Smartphone Case With Notebook, Pen and Secret Pocket

When I got my first 3D printer many years ago, the first big project I started was to design and 3D print a smartphone case with a tiny notebook. Unfortunately at the time, I was not skilled enough to make it as I imagined. I tried anyway, but the case was not very convenient to use, and I gave up the project.

And one year ago, I found the tiny notebook I bought years ago and decided it was time to finish this project. Now it has been many months that I use this case, and I am very happy with it.

In this instructable, I will cover the different features of my smartphone case, and how I use it. I will not write about how I designed it though (if you have any questions or you want tips, leave a comment). But I will share the files with you if you want to 3D print them.

But before to start, it is questions time:

What smartphones are compatible with this case ?

It is made for an Apple iPhone SE, so I guess it is also compatible with iPhone 5 and 5s.

Why would someone need a notebook on a smartphone when smartphones have notes apps?

It is usually the first remark or question I get when I show the case. But writing and drawing on paper is very different than doing it on a smartphone screen! And I think it is much easier to find something I wrote in a notebook, turning the pages, rather than scrolling or navigating through virtual pages on a smartphone. It is also a great demonstration object: when people ask me what I am designing and 3D printing, I show the case.

What do you write in your notebook?

A lot of to-do lists. A lot of drawings too: people, landscapes and of course schemes for projects I am working on!

Isn't the case a bit too big?

It is a bit big indeed, but not enough to prevent me from using it every day.

Finally, the files are also available on:

• Cults3D: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/gadget/notebook-for-smartphone
• Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5162744

This is what I used for the smartphone case:

• PLA 3D printing filament;
• Ballpoint pen cartridge (I like to use medium point type);
• A tiny notebook. Rhodia n°10 pad is perfect.

As you can see, the case has many features:

• A notebook on the back of the case;
• A pen in 2 parts. This is because it is much pleasant to write with a long pen;
• And a secret pocket.

There is a small spot for the pen, and just below another spot for the notebook. And since everything fits perfectly, nothing moves.

The secret pocket did not exist on the first versions of the case. And recently I decided I had to take advantage of the unused part of the case near the camera.

I decided I would use this pocket for an emergency USB cable to charge my phone. As you can see on the image I did not pay much attention to the aesthetic of the cable. It is just an old cable that I cut and resoldered so it fits perfectly in the secret pocket.

And I also decided I could improve the case by taking advantage of the notebook, creating business cards inside. The idea is very simple: I created a stamp with a QR code that links to my website (currently I just have 1 stamp linking to my Instructable account, but I am planning to make others for work), and I stamped the last pages of the notebook. And the pages are very easy to detach in the notebook I use. So it is the perfect business card for a maker since I can show my smartphone case I designed and 3D printed!

Here are a few tips:

• The stamps were made with natural linoleum, and cut and engraved with a laser cutter;
• After I generated the QR-code (there are a lot of online generators), I imported it into Inkscape to post-process it. It is important to mirror the image and make sure to export the file in a suitable format for your laser cutter.

I am not very happy with the 3D printed parts of the stamps (the yellow parts on the pictures), so I won't share them here.

Oh, and by the way, this is my business card for you:

After a few months of use, the first notebook was fully filled. And 2 questions arose:

• Will these Rhodia n°10 notebooks always be available?
• Where to store them?

So I bought a few notebooks, and designed a case I could use on my tool panel to store all the notebooks!

Before finishing this instructable I'd like to highlight one of the best things about having a notebook in a smartphone case: every time people see the case they ask what it is, and once they see the notebook they cannot resist writing something inside.

Some examples you can see in the pictures above:

• The first one is clearly a nice sunset over the sea in the Calanques de Marseille, from a 2 years old;
• A nice word;
• And someone that drew me.

To finish, I'd like to point out that this was not an easy project, and it took me years. As you can see, I designed many cases, 3D printed with many materials (PLA, TPU, PE), and tried to improve the case so it gets perfect. Now I am very happy with it, and that is why I am writing this instructable.

I hope you liked this instructable and it gave you some idea to custom your own smartphone case. Feel free to leave any comment or question below, I'll be happy to answer.