Book binding 101

With unwavering determination and a reputation at stake, you’ve poured blood, sweat, and tears into creating a voluminous manuscript, report, catalogue, or maiden newsletter or magazine. Whether it is a labour of love, commissioned work, or part of your daily routine, you refuse to leave anything to chance. Therefore, you are collaborating closely with your book designer, requesting font and colour options. Thankfully, your designer is accommodating since “a satisfied customer is a paying customer,” as the adage goes.

Your book currently sits at 350 pages, and your catalogue is at 38 pages. However, you observe the designer attempting to add ten extra pages to your book and two more to your catalogue. As far as you’re concerned, these additional pages result in an unwanted cost, especially since you’ll be printing in large quantities. The designer explains that bookbinding, comparable to landscaping, is responsible for publishing and finishing your book.

Bookbinding is the art of physically assembling a book by stacking paper sheets, which are then folded into sections and bound. While the art of bookbinding has evolved from hand binding to mechanised binding, its purpose remains the same: to protect and beautify a book.

Bookbinding is crucial as it ensures your book is aesthetically appealing and well-protected. Different types of bookbinding are available depending on various factors such as budget, intended clientele, or client needs. The most common types are saddle stitching, perfect binding, and wire binding.

Saddle stitching is an efficient method of bookbinding that involves stapling folded sheets through a fold line situated at the centre of the sheets when laid flat. The fold line functions as the book’s spine, making it a cost-effective solution for publications with fewer pages, ranging from 8 to 80 pages. It is ideal for binding exercise books, brochures, catalogues, and newsletters.

On the other hand, perfect binding is a binding technique commonly used for hardcover and paperback books. This process involves glueing the pages and cover of the publication at the spine. It uses heavy covers to accommodate and protect the numerous pages within the book. The flawless edge derives its name from trimming the other three sides of the publication to create a perfect edge, from which the method derives its name.

Wire, coil, or spiral binding is frequently employed to bind documents and notebooks. It involves punching holes through the pages of a publication and then inserting coils through the holes. This binding method is cost-effective and allows documents to lie flat, making it convenient to reference while performing tasks such as typing.