Stuff You Don't Have to Buy Because You Can Print It Yourself for Free

DIY
BY ADAM DACHIS
JUN 25, 2012

Stuff You Don’t Have to Buy Because You Can Print It Yourself for Free

I have two printers that rarely see any use. While printing isn't obsolete by any stretch of the imagination, paper is slowly losing its usefulness to computers, smartphones, and other electronics. If you have a printer at home that's mostly collecting dust, brush it off and start using it to print out a few free products you'd otherwise have to pay for.

While your printer isn't going to fill in as a substitute for the quality of products you can buy in a store, often times you don't need something that good. When practical frugality trumps quality, or when you just want something with a hand-made touch, these are the things you'll want to feed your printer.

Rulers only need to be made out of something thick and sturdy for professional applications. If your goal is simply measurement, a paper ruler will do just fine. When you need one, just print one.

Checklists can be handy on your smartphone, but paper comes in a variety of sizes and can be visible just about anywhere. If you want a checklist for your fridge, for example, your smartphone isn't very suited for the job. Printable Checklists are, and they're easy to make. Just go to the site, type in a list of things, and print it out. That's all there is to it.

Specialty Papers aren't something you necessarily need to buy. You can print your own graph paper, for example. If you use a LiveScribe pen and don't want to buy their paper products, you can print your own instead. If you can't decide, just visit Printable Paper and shop around for the type you want.

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Planners, Diaries, and Productivity Helpers often cost a lot in stores but can be made by hand—and often look a lot better—with the help of your printer. On of our more recent favorites is the Hipster Habit App, which is a handy little book your can print out and assemble to help you break an old or make a new habit in 30 days. There's also the classic Hipster PDA for getting things done with classic pen and paper. PocketModcan track your workouts. Pocket-To-Do can provide you with a simple paper schedule. Finally, the Scription Chronodex is a very charming weekly planner that was designed to help keep you creative as well as on task.

Maps are always on your smartphone, so that's often good enough, but sometimes you need to take them places you can't use your mobile or don't want it to go. GeoCommons is one handy source for printable maps, but even sites like Google Maps can provide you with the material you need. If you need a waterproof option, printing a map onto a trash bag is a cheap solution.

Games can be an expensive store item, but there are plenty available for free. Cards Against Humanity is one of the best examples, as it's very popular, very fun, and a free download as a PDF if you don't want to buy a proper set. You can also print Scrabble, dice, and a deck of cards.

Got anything awesome that you print instead of purchasing? Let us know in the comments!

Photo by Vernon Chan.