Book Binding Methods and Techniques: Structures and Sequence
Domain 3 tests whether you can pick a structure that suits a book's size, use and budget, and then sequence the work correctly.
Structures to know
- Pamphlet stitch – three or five holes, one section, very quick.
- Japanese stab – holes punched about 10 mm in from the spine edge, thread laced through; strong, but the book will not open flat and the inner margin is lost.
- Coptic – exposed chain stitch linking signatures to the boards; opens flat, decorative.
- Long stitch – signatures sewn directly through the cover spine, no adhesive.
- Case binding – signatures folded, collated, sewn on tapes or cords, glued up, rounded and backed, lined with mull and hollow tube, endbands added, case made and cased in.
- Perfect binding – leaves milled and glued into a wrapper; fast, suited to magazines and cheap paperbacks.
Sequence for case binding
Fold, collate against the signature, mark up, sew, glue up and nip, round and back, line the spine, add headbands, make the case, case in, press.
Worked example
A 320-page school annual on 100 gsm, handled daily. Pamphlet cannot hold 320 pages. Perfect binding is quick but single glued leaves pull out under heavy use. Thread-sewn case binding on tapes with a hollow back holds the sections mechanically, opens comfortably, and can be rebacked years later.
Traps
- Flooding the spine with PVA: brittle, cracks, and blocks rounding.
- Sewing so tight the block will not open.
- Skipping nipping, leaving a fat uneven spine.
- Casing in before the case is square and the squares are equal.
- Describing stab binding as opening flat.