Black Ribbon Bookmark:

Instructions and Template

To make the bookmarks and black ribbons

1. Download the bookmark template. You can do this by right-clicking (Windows) or holding "ctrl" and clicking (Mac) on the bookmark image below, then selecting one of the "Save" options on the menu that appears.

2. Set your printer's page orientation to "landscape". Use a graphics program or your browser to print out a copy of the template. If you wish, you can use your graphics program to replace our contact info. at the bottom of the bookmark with your own.

   (NOTE: Please let us know if you can't get steps 1. and 2. to work for you, or if you can provide a better format -- Adobe Acrobat? Ftp? -- and a website location from which people can download this template.)

3. The template's dimensions are 11" x 8.5". Its lower edge should coincide with the edge of the paper, so that the centers of the three black dots -- which mark the locations of the punched holes where the ribbon will be inserted -- are 3/8" from the edge of the paper. If it doesn't coincide, trim off the extra paper.

4. Make xerox copies of the template onto business-card stock. (We used marble-patterned stock, to give the appearance of an old tombstone.)

5. Most copy stores have an adjustable hole-punch. Set it up for three 1/4" (standard) holes: one at the center, and the two outer ones 4-1/4" apart. (These will likely be marked on the hole-punch as one of its standard settings.) If you can't find an adjustable punch and don't mind the extra labor, just use a single-hole punch. Punch the holes in the copies at the black dots.

6. Cut the bookmarks apart along the lines marked. The copy store's paper knife will do this a lot better than scissors.

7. At a fabric store, get a spool or two of 1/4"-wide black satin or grosgrain ribbon. Cut each ribbon to the length of a "shathmont" -- the distance from the tip of your thumb to the bottom of your palm, about 6" to 7".

8. Tie a ribbon onto each bookmark, using a four-in-hand knot (like a necktie) or a slipknot.

9. When you distribute the completed bookmarks, you might wish to provide small safety pins (straight pins are likely to cause trouble) so that people can slip the ribbon off the bookmark and pin it to their lapel in the same way as an AIDS ribbon.

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