🎨 100% FREE — NO DESIGN SKILLS NEEDED

Design your diary cover in Canva — for free.

We've created free, fully editable Canva templates for every diary size. Add your school logo, colours and name, download your artwork, and send it to us. It really is that simple.

Request a FREE Quote!

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Simple 4-step process

From template to finished artwork — in minutes.

No design experience needed. Our Canva templates are set up with all the right dimensions, bleed marks and file settings — just swap in your content.

1.

$

Get Your Template

Click the link for your diary size (A5, B5 or A4). The template will open in Canva — no account needed to view, but a free Canva account is required to edit.

2.

$

Add Your Content

Upload your school logo, swap in your school's colours, update the school name and year. Everything is set up to drag and drop — no sizing guesswork.

3.

$

Download as PDF

Export your finished cover as a PDF Print file from Canva. Make sure to select "Crop marks and bleed" in the download settings for print-ready quality.

4.

Send to Us

Email your PDF to in**@***************om.au alongside your order details. Our team will check your file and confirm it's print-ready before production begins.

Prefer to let us design it? Our team can create your cover for you — at no extra charge.

20+

Years supplying Australian schools

12+

Diary layouts to choose from

3

Size options: A5, B5, A4

FREE

Canva design templates included

A5

148 × 210mm · Student Diaries

The most popular student diary size. Use this template for A5 student diaries — primary, secondary and all year levels. Includes front cover only (spine is separate for spiral/Wire-O bound).

B5

176 × 250mm · Student Diaries

B5 is the mid-size option — bigger than A5, smaller than A4. Great for primary students (especially Reading & Spelling layout) and secondary students who want more space. Works for Spark Well diaries too.

A4

210 × 297mm · Staff Diaries

Standard size for all staff, teacher and principal diaries. Use this template for any A4 staff planner. Also suitable for A4 student diaries for senior students or tertiary settings.

Template links are sent on request. To get your free Canva template link, contact us via the form below, call 1300 726 445, or email in**@***************om.au — we'll send it straight over. We can also let you know which Canva plan you need (spoiler: the free plan is usually enough).

PRO TIPS FOR A GREAT COVER

Design tips to make your cover look incredible.

Follow these tips to make sure your cover looks professional, prints beautifully, and comes back from the press exactly as you expect.

01

Use High-Res Logos

Upload your school logo as an SVG or high-res PNG (at least 300 DPI). Blurry logos print badly — ask your school's marketing team or designer for the original vector file.

02

Stick to Your Brand Colours

Use your school's exact Pantone, CMYK or HEX colour codes for a professional result. Canva allows you to enter HEX codes directly. Avoid "close enough" colours — they often print noticeably different.

03

Keep Text in the Safe Zone

Our templates include a "safe zone" margin. Keep all important text and logos inside this boundary — anything too close to the edge may be trimmed during production.

04

Export as PDF Print

When downloading, always choose "PDF Print" as the file format, and check "Crop marks and bleed" in the Canva export settings. This gives our print team the right file to work with.

05

Don't Use Canva's Premium Elements

If you add Canva premium elements (those with a crown icon), they'll appear watermarked unless you have a paid Canva plan. Use your own uploaded images and logos to avoid this.

06

Ask Us to Check Your File

Not sure if your file is print-ready? Send it to in**@***************om.au before finalising your order and our team will check it for you — free of charge, no obligation.

Artwork specifications

Sending your own artwork?

If you're using your own design software (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop etc.) rather than our Canva templates, here are the specs our print team needs.

Questions? Email in**@***************om.au or call 1300 726 445.

Spec Requirement
File format PDF/X-1a or PDF Print (300 DPI+)
Colour mode CMYK (not RGB)
Resolution 300 DPI minimum
Bleed 3mm bleed on all sides
Safe zone Minimum 5mm from trim edge
A5 cover size (with bleed) 154 × 216mm

B5 cover size (with bleed)

182 × 256mm
A4 cover size (with bleed) 216 × 303mm
Fonts Embed or outline all fonts
Images Embed all linked images

Three editions

A Spark Well diary for every person in your school.

Primary, Secondary and Teacher editions — each thoughtfully designed for its audience, with shared wellbeing values and a consistent, evidence-based approach.

PRIMARY — AGES 6–12

Primary Student Diary

Designed for primary-aged students, this diary focuses on emotions, resilience and positive habits. Age-appropriate content makes wellbeing part of every school day — engaging, fun, and deeply meaningful for younger learners.

SECONDARY

Secondary Student Diary

A mature, reflective wellbeing experience designed for adolescent students. Explores identity, resilience and emotional intelligence in a format that respects secondary students as capable, thoughtful young people.

TEACHERS & STAFF

Teacher / Staff Diary

Weekly support built specifically for trauma-informed educators. Practical classroom strategies, reflective prompts and dedicated planning space — all in one well-designed planner that centres teacher wellbeing alongside student outcomes.

Personalise your Spark Well diaries

Customised for your school — from just 25 orders.

Every Spark Well diary can be personalised to your school's identity, schedule and wellbeing program. From 25 orders, we customise the cover, internal pages and period structure to make the diary truly yours.

Personalised Covers

Full colour front covers featuring your school logo, name, colours and branding. Use our free Canva templates or let our team design it.

Custom Internal Pages

Add your school calendar, key dates, timetables, student information and any other custom content — in greyscale or full colour.

Period Structure Tailoring

We tailor the weekly planning pages to match your school's specific period structure and bell times. From just 25 orders.

Full Colour or Greyscale

Choose full colour for maximum visual impact, or greyscale for a cost-effective option. Both look professional and polished.

Binding options

The right binding makes all the difference.

Spiral is our most popular option for student diaries — it's robust and stands up brilliantly to daily student use. But we offer four binding types to suit different needs and budgets.

University & TAFE

Tertiary diaries — clean, contemporary and practical.

Our Tertiary / Contemporary layout is specifically designed for university and TAFE students who want a diary without the school-specific content — just clean, uncluttered date entries and planning space that suits adult learners.

Available in A5 and A4. Full colour personalised covers available.

  • Clean, minimal layout — no school-specific design elements
  • Date-entry format suited to semester and flexible schedules
  • Available in A5 and A4 sizes
  • Fully personalised cover with institution branding

Staff & Teacher Diaries

Planners built for teachers who mean business.

Our staff diaries are printed in A4 (standard), spiral bound, with Week to View, Week to a Page or Day to Page layouts. Choose from our standard templates or go full custom — with your school's specific period structure, bell times and school dates — from just 25 orders.

A5 Cover Template

148 × 210mm

B5 Cover Template

Student Diaries — 176 × 250mm

A5 Cover Template

210 × 297mm

Don't miss your delivery window — order deadlines are everything.

School diaries take time to produce beautifully. Lock in your order before the deadline and your diaries will arrive in time for the new school year — no stress, no scrambling.

Order by 31 July

Order By 31 July

December Delivery — ready before the end of year and new year preperation

Order by 31 August

Order by 31 August

January Delivery — right in time before school goes back

Customisation: Personalised covers and pages, full colour or greyscale, tailored to your school's period structure — from just 25 orders.

Ready to design your diary cover?

Get your free template link today — or ask our team to design it for you.

What schools are saying

Trusted by schools right across Australia.

★★★★★

"We've used Academic Media for our student diaries for five years running. The quality is consistently excellent and the team make the whole process easy — from layout selection to delivery."

Deputy Principal — Primary School, VIC
★★★★★

"The Spark Well diaries have been a genuine game-changer for our wellbeing program. Students actually use them and our teachers love the trauma-informed support built into the staff edition."

Wellbeing Coordinator — Secondary College, QLD
★★★★★

"We love that we can design our cover through Canva and submit it so easily. Our diaries look completely professional and arrive on time. Couldn't ask for more."

Business Manager — Independent School, NSW
★★★★★

"The custom staff planners with our specific bell times and period structure have made such a difference to our teachers. Academic Media handled everything seamlessly."

Principal — Senior Secondary School, WA
★★★★★

"As a TAFE, we needed something clean and contemporary — not a typical school diary. The Tertiary layout was exactly what our students needed. Very happy with the result."

Student Services — TAFE, SA
★★★★★

"Our childcare centres now have EYLF diaries that actually match our curriculum framework. The team understood exactly what we needed and delivered brilliantly."

Centre Director — Early Learning, TAS

Canva template FAQs.

Can't find your answer here? Our team is always happy to help — call us on 1300 726 445 or email in**@***************om.au.

Do I need a Canva account?

Yes — you'll need a free Canva account to edit and download the templates. The free Canva plan is sufficient for our templates, as long as you use your own uploaded images and don't use Canva's premium elements (which would show a watermark without a paid plan).

What if I don't want to use Canva?

No problem — our design team can create your cover for you at no extra charge. Simply provide your school logo, colours and any other branding preferences, and we'll design something that looks great. You'll receive a proof to approve before anything goes to print.

Can I use any photo or image on the cover?

Yes, as long as you have the rights to use it. School photos, student artwork and officially licensed images all work well. Avoid stock photos you've screen-shotted from the internet — use properly licensed images or photos you've taken yourself.

What file format should I send?

For Canva users: export as PDF Print with "Crop marks and bleed" enabled. For other software: PDF/X-1a format, CMYK colour mode, 300 DPI minimum, with 3mm bleed and all fonts embedded or outlined. See our full artwork specs above.

Can I have a full-bleed photo on the cover?

Absolutely. Full-bleed photo covers look fantastic — just make sure the image is high resolution (300 DPI) and that any important content (like text or logos) is kept within the 5mm safe zone margin from the trim edge.

Let's get started

Let's talk diaries.

Fill in the form and one of our graduation specialists will be in touch within one business day. Free quotes, no pressure, no obligation — just friendly, expert advice from a team that understands how much graduation day matters.

  • 1300 726 445
  • in**@***************om.au
  • www.academicmedia.com.au
  • Open: 8:30am - 5:30pm

Request a FREE Quote!

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Start with some free resources on us!

We have a blog full of resources to start designing what you need be it a yearbook, small item or something else, and exclusive items if you join our newsletter!

Start with a Design Template

Starting with a great template save you time and money.

Need an indicative price right now?

Need some free resources?

Need more resources?

Don't start anywhere. Start here.

Here's everything we have put together to help you throughout your yearbook journey. We know you'll have questions along the way so feel free to get in touch with us, should you have any questions.

‘BLEED’ EXPLAINED

‘BLEED’ EXPLAINED

WHAT IS A VECTOR FILE?

WHAT IS A VECTOR FILE?

BINDING EDGES

BINDING EDGES

YEARBOOKS – HAVE US DESIGN FOR YOU!

YEARBOOKS – HAVE US DESIGN FOR YOU!

EXPORTING YOUR YEARBOOK USING InDesign

EXPORTING YOUR YEARBOOK USING InDesign

PICKING THE PERFECT PHOTO

PICKING THE PERFECT PHOTO

CUSTOM CONTENT IDEAS FOR YOUR SCHOOL DIARIES

CUSTOM CONTENT IDEAS FOR YOUR SCHOOL DIARIES

YEAR 12 GRADUATION GIFT IDEAS

YEAR 12 GRADUATION GIFT IDEAS

YEAR 6 GRADUATION GIFT IDEAS

YEAR 6 GRADUATION GIFT IDEAS

IMPORTING PAGES from CANVA into PICABOO

IMPORTING PAGES from CANVA into PICABOO

CONTENTS PAGES AND PAGE NUMBERING WITH CANVA

CONTENTS PAGES AND PAGE NUMBERING WITH CANVA

COLLABORATING ON A YEARBOOK IN CANVA

COLLABORATING ON A YEARBOOK IN CANVA

SETTING UP MARGINS AND BLEED IN CANVA

SETTING UP MARGINS AND BLEED IN CANVA

EXPORTING YOUR PDF FROM CANVA

EXPORTING YOUR PDF FROM CANVA

UNDERSTANDING DECORATION METHODS

UNDERSTANDING DECORATION METHODS

YEARBOOK CONTENT IDEAS

YEARBOOK CONTENT IDEAS

FINALISING AND PROOFING YOUR PICABOO YEARBOOK

FINALISING AND PROOFING YOUR PICABOO YEARBOOK

PAGE ALIGNMENT AND PAGE NUMBERING

PAGE ALIGNMENT AND PAGE NUMBERING

PICABOO vs CANVA

PICABOO vs CANVA

UNDERSTANDING BLEED, TRIM AND CROP MARKS

UNDERSTANDING BLEED, TRIM AND CROP MARKS

SHARING LARGE FILES VIA WeTransfer

SHARING LARGE FILES VIA WeTransfer

SHARING LARGE FILES VIA Google Drive

SHARING LARGE FILES VIA Google Drive

SHARING LARGE FILES VIA OneDrive

SHARING LARGE FILES VIA OneDrive

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START USING CANVA FOR A YEARBOOK

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START USING CANVA FOR A YEARBOOK

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