup (File > Document Setup). If you don't see rulers, go to View > Show Rulers. For the menus that are missing, go to View, and then go to the bottom and make sure the various tool bars are checked. Hope that helps!

[@southernbellesbows]

Thanks for this awesome video! I have a question about the designs that go over into the margins at the top and bottom. Won't those get rejected by KDP since they are over the margins?

[@lt3423]

Any idea how to date the daily pages without having to due this page by page?

[@MrThedolo]

Hi Rachel, a question out of this video’s topic... does the low/no content books sell well all the year(yes apart Q4)? 😊 thanks

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Depending on if the books are seasonally related. Some sell all year, but others sell more around certain seasons, like back to school, Christmas, etc.

[@terry2228]

Just down loaded Publisher black friday Discount been using design and photo for years as a learner never worked out how to get multi lines space out and straight down in line and line up always fiddling about with them kicking my self now 😆 Great video and top tip 😄😅😆

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Glad to help, Terry!

[@surfsusan]

I just spent 15 minutes figuring out how to add those guides... I need to have ticked Show Guides :D. Thanks for the vdieo.

[@natashas.5388]

Thank you for this video! I wonder if you publish the book with just the 54 pages or if you add other pages and you sell the books maybe with 120 pages? If you add pages would you tell what kind of pages do you add?

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You can add as many pages as you feel are necessary for your design. Just keep in mind that a 6x9 book starts to get quite thick the closer to 200 pages it gets.

[@natashas.5388]

@@RachelHarrisonSund Thanks for your reply :) I think 120 pages is the right amount of pages for 6x9 books. Do you publish your weekly planner with 54 pages or do you add other pages? I try to figure out if a book with 54 pages sell.

[@assadmajid307]

Thanks for this video:) Which bleed Setting would you choose (for this interior) on the KDP uploadpage 2? Bleed or no bleed? Thanks a lot!

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Hi Assad! You'll need to choose "bleed" when uploading to KDP for this example.

[@cassandraarnold]

Thanks for this! Is Option shift a Mac command, or part of Affinity Publisher? I can't see what you are doing there

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Hi Cassandra! Option + Shift is a Mac shortcut. If you're on a PC you can try Alt + Shift.

[@LiveLoveCry]

When you upload your planner to Amazon KDP, do you create a separate file for the cover?

[@bertfarry3793]

If you do control J then move copy to position then when you hit control J again it will copy and move it the same distance

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

Thanks for the tip, Bert!

[@leosuniverse]

I like that. One day when we make money. I did this though on google slides. Everything is the same except the tracking. I could do it in a different program (text and tracking) and up load it. Then if you want to do a photo between pages , you have to each separately. It has a built in centering thing so it worked. The planner isn't as hard as I thought. I saw some different variations of this similar thing. I saw some others that I was overwhelmed with. What a nice program. I like it has the pages side to side. Thanks again.

[@RachelHarrisonSund]

You're welcome; thanks for watching!

[@MrSzwarz]

Real pleasure : )

[@begenius4851]

thank Rachel you are great

[@norascove]

I'm struggling when it comes to the cut lines. I'm new to the software. I tried the free trial and gave up and deiced to purchase so I would have more time to learn.