Design for Print - Binding Techniques

Saddle stitched Here the loose sheets of printed pages are draped together over a saddle-like holder and a wire is fed into position, cut to a short length, bent into shape, and then the legs of the staple are driven through the pages. Finally, the legs are bent into the final staple shape.

Perfect/PUR Here the loose sheets are gathered in much smaller groups — such as 16–page groups, known as signatures — then multiple signatures are stacked together, trimmed, and glued at the spine. Finally, a cover is added to enclose the pages, which are held in place by glue along the spine. PUR is similar to Perfect but it uses a far more flexible glue – this makes the technique far more useful when binding books that need to be left open, such as text books or reference books.

Case Case binding is the common type of binding for hardcover books. It involves wrapping a turned edge hard cover around either sewn, adhesive bound or mechanically bound gathered signatures. Signatures are bound together with binder’s string and attached with strong glue to a rigid board cover. Additionally, end covers are also glued to the inside front and back covers; these are then affixed to the hard cover.

Thread/sewing through the fold Similar to Perfect binding, but more durable, as a thread is also used to sew the signatures together. In Perfect binding the glue hardens by alternating cold and hot weather and becomes brittle.

Oversewing This is where the signatures of the book start off as loose pages which are then clamped together. Small vertical holes are punched through the far left-hand edge of each signature, and then the signatures are sewn together with lock-stitches to form the text block. Oversewing is a very strong method of binding and can be used on books up to five inches thick. However, the margins of oversewn books are reduced and the pages will not lie flat when opened.

Spiral/coil In spiral binding, a spiral of wire or plastic is threaded through round holes punched in the job; this allows a piece to lie flat when open. However, there’s no way to imprint a spine, and you must create a wide inner margin as you design the piece so that the printed area of the page will clear the punch holes.

Ring Here you would use hinged rings to hold the sheets together through drilled holes. Usually you would have one placed in the top left corner or two placed along the spine.

Screws You would use metal or plastic screws to hold the document together; two of these would be placed through drilled holes.

Wire-o/comb Rectangular holes are punched in the pages, then the teeth of the plastic/metal comb are pushed through the holes. Because the combs are coil-like and curly, the teeth curve back under a spine-like collar that forms a solid spine for the bound book. Comb binding has one disadvantage – it’s a challenge to put a title or other copy on the spine. If you need a spine, you turn to a Canadian bind…

Half Canadian Half Canadian binding has the wire partially concealed behind a square spine. The cover is normally a 4pp cover, with the spine printed on – which mimics perfect binding, but has the advantage of the book being able to be opened completely flat without damaging the spine. The wire is exposed through the rear cover only, leaving the front cover clear to display the printed image.

Full Canadian Full Canadian binding has the wire fully concealed by using a 6pp or 8pp cover. The cover leaf is folded back on itself to be bound into the wire, resulting in a book with a square spine and uninterrupted covers.

MENDING PAGES
Japanese tissue, which has very long fibres and is thin and strong, is torn to shape, pasted lightly and applied to the torn edge so that the fibres are just overlapping.  Repairs are always completed before the book is sewn.

SEWING AND MARKING UP
The picture shows tape of varying widths, two weights of hemp cord, and waxed linen sewing thread.
When the book has been cleaned and repaired it is put in a press and the sewing points are marked, in this case for tapes.  This is known as ‘marking up’.
Books are sewn together one section at a time.  This book is being sewn on tapes and the needle is in position to  make the final knot at the end of a section, known as the ‘kettle’ stitch (from the German Ketel  meaning  ‘chain’).
Book backs showing different kinds of sewing: on tapes, on sawn-in cords and on raised cords.

ROUNDING AND BACKING
Once the book has been stitched together it is rolled and hammered to turn the flat spine back into a rounded shape, which protects the sewing by reducing the strain on it when the book is opened.  The book is put into the lying press, two large pieces of wood which are tightened by means of wooden screws and a bar known as a ‘press pin’.  When the book is the correct shape it is covered by a piece of open weave cloth called mull and a strip of thin strong paper known as ‘kraft’ paper.
The book is rolled and hammered into its rounded shape.
It is then put between specially-shaped backing boards and lowered into the lying press.
The lying press screws are tightened.
The spine edges can then be shaped over the backing boards with the backing hammer.
Glue is applied to the spine.
Mull is placed on top.
The mull is rubbed down.
Kraft paper is placed on top.
The kraft paper is rubbed down with a bonefolder.
It is also rubbed down with the ball of the thumb to make sure it is well stuck on.
It can be left to dry in the press or taken out and left between pressing boards with a weight on top.

COVERS & TITLES
Books covered in leather are described as bound in quarter leather (spine only), half leather (spine and corners) or full leather. Many old books are bound in calf, but modern-day bookbinders mostly use goatskin.  This comes mainly from Africa.  It is strong and durable, and good to work with.
Books to be bound in leather are sewn on cords which are then ‘laced in’ to the boards through holes and pasted in place.
Headbands are used to strengthen the spine of the book when it is pulled out of a shelf.  Some are glued on, but a stitched-on headband as shown here is much stronger as it is sewn on through the back of the sections.
A strip of pared and pasted goatskin spine is applied to the spine for a quarter-leather binding.
On a half-leather binding leather corners are pasted, applied to the book and worked into shape with a bonefolder.
When the leather is dry a cloth side is cut to fit the corner and glued into place.
A piece of goatskin for a full-leather binding is pasted and applied to the book.
The boards are held open and the leather is turned over them.
Titles are applied to the back of the book by means of brass ‘finishing’ tools.
These are heated on a finishing stove so that the gold foil or gold leaf will adhere to the leather.

CUTTING STRAIGHT STRIPS

Cut strips on the crosswise grain, from selvedge to selvedge, cutting to the width indicated in the project instructions. Use a rotary cutter and straightedge to obtain a straight cut. Remove the selvedges and join the strips with diagonal seams.

CUTTING BIAS STRIPS

Cut strips to the width indicated in the project instructions. Fold one cut end of the fabric to meet one selvedge, forming a fold at a 45-degree angle to the selvedge (1). With the fabric placed on a self-healing mat, cut off the fold with a rotary cutter, using a straight edge as a guide to make a straight cut. With the straightedge and rotary cutter, cut strips to the appropriate width (2). Join the strips with diagonal seams.

BINDING WITH MITERED CORNERS

If using double-layer binding (option B at right) follow the alternate italicized instructions in parenthesis. Open the binding and press ½" (1.3 cm) to the wrong side at one short end (refold the binding at the center crease and proceed). Starting with the folded-under end of the binding, place it near the center of the first edge of the project to be bound, matching the raw edges, and pin in place.
Begin sewing near the center of one edge of the project, along the first crease (at the appropriate distance from the raw edge), leaving several inches of the binding fabric free at the beginning. Stop sewing ¼" (6 mm) before reaching the corner, backtack, and cut the threads. Rotate the project 90 degrees to position it for sewing the next side.
Fold the binding fabric up, away from the project, at a 45-degree angle (1), then fold it back down along the project raw edge (2). This forms a miter at the corner. Stitch the second side, beginning at the project raw edge (2) and ending ¼" (6 mm) from the next corner, as before. Continue as established until you have completed the last corner. Continue stitching until you are a few inches from the beginning edge of the binding fabric.
Overlap the pressed beginning edge of the binding by ½" (1.3 cm, or overlap more as necessary for security) and trim the working edge to fit. Finish sewing the binding (opening the center fold and tucking the raw edge inside the pressed end of the binding strip). Refold the binding along all the creases and then fold it over the project raw edges to the back, enclosing the raw edges (there are no creases to worry about with option B). The folded edge of the binding strip should just cover the stitches visible on the project back. Slip stitch or blindstitch the binding in place, tucking in the corners to complete the miters as you go (3).

DIAGONAL SEAMS FOR JOINING STRIPS

Lay two strips right sides together, at right angles. The area where the strips overlap forms a square. Sew diagonally across the square as shown above. Trim the excess fabric ¼" (6 mm) away from the seamline and press the seam allowances open. Repeat to join all the strips, forming one long fabric band.

FOLD BINDING

A. Double-fold Binding
This option will create binding that is similar to packaged double-fold bias tape/binding. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, with wrong sides together; press. Open up the fold and then fold each long edge toward the wrong side, so that the raw edges meet in the middle (1). Refold the binding along the existing center crease, enclosing the raw edges (2), and press again.
B. Double-layer Binding
This option creates a double-thickness binding with only one fold. This binding is often favored by quilters. Fold the strip in half lengthwise with wrong sides together; press.