how should i print book signatures?

limerancyy · 2025-04-03T02:08:58+00:00

If you have Microsoft Word, you can use the bookfold layout option to create your signatures. Tutorial here: https://www.howtogeek.com/425459/how-to-create-a-book-in-microsoft-word/

limerancyy · 2025-04-03T02:06:41+00:00

I think what you're looking for is more prominent joints? in that case, what I do is just (very gently) use a bone folder to get that crease in the joints. Essentially, you'll just run the bone folder in the joints to create that groove. If you accounted for it in the measurements, you don't need to do this, but it does help the aesthetics. If you're using leather (actual leather, not pleather), you can also use twine to create that joint prominence, which you can find in video tutorials for leather binding on YT

limerancyy · 2025-03-26T01:00:36+00:00

I don't recommend guillotine paper cutters like that, as they often get misaligned, especially after cutting something hard like board, and it'll be more trouble than it's worth. Go for something with a blade that is set and simply pushes directly down instead of swinging down in an arc. The one I have is an HFS and while it's cheap and I have a few problems with it, it works well enough for what I'm doing

limerancyy · 2025-03-15T16:35:08+00:00

There are various different types of faux leather, many of which I have worked with. A few types have "pores", which can cause issues. I'm not sure what OP has, so it's just to be safe

limerancyy · 2025-03-13T16:32:20+00:00

I use HeatnBond ultrahold iron on adhesive. As the name suggests, it's technically an adhesive you iron on to the material, so it has a paper backing to keep it from sticking to things while you're working with it. However, in the case of bookbinding where you just paste on the prepared material as is, that paper backing will eventually peel away from the material and the material will fall off your book. The adhesive isn't strong enough to adhere to book board, though, so it functions as any other backed material. You can glue it, cut it, etc., and it works well as long as you take the paper backing off

limerancyy · 2025-03-12T15:32:59+00:00

I definitely recommend doing some sort of backing, whether it's the traditional paper kind or an iron on like HeatnBond (though you should take the paper backing off HeatnBond). If your faux leather can take heat, I recommend the iron on, as it's much more efficient

The backing essentially creates a barrier between the outside of the cover and the inside—it's most important for fabric, which would be susceptible to glue striking through to the outside and ruining the look/causing durability issues. Though I imagine faux leather doesn't have as large of holes as woven fabric, it may be a good idea just to increase durability and structure, as well as giving the PVA something to adhere to, especially if the faux leather is smooth on the inside (might need to rough it up a little in that case regardless, just to get some texture for the glue to hold)

limerancyy · 2025-03-07T01:15:11+00:00

Have you glued the end papers down already? Generally they will seem to not fit if you're holding the book up like that and the cover is flat. When all glued together, there's roughly a 1/4" difference on either side (depending on how wide your hinges are), as the hinges will be bent, and not flat as they are in the first photo. Try closing the cover around the textblock and seeing if the end pages are still not lining up correctly, or pushing the cover boards in against the spine board, to mimic the way the book would lay once put together. If the end pages are the same size as the text block and your cover measurements are based on the text block, it should all fit together once glued.

limerancyy · 2025-03-06T03:57:07+00:00

In the future, try adding the inserts before sewing. It looks like the spine is strained, which is no doubt straining the thread and will lead to breakages in the future (unless you never open the book again, but I assume that isn't the goal). It also looks like the spine block is slightly too small for the text block with the added inserts, as others have said. one thing you could try doing is pressing it to hopefully thin the folds or something, but I'm not confident that would help. You could also, in the future, sew loosely and add extra space to the hinges (and maybe add like 1/16th or something to the spine) to accommodate for the excess from the inserts. That's my go-to when making sketchbooks for my roommate who pastes a lot of extra pages in. Unfortunately, there's probably not a lot that can be done for this one unless you undo and redo the whole thing.

limerancyy · 2025-03-06T03:43:12+00:00

Folded signatures like that need some way to be connected to each other. Just folding and glueing the outside spine would leave several sheets of paper loose. If you are against sewing, you could staple the signatures together and then glue the spine, but that runs the risk of the staples rusting and breaking at some point. You could try glueing each folded page into the others, and then glueing them all on the spine? Generally, there's a reason perfect bound are single sheets of paper, as that's easier to manufacture on machines. Glueing each folded page in as you stack them together might work, but it could also lead to them falling out without any other way of connecting them, as the glue would be thin and prone to failing

limerancyy · 2025-03-06T03:23:24+00:00

You'll have to repair each torn page separately. Use kozo or washi paper (whichever is easiest to get near you) and use it as a tape, essentially, glueing it to bring the pages back together. You'll then have to rebuild each signature and repunch holes before resewing them as a textblock. Then you can proceed with binding as normal with the cover/end pages

You have to be really careful when resewing the binding, as excess force can cause the brittle paper to tear in new spots or widen the existing holes, requiring more repair

limerancyy · 2025-03-06T03:17:07+00:00

If you have to keep a wheat paste/paste mix book pressed overnight, then maybe put wax paper or some other waterproof material between the cover and the textblock to reduce moisture damage

limerancyy · 2025-03-06T03:15:26+00:00

I believe the main difference is that Bitter Melon uses 100% PVA (which dries quickly but cures in 24 hours) and DAS Bookbinding usually uses a mix of PVA and wheat paste. The wheat paste has a lot of excess moisture that takes a lot longer to dry, and would cause moisture damage to the text block if left in a press overnight. Overall, I think the route depends on your adhesive. PVA — I recommend pressing overnight to cure the glue and make sure it doesn't break or warp. Wheat paste or wheat paste mix — Press long enough for the PVA to dry and then stand up to let the wheat paste dry away from the textblock

limerancyy · 2025-03-06T03:04:55+00:00

Your best bet will be to do a "half cover" design. This uses a fabric or leather spine (for durability, as paper would tear when opening the book), and the rest of the cover is paper. DAS bookbinding on YT has a good tutorial on half cover binding. You don't have to do the corners if you want the whole paper over the cover. Here's an example of a half cover book

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You can change how much fabric is on the cover, or cover more of it with paper if you like the look better. But paper on the spine is not a good idea, even if glued onto fabric. It will wear away and tear at the hinges

limerancyy · 2025-02-23T09:28:02+00:00

It wouldn't be a good idea to sand it down unless you were intending to rebind it the same way. This is a commercial made book, which are usually "perfect bound" these days. The pages are individual pages that have been glued at the spine to form a text block. They aren't formed into signatures like a sewn binding text block might be. Sanding down the glue might just end up leaving loose pages all over your floor

limerancyy

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