- Printing – Double-sided setting on 8.5 x 11 inch paper. I use acid-free 32 lb paper.
- Cut the page in half horizontally, as indicated by the red line.
- Create textblock (the pages inside a book)
- Imposition – the process of arranging a book’s pages so that once the printed sheets are folded, the pages will appear in the correct order. I use imposition software for this process. The diagram below shows the order of pages for a single signature of the book.
- A signature is a group of sheets folded in half which is worked into the binding as a unit.
- Print and cut signatures, fold and press
- Punch holes in each signature using a punching cradle
- Press for several hours
- Sew signatures together
- Glue on endpapers – The first and last pages of a book, glued to both the textblock and the cover. I use a variety of specialty papers for this process.
- Press for several hours
- Place textblock in finishing press and spread glue on the spine
- Glue on mull – a strip of cloth that is attached to the back of the textblock and glued to the cover boards.
- Glue ribbon placemarker
- Glue on headbands – the decorative roll of cord or thread found at the head and tail of the spine of the text block.
- Imposition – the process of arranging a book’s pages so that once the printed sheets are folded, the pages will appear in the correct order. I use imposition software for this process. The diagram below shows the order of pages for a single signature of the book.
- Making the cover (case) – The exterior covering of a book made from binder’s board and cloth.
- Create book cloth – I apply an iron-on adhesive to the back of a piece of cloth. I then iron tissue paper to the opposite side of the adhesive. This strengthens the cloth and also prevents glue from leaking through and staining the cover.
- Cut out binder’s board (a form of pressed or chipboard) for the two covers
- Glue board to book cloth
- Glue the edges of cover to board
- Press for several hours
- Casing
- Place textblock in case
- Glue mull and end paper to boards
- Press
- Place textblock in case
For more detailed information about bookbinding I recommend the following sites:
- Papercraftpanda.com – suggestions for beginners
- DAS Bookbinding.com – many, many videos on bookbinding
- http://affordablebindingequipment.com – well-made tools for bookbinding