Finishing, Decoration and Cover Making
This domain covers cover materials, decoration methods and the geometry of casing-in, which is where most dimensional errors show up.
Cover materials
Paper and art card for paperbacks, cloth, rexine and buckram for hard cases, leather for premium work. Lamination (gloss or matt) protects print and adds stiffness.
Decoration methods
- Hot foil stamping with a brass die at roughly 100–150 °C.
- Embossing or debossing for raised or recessed lettering.
- Screen printing for short runs of covers and folders.
- Varnish and spot UV for contrast effects.
Cover geometry and casing-in
- Board height = page height + two squares (usually 3 mm each).
- Cover material width = two board widths + spine width + two turn-ins (about 15 mm) + joint allowance.
- Mitre the corners at 45°, rub the turn-ins down with a bone folder, then case in.
- Place spine lettering centrally, at least 3–5 mm from the head and tail.
Worked example
A5 case binding: page 148 × 210 mm. Boards: height 210 + 6 = 216 mm, width 148 + 3 = 151 mm. Block thickness 12 mm, plus two 2 mm boards, plus 4 mm allowance gives a 20 mm spine. Cover material width = (2 × 151) + 20 + (2 × 15) = 352 mm; height = 216 + 30 = 246 mm. The turn-in allowance is what wraps around the board edge - omit it and the cover is short.
Traps
- Forgetting turn-in and joint allowance, which leaves the cover unable to wrap.
- Cutting mitres too deep, so a gap opens at the corner.
- Stamping foil too hot, which burns and blisters the cover.