You can buy a bookmark for about £2.
Or you can spend an entire afternoon making one yourself.
And somehow, the second option is considerably more satisfying.
But here’s something you might not have considered: you can print your own designs onto specialist transfer paper and use them to personalise bookmark blanks.
Names, photographs, botanical illustrations, favourite quotes and even your child’s drawings can all become part of a unique bookmark.
Using printable waterslide decal paper, you can transfer your artwork onto suitable smooth surfaces, including compatible acrylic bookmark blanks.
Here are seven ideas worth trying.
1. Personalised Name Bookmarks
Let’s start with something simple.
A plain acrylic bookmark featuring someone’s name in beautiful lettering can make a lovely little gift.
You could add a small illustration, initials or a meaningful date.
EMILY’S BOOKMARK
Just one more chapter…
It’s the sort of thing that works particularly well as a birthday present, stocking filler or small thank-you gift.
And because you’re printing the design yourself, every bookmark can be different.
2. Botanical Bookmarks
There’s something about books and botanical illustrations that just works.
Think delicate wildflowers, ferns, mushrooms, lavender or vintage-style plant drawings.
You could create a collection of matching designs or give every bookmark a different flower.
For clear acrylic blanks, a transparent design can be particularly attractive because the bookmark itself remains partly see-through.
Just remember that most home printers don’t print white ink, so pale artwork may need a white background to remain visible.
3. Bookmarks Featuring Favourite Quotes
Everyone who loves reading has at least one line from a book they never forget.
Why not turn it into a bookmark?
Choose a short quotation you’re permitted to reproduce, combine it with attractive typography and perhaps a small illustration.
Alternatively, create your own reading-related sayings:
BOOKED FOR THE WEEKEND
CURRENTLY IGNORING REALITY
ONE MORE CHAPTER
The last one is particularly appropriate for people who say it at 11pm and are still reading at 1am.
4. Turn a Child’s Drawing Into a Bookmark
This is one of our favourites.
Ask a child to draw a picture for Mum, Dad, Grandma or their teacher.
Photograph or scan the artwork, remove any unwanted background and resize it to fit your bookmark.
You could even include the child’s handwriting underneath.
Imagine a bookmark featuring a slightly wonky drawing of Grandma with the words:
I LOVE YOU GRANDMA
It’s probably going to mean considerably more than anything you could buy from a bookshop.
5. Pet Portrait Bookmarks
Some people love books.
Some people love their pets.
Some people would happily combine both interests at every available opportunity.
Take a favourite photograph of your dog, cat or other pet and turn it into a personalised bookmark.
You could use the original photograph or create a simple illustrated version.
Add the pet’s name underneath and you’ve got something genuinely personal.
And yes, there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from creating an entire matching set featuring the same Labrador in six different poses.
6. Book Club Bookmarks
Here’s a useful idea for reading groups.
Create matching bookmarks featuring your book club’s name, logo or a design inspired by the books you’re reading.
You could even add the year:
THE THURSDAY BOOK CLUB — 2026
They’d make inexpensive personalised gifts for members.
The same idea could work for libraries, school reading challenges, literary events and independent bookshops.
7. Vintage Library Card Bookmarks
Remember the old library cards with handwritten names and stamped return dates?
They have a certain nostalgic charm.
Create a miniature vintage-style library card design and transfer it onto a suitable bookmark blank.
You could include fictional borrowing dates, an old-fashioned library stamp or the recipient’s name.
For extra personalisation, use the title of someone’s favourite book.
It’s a nice example of taking something ordinary and turning it into a design that feels completely different.
How Do You Print Your Own Bookmark Designs?
First, choose a suitable bookmark blank.
Acrylic bookmarks can be particularly interesting because they’re smooth, lightweight and available in different shapes.
Check that the specific material and surface finish are compatible with the transfer method you’re planning to use.
Next, create your artwork using your preferred design software.
Measure the bookmark carefully and leave enough room around the edges.
Before using specialist paper, print your design onto ordinary paper.
Cut it out and hold it against the blank.
Does it fit?
Is the text readable?
Are the colours right?
Once you’re happy, print the design onto compatible Gecko Paper inkjet waterslide decal paper and follow the product instructions for drying, preparation and application.
Waterslide decals use water to release the printed design from its backing, allowing it to be positioned onto an appropriate surface.
Allow the finished decoration to dry properly and consider whether a compatible protective finish is needed for handling and durability.
Clear or White Waterslide Paper?
This depends on your design.
Clear waterslide paper allows the underlying surface to show through unprinted areas, making it useful for designs where you want to retain the transparent appearance of an acrylic bookmark.
White waterslide paper provides an opaque white base, which can help pale colours remain visible.
However, white paper also means the carrier around your design remains white, so careful trimming becomes more important.
The right choice depends on the artwork and the colour of the bookmark blank.
Could You Sell Personalised Bookmarks?
Potentially, yes.
Custom bookmarks could be an interesting small product for craft fairs, Etsy shops, independent bookshops or personalised gift businesses.
You could offer names, initials, pet portraits, botanical collections or special-event designs.
Just make sure you have the appropriate rights to use any artwork, photographs, quotations or characters included in products you intend to sell.
It’s also sensible to test durability before offering finished bookmarks to customers. A bookmark gets handled repeatedly and slides between book pages, so the transfer needs to withstand normal use without peeling or damaging the book.
A Small Project With Lots of Possibilities
Bookmarks are wonderfully simple objects.
But that doesn’t mean they have to be boring.
With Gecko Paper inkjet waterslide decal paper, you can turn your own designs into decorative transfers for compatible bookmark blanks.
And once you’ve made one personalised bookmark, you’ll probably think of another seven people who need one.
Which is fine.
Just don’t spend so long making bookmarks that you forget to actually read a book.
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