MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - prs-650 handmade covers: easy, pretty, cheap

ebooker · 10-19-2010, 04:18 PM

Since I dont want to spend $35 on an ill-fitting sony official cover for my new prs 650, I decided to go the cheap route and make an easy one.

I dont know if people have already posted along these lines, but I thought I'd post what I'm doing.

I find the official sony cover to be "ill-fitting" because, if you look at it closely, you'll notice that in the middle of the binding, they left in the entire housing for the swing-out light, since they're re-using the same design for the "lighted" cover, for the un-lighted one. They even left the little light "switch" on it, even on the unlighted version.This means you have a huge middle binding (and 1/3 of a pound of weight) even if you dont want the light. So the sleek small size and lightweight of the sony reader is offset by this ridiculously big cover for it.

Its also ridiculously overpriced at $35.

1) Step one: The prs-650 dimensions are 4.5" by 6.5". So find a 5x7" journal cover. This gives a 1/4" margin all around while fitting it very well. Journal covers are available on ebay and elsewhere, there are incredibly pretty ones available, leatherette, embossed, and for just a few dollars. My personal favorites are made by a company called "7 gypsies", each is literally $5 or so. See samples below taken from ebay (search ebay or google images for "7 gypsies journal cover").

2) Take a strip of velcro (available at your corner drugstore). You do not need to deface your sony reader by sticking velcro on it. Instead, we are going to stick the velcro onto the journal cover (inside, obviously, where the reader is going to go), and then use the "felt" side of the velcro to fashion four "loops" which will act as the corner "brackets" for the reader.
I'll post pics of this soon as I get the materials. Its a very clean look.

3) Optional: Get some "magnetic tape" or "peel and stick business card magnets" from ebay. Few bucks. You see, the corners of the prs-650 are magnetized. That is, the right edge, upper and lower corner, clearly to allow a magnetized-journal cover to close smartly when the reader is enclosed by a cover.
So just cut the magnetic tape to size, peel and stick two small circles on the corners of the journal cover where it will close upon the reader. Presto - it stays closed when you close it.

Done. Total cost: about $12 to $15, and very pretty, and well-fitting, and functional cover. Requiring nothing more than peeling and sticking some velcro and (optionally) some peel and stick magnetic tape.

UPDATE: my mistake, these are sold as two separate halves, and will need some kind of binding (leather scrap, or spiral, or etc). That will add another $5 to $10 to the cost, and adds an extra step. Maybe other journal covers come with binding, I dont know. Or pick up a cheap old hardcover 5x7 book or journal, rip the pages out of it, and use that?

10-19-2010, 04:18 PM	#1
ebooker Banned Posts: 140 Karma: 16076 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: NYC Device: sony prs-650!	prs-650 handmade covers: easy, pretty, cheap Since I dont want to spend $35 on an ill-fitting sony official cover for my new prs 650, I decided to go the cheap route and make an easy one. I dont know if people have already posted along these lines, but I thought I'd post what I'm doing. I find the official sony cover to be "ill-fitting" because, if you look at it closely, you'll notice that in the middle of the binding, they left in the entire housing for the swing-out light, since they're re-using the same design for the "lighted" cover, for the un-lighted one. They even left the little light "switch" on it, even on the unlighted version.This means you have a huge middle binding (and 1/3 of a pound of weight) even if you dont want the light. So the sleek small size and lightweight of the sony reader is offset by this ridiculously big cover for it. Its also ridiculously overpriced at $35. 1) Step one: The prs-650 dimensions are 4.5" by 6.5". So find a 5x7" journal cover. This gives a 1/4" margin all around while fitting it very well. Journal covers are available on ebay and elsewhere, there are incredibly pretty ones available, leatherette, embossed, and for just a few dollars. My personal favorites are made by a company called "7 gypsies", each is literally $5 or so. See samples below taken from ebay (search ebay or google images for "7 gypsies journal cover"). 2) Take a strip of velcro (available at your corner drugstore). You do not need to deface your sony reader by sticking velcro on it. Instead, we are going to stick the velcro onto the journal cover (inside, obviously, where the reader is going to go), and then use the "felt" side of the velcro to fashion four "loops" which will act as the corner "brackets" for the reader. I'll post pics of this soon as I get the materials. Its a very clean look. 3) Optional: Get some "magnetic tape" or "peel and stick business card magnets" from ebay. Few bucks. You see, the corners of the prs-650 are magnetized. That is, the right edge, upper and lower corner, clearly to allow a magnetized-journal cover to close smartly when the reader is enclosed by a cover. So just cut the magnetic tape to size, peel and stick two small circles on the corners of the journal cover where it will close upon the reader. Presto - it stays closed when you close it. Done. Total cost: about $12 to $15, and very pretty, and well-fitting, and functional cover. Requiring nothing more than peeling and sticking some velcro and (optionally) some peel and stick magnetic tape. UPDATE: my mistake, these are sold as two separate halves, and will need some kind of binding (leather scrap, or spiral, or etc). That will add another $5 to $10 to the cost, and adds an extra step. Maybe other journal covers come with binding, I dont know. Or pick up a cheap old hardcover 5x7 book or journal, rip the pages out of it, and use that? Last edited by ebooker; 10-20-2010 at 07:13 PM.