Easy DIY Desktop Printer Shelf

Easy DIY Desktop Printer Shelf ~ Tutorial showing how to easily create a space saving storage shelf on a desktop for your printer and printer paper!

Our printer is wireless so we can send print jobs from anywhere in the house. But the best location for our household is to keep the printer on the desktop located in what we call the studio. It is a room upstairs that serves as the office and the craft room. I like having the printer on top of the desktop because it is easy to access. It is easy to do such tasks as program the printer, add paper, retrieve print jobs and change printer cartridges.But printers can take up a lot of space on a desktop. You can’t put anything on top of them. There are not a lot of options available for storage underneath them. After searching in stores and online I came up with my own easy DIY desktop printer shelf and I am really happy with how it turned out. I love how it created more storage for printer paper, makes the printer very accessible and how it looks on the desktop!

This printer shelf was very inexpensive and very easy to make. It is made from two wooden magazine file holders that I picked up at the thrift store.

Who says you have to use magazine file holders in an upright vertical position? I attached the two magazine file holders together and flipped them over into a horizontal position. Voila! I now have a sturdy shelf for the printer because it is made of wood. I also have the perfect amount of space underneath to store the printer paper!

The other thing I love about creating your own easy DIY desktop printer shelf is that you can make it to match the décor in your office or craft room. I went with a black and white colour scheme but the possibilities and colour combinations are endless using Duck Tape and Washi Tape!

Before I continue with the details for how I made this easy DIY desktop printer shelf I want to announce that I have teamed up with other talented bloggers who also have created clever DIY projects for their office. We are meeting up once a month with a different theme and the challenge is to create something from a thrifted or used item and repurpose or upcycle it into something else and useful. Last month we had the theme Outdoor Project Ideas and I created a Thrift Store Blue Glass Bowl Becomes Seashore Vignette for storing souvenir sand and seashells from my seaside vacations. This month the theme is Desktop/Office Ideas.  At the end of this post you will find links to each of their posts that I invite you to check out to be inspired with more fabulous DIY ideas.

Here is the tutorial for how to create an…

Easy DIY Desktop Printer Shelf

Materials

• 2 wooden magazine file holders
• craft glue
• pencil
• ruler
• sharp scissors
• Duck Tape
• Washi Tape

Instructions

Step 1

Glue the two magazine file holders together with the two tallest sides back to back. This step makes it easier to apply the Duck Tape. Allow glue to dry.

Draw a straight line with a pencil from the front corner, along the sides and around the back to the other side ending off at the other front corner.

Step 2

Apply the Duck Tape vertically from the top of the magazine file holder going as far the pencil line. Begin the Duck Tape about ¼ inch on the underside. Overlap each piece of Duck Tape by about ¼ inch as you apply it.

I also applied the Duck Tape in a vertical direction on the front of each magazine file holder box using the same method just described. This gives it a more finished and consistent look.

Step 3

Apply the Duck Tape horizontally starting where the vertically placed Duck Tape ended. Wrap strips of Duck Tape evenly around all four sides until the entire remaining area is covered. When applying the Duck Tape overlap each piece about ¼ inch.

You will notice that you are applying a second layer of Duck Tape over top of the vertically placed tape on the front side that you did in Step 1.

Step 4

Apply Washi Tape over top of the visible uneven edges. I recommend an opaque Washi tape where you cannot see through.

I also ended up applying several different strips and in different designs. This tape is so easy to work with and I went to see what interesting designs could be created. I got a little bit carried away because once I placed the printer on top all of my beautiful design work got covered. #ohwell

Step 5

Apply Washi Tape along the inside to cover all of the uneven cut edges of Duck Tape. This gives the inside a more finished look.

This is how the easy DIY desktop printer shelf looks like when it is finished.

This is how it looks like when it is a positioned as a magazine file holder. Aha moment! This is a fabulous way to custom decorate them to match your room décor!

This is what it looks on my desktop with the printer on top and the paper stored underneath. I found it stored a lot of paper on one side so I am using the other side to store my external hard drives. The white box you see is the packaging that came with my Mini iPad. That was an unexpected bonus storage idea!

This is what it looks like next to the computer!

Final Comments: I love coming up with storage ideas that are creative, easy to make, inexpensive and really work! I also love taking items intended for one purpose and in this case ‘flipping it over’ and giving it a completely different purpose!

Thanks for saving and sharing Easy DIY Desktop Printer Shelf!

If you like this storage idea you may also want to check out other storage ideas I have created in my office/craft room…

Large Size Paper Storage Idea

How To Store Large Size Paper

Inexpensive Ideas For Storing Craft Supplies

How To Organize And Store Your Scrapbook Embellishments And Stickers 

Fabric Memo Board: Step-By-Step Photo Tutorial

Your Turn: Where and how do you store your printer? Is it in a convenient location without taking up a lot of prime space?

 

 

I also shared Easy DIY Desktop Printer Shelf at Happiness Is Homemade Link Party!

There are lots of other great ideas and inspiration to check out over there.

Take Care,