Contacting books

I haven't posted in a while, and everytime I've written something, I've saved it to drafts to edit and post later. Anyway, I've been awake late nights for many weeks now, mostly listening to music or reading. I thought I'd do something useful and contact some of my books that I have been dying to read. I don't like reading a book until I contact it, simply because I can imagine it getting desecrated in my gigantic bag as I carry it around. So, many times, I've been forced to read something else simply because the book I wanted to read wasn't contacted.
Here's the hard work for today, all perfectly contacted (well, almost).




OK, so here's a crash course in neat contacting for those who feel it a hopeless task.
But firstly, make sure the contact is no more than 1 inch longer than the book on all sides. The bigger the size of the contact you apply, the more likely it is to end up sticking elsewhere. Work on a table preferably with a grainy plastic top (contact doesn't stick that well with bumpy plastic surfaces). Start by contacting the front of the book. From experience, the side contacted second is the one that usually goes wrong. So better you screw up the back then the front. Also ensure the scissors you use are adequately sharp. Blunt scissors will ruin the contact.



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1. Fold it in half through the middle, with the contact side on the outside.



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2. Peel one half of the contact. Ensure something is weighing down the other side so it doesn't roll back into itself.



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3. This is the tricky bit. It works best if you do it on the edge of the table like I am doing it. Use your index finger to apply the contact on the edge of the book. Make sure it's straight and aligned.



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4. Now use your index finger or two to smooth the contact onto the book. Make sure the contact is folded backwards on the unapplied part so it doesn't stick to anything.



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5. Cut off diagonal corners and make cuts on the top and bottom edges. Fold them in, top and bottom first, the side last.


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6. Remove the remaining paper. Place the book so that the contact is hanging off the edge of the table (again, so it doesn't stick to anything). Use your thumb to smooth it on, but be careful of random air bubbles.



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7. Turn the book around (with the contact hanging off the edge). This time, don't apply it onto the edge first. Just go straight to the back, making sure the contact is flatly applied to the back. Even if it isn't perfect on the edge, it's no big deal. The edge is the least noticeable place to have contacting flaws, so better there than anywhere else.



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8. Cut corners, paste in, cut off the parts still left in the middle. You are done!



Tip: Make sure when smoothing with your fingers that you press down hard and force the contact on. It's hard to describe in words, but makes sense when you do it.

Happy contacting, I hope this helped you out~~