Templates make it easier to create journals. Math is involved in determining the placement of holes, the length of waxed linen thread, and I like to make this process easy. Therefore, when I create a new journal, a template is made.
These are scraps of paper or board with weird marks and numbers scribbled on it. I mark where the holes will be, and the length of thread written in inches.
The picture shows a template made for beer journal making. The lines indicate where the spine is. The two outside lines are scoring lines to bend the cover and hold the signatures.
More on bookmaking later.