How to Make a Duct Tape Bookmark

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: July 4, 2022 References

Stop folding the corners of the pages in your books, or losing your place in the story. Duct tape has become a popular crafting material. You can make a variety of bookmarks out of duct tape. It’s a cheap and fun material to work with and you can have a unique bookmark you made by hand.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making a Traditional Bookmark

1
Choose your duct tape. Traditionally duct tape comes in shiny silver which looks like aluminum. These days you can find duct tape in a variety of colors and even tape with patterns printed on it. With duct tape crafts becoming more popular, you can find fun tape choices online or at your local craft store.
2
Fold a strip of duct tape in half. Cut a 5 inch strip of duct tape. Measure 2.5 inches from one end to find the center of the strip. From here, fold the tape in half. Match the edges evenly and press the sticky side onto itself.
- Do your best to line the edges up evenly, but don’t worry if it’s a little bit off and there is still some sticky sides exposed.
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3
Reinforce the strength of your bookmark by adding layers of tape. A bookmark made with only one strip of tape will be pretty flimsy. Decide how thick and sturdy you want your bookmark and keep layering tape over it until it reaches your desired thickness.
4
Trim the edges of the bookmark. Get rid of any exposed stickiness by trimming around the edges of the bookmark with your scissors. You can get creative with the shape of the bookmark when you trim.
- Round out the edges of the bookmark.
- Cut a fun shape out of the top of the bookmark, like an animal head or your initial.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Adding a Duct Tape Tassel

1
Create a tail for your tassel. Cut a 4 inch strip of duct tape. Make the tail thinner by cutting a half inch strip out of the length of the tape. Fold this in half along the length to have a tail which is 4 inches long and a quarter inch wide. Trim off any excess sticky edges.^{[1]
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2
Combine two 10 inch strips of duct tape and the tail. Measure 10 inches and cut a strip of tape with your scissors. Place this strip of tape on the work surface and cut another strip to match. Place your tail on the left end of the strip of tape on the table. Press it on so that extends up from the top left of the 10 inch strip. Match up the edges of the two 10 inch strips of tape and press the sticky sides together.^{[2]
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- Trim any edges that don’t exactly match to make sure there are no sticky parts exposed.
3
Cut fringe into your duct tape. Lay your tape lengthwise on the work surface. Measure and mark every quarter inch along the bottom of the strip of tape. Cut straight up from these marks toward the top. Stop the cut about an inch from the top of the strip.^{[3]
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- The top portion will be covered, so you don’t have to stop every cut exactly one inch from the top. Just make sure there is enough tape left so the fringe won’t break off.
4
Roll your strip into a tassel. Cut a strip of duct tape four inches long and one inch wide and set it aside. Starting at the left side of the strip of fringe, where the tail is, tightly roll the strip of tape until you reach the other end. Wrap the top of the tassel with the one inch wide strip of duct tape.^{[4]
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5
Thread the tassel through your bookmark. Using a hole punch, punch a hole in the top of your bookmark about half an inch from the edge. Thread the tail of the tassel through the hole in the bookmark and fold the tail evenly over itself. Tape the end of the tail to the other edge of the tail where it meets the top of the tassel.
- Wrap a small piece of tape around the edge of the tail to create a large loop, or place a piece of tape along the length of the tail and tape the whole tail together to flatten it except for a small loop running through the hole in the bookmark.
- You want to leave enough space between the hole and the edge of the bookmark to keep the tassel from pulling through the end of the bookmark.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Crafting a Corner Bookmark

1
Cut two squares out of poster board or thick paper. Measure 2.5 inches on all sides of the square. Using sharp scissors, cut two even 2.5 inch squares out of the poster board.^{[5]
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2
Cut one of the squares into two triangles. Fold one of the squares in half from corner to corner to make a diagonal line across the middle. Use the fold as your guide to cut the square into two triangles.^{[6]
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- Keep one of the triangles and set the other aside.
3
Cover half your square with duct tape. Place the square on your work surface so that it is in the shape of a diamond with the corners on the top, bottom and sides. Cut a strip of duct tape longer than the square from corner to corner. Line the bottom of the strip of tape along the center of diamond so the tape will cover the top half of the diamond. Press it gently in place.^{[7]
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4
Trim the excess tape from the corners of the diamond. Pick up the diamond and cut the extra tape from each corner. Make the cut upward in a straight line from each corner so that the sticky side of the tape will match the shape of the top of the diamond with no excess overlapping the diamond when it is folded over.^{[8]
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5
Fold the tape over the top edges of the diamond. Take each side of the tape and fold the sticky side over the edge of the diamond. Press the tape gently onto the poster board and stick it to the back of the diamond so the top half is completely covered.^{[9]
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6
Repeat this entire process to cover the bottom half of the poster board with duct tape. Flip the diamond over and cover the other half with tape. Be sure to trim the tape so that all of the poster board is covered and no excess tape is leaving a sticky surface.
7
Cut a strip of tape slightly longer than the triangle from corner to corner. Place the tape sticky side up on your work surface. Pick up the triangle you will be working with and line it up on the tape with the tip of the triangle at the top of the strip of tape and the bottom of the triangle slightly above the bottom edge of the tape. Press the triangle onto the tape.^{[10]
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8
Fold the excess tape over the bottom of the triangle. There should be a small amount of exposed sticky side of the tape under the bottom edge of your triangle. Fold this over the bottom edge and stick it the the triangle to create a clean, covered edge.
9
Trim the excess tape from the edges of the triangle. Cut the tape away by making a straight sit from the corners of the triangle straight up. This should leave just enough tape to fold over without leaving any exposed stickiness.^{[11]
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- Do not fold the tape over the triangle. This will be folded over the diamond instead to create a pocket.
- The uncovered portion of the triangle will be the inside of the pocket.
10
Attach the square to your triangle. Place the square on top of the triangle. With the back side of the square facing up, match one corner of the square to the top of your triangle. Fold the excess tape from the triangle over the square and press it gently to secure your square to your triangle.^{[12]
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11
Slide your new bookmark over the corner of the pages in your book. Open your book to the page you would like to mark and fit your triangle pocket over the corner of your pages. Close the book back up and you’re ready to come right back to that page later.^{[13]
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Community Q&A

Question

I am curious if there is any way to avoid getting bumps or air bubbles when folding duct tape. Is there?

Elizabeth Bolster

Community Answer

You can avoid getting air bubbles by bringing the tape down onto itself slowly, making sure that it lines up. It is very hard to not get air bubbles, but when bringing down section by section, it at least decreases the amount of air bubbles.
Question

I don't have duct tape, what do I do?

Community Answer

You can use any kind of thick, strong tape, like masking tape, packing tape, or electrical tape instead.
Question

Can I draw on the duct tape to add a design?

Community Answer

Yes! This is a nice way to personalize your bookmark. Consider adding some sort of tassel as well!