Choosing the right size for a perfect bound book
Choosing the right size for perfect-bound books is critical. In addition to the binding quality, selecting the correct page size is crucial. The spine and page margins are closely linked to each other, and the length of the spine should match the book’s thickness.
The perfect-bound book guide specifies the spine width and the score locations on the front and back cover. These are essential features to ensure that the book will open smoothly and without damaging the cover. Also, the spine must be thick enough to wrap around the pages. Finally, you must supply the text pages in single-page format with crop marks and a bleed of 3mm at each edge.
The spine of a perfect bound book binding is typically 1.5″ wide and 11″ long. Therefore, the book can be any size as long as the spine is within that limit. However, heavily coated papers, full-bleed prints, and papers with the wrong grain direction may cause critical issues.
Choosing the correct type of binding
There are many different types of book bindings available. The binding you choose will depend on how you use your book, how many pages it has, and the overall aesthetic you’re considering. Selecting the correct type of binding will also depend on cost. So before you begin shopping for binding materials, consider your budget and the look in your mind.
If you’re printing a catalog or a magazine, saddle stitching may be the best option for your needs. This method uses metal staples to secure the sheets of a book together. This binding type is inexpensive and quick, but the downside is that it’s not very durable. Therefore, saddle stitching is not recommended for books that are frequently used or have many pages.
The most common type of bookbinding is perfect binding. This style is similar to the traditional hardcover book binding, except that the cover is thicker paper stock. Excellent bound books are also sewn together. The inside pages are trimmed to the same size and glued to the spine. This bookbinding is often used for books that need to be shipped, as it reduces the shipping cost.
Getting a professional finish
The perfect bound binding process is an excellent choice when looking for a durable, professional finish for your book. This binding process binds books using adhesive to secure the book’s spine, pages, and cover. The final product appears seamless and fluid. There are various perfect binding options available.
Before putting your perfect bound book together, you’ll want to ensure the spine is properly designed. While other binding processes may allow you to add a design to the spine, the perfect bound process requires that the spine be precisely shaped. The ideal bound process also involves roughing up the book’s spine to expose more paper fibers and increase the bonding area between the spine and the cover. After the spine is finished, the book’s cover is wrapped around the interior page block. Hot glue is then applied along the spine of the book. The three open edges are then trimmed to ensure the book has a clean appearance.
The next step is to choose the type of cover. The best options for this are the fully printed and laminated covers. These covers protect the book cover and give it a professional look.
The spiral binding is a good option if you’re looking for a more affordable option. It’s also very economical and is ideal for softcover books and keepsakes.
Printing on the spine
Printing on the spine of a perfect-bound book can make a difference in the book’s overall appearance. Some authors use all capital letters for the spine text to keep the wording uniformly centered and avoid using descenders and ascensions in lowercase letters. Capital letters also have a larger typeface, which improves readability.
There are several things to keep in mind when choosing the thickness and width of a spine for a perfect bound book. For instance, you need to know how thick the spine needs to be – it should be at least two inches wide but not more than five. In addition to the thickness, you must know how many pages the spine should wrap around. The spine’s thickness usually depends on the number of pages in the book, so if your book has many thick pages, you can choose a thicker spine that wraps around more pages. You will also need to supply the text pages as single, with crop marks and a 3mm bleed at each edge.
You can also choose which type of paper to use for your spine. A good guideline is that text on the spine should not be more significant than the book’s spine. Remember, the spine thickness will vary from book to book, so you want to leave plenty of space on the spine.