Aaaand here's the final part of my tutorial series! :)
(I've added one final step to part 3, in case you've been following this tutorial already!)
Here's what you'll need for this part:
cardboard (I'm using 2 mm)
PVC glue
masking tape
fabric tape
optional, depending on how you want to do the cover: heat transfer vinyl and a plotter
You have your finished text block and now you need the casing. For this I'm using 2 mm cardboard. Don't go too thin here, or the cardboard will bend very easily. Cut the cardboard into three pieces: the back and the two sides.
The measurements I use are the following, depending on the size of my text block:
The side (x2):
length: the exact length of the text block (because we'll scoot the sidepieces to the outside anyway, as you can see in the picture)
height: the height of the text block + 8 mm (4 on the top, 4 on the bottom)
The back:
length: height of the text block + 2 x the thickness of your cardboard + 1 mm (so just a tiny bit taller than your book when stacking both sides on the text block)
height: exactly the same as the sides
Next, put the three cardboard pieces next to each other. It's important that they're all completely straight, so you might want to use a long ruler or something similar to align them. There should be 1 cm between side one and the back, and between the back and side two. You can temporarily secure everything with masking tape.
Then turn all of it around and put a strip of fabric tape over the whole spine of the book. It should be broad enough to cover both gaps!
Now is the time to check if everything fits for your book and if you're happy with the shape of the casing. Remove the masking tape. You can also already push the fabric tape inwards to create the crease.
Next step: cut your fabric! Cut it to at least 2 cm bigger than your casing. Tipp: Don't use too thin of a fabric (like I did here 😅), or the glue can seep through!
Now we'll start gluing the fabric on the casing. Start with the spine! Always put the glue on the cardboard instead of the fabric! Put a thin layer of glue on the spine and the place the casing in the middle of your fabric piece. Then turn it around and push down the creases again (use a ruler or something similar).
Next, glue down the sides. Flip the fabric to the side so you can put the clue on the cardboard, then carefully place the fabric down again. Be careful to avoid creases! Then do the same thing for the other side.
Turn the whole thing around again. It's time to cut the corners! Cut off every corner at a 45 degree angle, but be careful to leave 2-3 mm of space to the corner of the casing (or your cardboard will peek out, which we don't want)!
Start folding on gluing the long sides of the fabric. As before, always put the glue on the cardboard! To make your corners look really nice, put a tiny bit of glue on the 2 mm of fabric that protrude the casing corner and fold that in as well.
Now fold and glue the sides as well. Your casing is almost done!
Now it's time to make the cover! I usually use heat transfer vinyl and a Cricut to cut it out, then iron it on. If you don't have a Cricut, you can try finding the closest maker space, as they often have on you can use! Should there be a need for a tutorial for this as well, let me know!
Of course you can also create your cover art differently, by painting it on, for example. You can also stitch on the cover before gluing the fabric on the casing, or just print out a dust jacket.
Your last step it to glue the text block into your casing. First, place it in the cover, exactly how you want it to be glued. Place it close to the back, which makes it easier to align as well. The you open up the cover and put your glue, as thin as possible, on the endpaper. I usually put some foil in the fold between the endpaper pages, as to not accidentally glue any pages together. Carefully close the book again, checking if everything is glued down straight. You should have a few seconds to open it up and try again if the text block has shifted a bit. Turn the book around and repeat everything on the other side.
Important: Only glue down the sides, not the spine of the book!
Once done and happy with the result, put the whole book in the press again. Leave it in the press for as long as you can! You might think the glue is perfectly dry after 12 hours, but the cardboard can still bend after that amount of time. I usually leave my book in the press for about a week (though that may be overkill, hahaha).
And with that, you've made your own book! :)
If there is anything left unclear or you have any questions, don't hesitate to comment or message me! I'd also love to see any books you bind! :D
There's a fanfic you love so much you'd like to have a physical copy of it? But you don't know how to make it? You've come to the right place! I'm a teacher and I've done this with my pupils (11 year olds), so you can do it, too!
To preface this, obviously this is only one of many methods to bind a book, and it's not perfect, but it's easy enough for my pupils to do it, so I thought I'd share how I do it, to hopefully help people who want to bind fanfics but have never done it before! :)
Here are some examples of what my books look like when done:
Part 1: Preparations on the PC and printing
To start off, a book is made up of several signatures, which is just a bunch of pages folded in the middle. I've found the best signatures for this method are made of four A4 (or letter format) sheets of paper, folded, so it makes 16 pages in total. But signatures of 5 or 6 sheets work well too!
That means you need to prepare your pdf to have a page count that is dividable by 16 (4 sheet signatures), 20 (5 sheet signatures) or 24 (6 sheet signatures). I usually just add blank pages to the front and back of the book until I reach a usable page count. Also check that your chapters start at the page you want (odd pages are on the right, even ones are on the left).
If that is done, you can get to printing. I print signature per signature, and use Adobe Acrobat for that. Apparently, the free trial version can do this too, so no need to pay for it if you don't have it!
The fanfic I'm printing has 320 pages, so I'm gonna print 20 signature made of 4 sheets (16 pages). I write down which pages make the signature so I can them just type them in:
Signature 1 consists of pages 1 - 16
Signature 2: 17 - 32
Signature 3: 33 - 48
Signature 4: 49 - 64
...
Signature 20: 305 - 320
Now, printing works like this:
In Adobe Acrobat, open your pdf and click on print. In the printing options, you first chose the "Booklet" option and then type in the pages for the signature you want to print (e.g. 1-16). Hit print and you'll have your first signature, which you can then fold in the middle! Repeat this step for all the signatures until you've printed the whole book. Done!
If you've got any questions or need clarification an anything, feel free to ask!
(This is just a screenshot from the web, so the numbers don't match, but my Adobe Acrobat is completely in German, so it would probably be even less helpful!)
About the paper: I use normal printing paper in a bit of a yellowish colour (looks better than the sharp white of normal paper). Printing paper has, however, the wrong paper grain, so if you have access to paper with grain in the other direction, take that instead! The results with printing paper are okayish, with maybe a few wrinkles, but nothing too bad (in my opinion, haha).
Yesterday a friend told me about an open source website where you can modify PDFs for binding directly in your browser. (It doesn't even send data to the server, it used javascript to do the work locally).
Let's get to finishing the inner part of the book!
Things you'll need:
cardboard paper for the end papers
a thin piece of white cloth (I use linen)
PVA glue (I use bookbinder glue from amazon)
optional, but preferred: two wooden boards and two clamps
optional (for cutting the edges): a chisel
To prepare for gluing, I usually press the book beforehand so that it lays flatter and thinner already. For this, I put the book between two wooden boards and use clamps to press the book sandwich together.
If you don't have any of those, you can also use a pile of heavy books.
After leaving it for a few hours, our book should be nice and flat (flat is justice).
Next, you'll need the end papers. You can use whatever paper you like, but I use a thick colored cardboard paper, because the thin one will wrinkle a lot easier. I use two A4 (letter size) sheets and fold them in the middle.
Now we need to glue the end papers to the book. Fold a piece of shiny newspaper to make sure you're not putting glue on the rest of the paper, and lay it down so you'll have a space of about 1-2 cm to the back of the book.
Glue the paper down on both sides. Now your book looks fancy already! Be careful that the end papers open the same way the rest of the book does. (Here's where you notice I work with children, I have seen everything, haha.)
Alright, let's start with the gluing!
Take brush and brush the PVA glue to the back of the book. We want the glue to seep in the small gaps between the signatures. Make sure to glue the thread ends down as well.
Now, for even more support, we glue the fabric down as well. Cut it into a rectangle that's a few cm broader than the back of the book. but not as long. Then glue it down on the back as well.
In this wet state, the book likes to create wrinkles (if you use the wrong grain paper like I do), so I always press the book again after this step, which reduces them. I cover the gluey parts in parchment paper so it doesn't stick to the wooden boards and then put it into the makeshift press for around a day.
The next step is optional, but to get a clean finish on the edges of the book, you can cut the sides. One option is to go to a copy shop and have them cut it for a small fee, or you cut the edges yourself. I used to do it with a band saw, but that only worked well for thinner books. The safer way is to do it with a chisel.
Squeeze the book between two wooden boards again. The front board should end exactly where you want to cut off the edge.
Use the edge of a sharp chisel, steady it on the wooden board and go from left to right (or right to left). Make sure you always keep the chisel straight. I'd recommend practicing on a spare pile of paper before doing this the first time!
Now your book should look nice and edgy, and ready for the casing!
Here are another two optional steps, that make your books look fanatastic:
First, you can add a bookmark ribbon by just gluing it on the spine. Second, you can also add fake headbands! You can get these off amazon for cheap and just cut the desired length, or make it yourself by gluing a string into a folded strip of fabric.
Part 4: The casing, will follow as soon as I'm getting to it in a few weeks (after my vacation :D)!
Alright, now that you have your signatures ready, let's get to sewing!
Things you'll need here are the following:
a piece of cardboard
a pin needle and a sewing needle
bookbinding thread (or a sturdy thread)
white bias tape (or any other fabric tape that's thin)
Here's the step by step guide:
First of all, you need a template on where to punch the holes in the signatures. I made mine out of a piece of cardboard. There should be 6 holes, but the important thing is that the second and third, as well as the fourth and fifth hole are exactly the width of your bias tape apart (marked X).
Then, you punch the holes into each signature with a pinboard needle. A good way to do it is to hold the pages at a 90 degree angle and punch the holes in a 45 degree angle.
Check if your holes are approximately the same for every signature.
For the sewing, here's a small tutorial I made for my pupils:
And here's an explanation on how to do it, with pictures:
Take the first signature of your book and pull it towards the edge of the table, open with a 90 degree angle again. Then you go through the holes as shown. Before you pull the thread tight, add the bias tape (I cut it in half and use one half for each side). It's for additional support when gluing the casing to the book.
Put the second signature on top and go back through the holes. Take care to also include the bias tape.
Then you can tie a knot into the threads, and thus connect the first two signatures. Put the third signature on top and go through the holes to the right side again.
You'll notice that the right side of the third signature is not connected to the other two yet, so we need to make a knot. With your needle, go in just left of the rightmost connecting thread, between the first and second signature, and exit to the right side of the book.
The go up through the loop and pull on the thread to tighten it.
Add the next signature and go through the holes to the other side again. Just like before, we need to connect the latest signature to the others. So again, push the needle between the two signatures before this one (second and third, this time), entering just right of the connecting thread and exiting to the left of the book, the go up through the resulting loop.
Repeat this step until all the signatures are connected.
If your thread runs out, here's an easy way to tie a new one to it:
First, tie the new thread around the remaining bit of the old one.
Push it all the way to the book, then tie the ends of the two threads together.
In the end, your book should look similar to this:
There's a fanfic you love so much you'd like to have a physical copy of it? But you don't know how to make it? You've come to the right place! I'm a teacher and I've done this with my pupils (11 year olds), so you can do it, too!
To preface this, obviously this is only one of many methods to bind a book, and it's not perfect, but it's easy enough for my pupils to do it, so I thought I'd share how I do it, to hopefully help people who want to bind fanfics but have never done it before! :)
Here are some examples of what my books look like when done:
Part 1: Preparations on the PC and printing
To start off, a book is made up of several signatures, which is just a bunch of pages folded in the middle. I've found the best signatures for this method are made of four A4 (or letter format) sheets of paper, folded, so it makes 16 pages in total. But signatures of 5 or 6 sheets work well too!
That means you need to prepare your pdf to have a page count that is dividable by 16 (4 sheet signatures), 20 (5 sheet signatures) or 24 (6 sheet signatures). I usually just add blank pages to the front and back of the book until I reach a usable page count. Also check that your chapters start at the page you want (odd pages are on the right, even ones are on the left).
If that is done, you can get to printing. I print signature per signature, and use Adobe Acrobat for that. Apparently, the free trial version can do this too, so no need to pay for it if you don't have it!
The fanfic I'm printing has 320 pages, so I'm gonna print 20 signature made of 4 sheets (16 pages). I write down which pages make the signature so I can them just type them in:
Signature 1 consists of pages 1 - 16
Signature 2: 17 - 32
Signature 3: 33 - 48
Signature 4: 49 - 64
...
Signature 20: 305 - 320
Now, printing works like this:
In Adobe Acrobat, open your pdf and click on print. In the printing options, you first chose the "Booklet" option and then type in the pages for the signature you want to print (e.g. 1-16). Hit print and you'll have your first signature, which you can then fold in the middle! Repeat this step for all the signatures until you've printed the whole book. Done!
(This is just a screenshot from the web, so the numbers don't match, but my Adobe Acrobat is completely in German, so it would probably be even less helpful!)
About the paper: I use normal printing paper in a bit of a yellowish colour (looks better than the sharp white of normal paper). Printing paper has, however, the wrong paper grain, so if you have access to paper with grain in the other direction, take that instead! The results with printing paper are okayish, with maybe a few wrinkles, but nothing too bad (in my opinion, haha).
If you've got any questions or need clarification an anything, feel free to ask!
“You know, I still don’t understand why,” he decides to voice his thoughts. “Why do you want to stay with me? Why did you do all that? Why did you take all those risks just to free me? Why did you put yourself in danger?” By that point he can't help himself but grab your upper arms to pull you closer to himself. His grip is tight, but he realizes mid-way that his werewolf-strength is probably too much for a simple human, so he lessens the pressure his fingers have on your skin again. “Why did you want to sacrifice yourself so I can escape?”
Your answer follows without hesitation, and without any sign of embarrassment. “Because you deserve it. Because no one else would do it. And, most importantly, because I wanted to.”
It all sounds way too good to be true. Way too unrealistic. Wriothesley just can’t fathom that there is a person that would put him over themselves. It just seems so… unnecessary. What worth does he have, as someone who is nothing but broken in body and mind, to someone like you? Why would you put yourself into such danger, when he did nothing but be a burden to you? Showed you none other of his sides than the bad ones? When all he has done is scare you. Hurt you. Injure you. What must you think of him, going to such lengths and taking such risks for a creature as worthless to you as him?
“Who am I to you?” He tries to put all of his questions into a single one.
Read on here:
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
I finally started working on the pile of fanfics I adore to the moon and back, and that I want to bind! ♥️
The first one on my list is "Flesh-Devouring" by @magicalbats , which has absolutely changed my brain chemistry in the most positive ways (and has probably the best smut I've ever read 👀)! It's a goddamn masterpiece! ♥️
If you like yourself a dominant Wriothesley, you NEED to give this fic a chance! The first chapter is part of a Kinktober collection, and the rest of the chapters are a separate work! Here's the link to the first chapter:
And a bit of info on the bind for those interested:
After finding out that the author's inspiration for the fic's title was the cerberus, which is Wrio's constellation, I knew that I needed to use a cerberus for the book's logo. Well, I wasn't able to draw up anything I liked, so I decided to use Wrio's original logo from the game... I was really worried that using it would look too boring, but I actually really love how it turned out!
For the cover, I wanted to try a new method (a gradient from red to black with an airbrush), but it seems my ability to use said airbrush is not developed sufficiently (= I fucked it up), so I resorted back to my usual gold heat transfer vinyl method... maybe next time I'll manage to try something new (that doesn't include an airbrush 😅)
And for some reason, I managed to get an oil stain on the end paper - but after panicking I just printed out an AO3 logo and slapped it on the stain (nobody will ever know (excpet those that opened the read more and read this 👀))
All in all, I'm really happy with how this book turned out and I'm learning more and more how to make things look exactly how I want them to look. I'm very happy to have this on my bookshelf! 😁
I’m seeing this super late but 🙏😭 I’m losing my mind right now over how amazing this turned out, I just want to gush over every little detail. I absolutely ADORE the use of Wrio’s constellation on the cover, that was honestly such a nice and personalized touch. The black and red color theme with gold accents omggggg. This is genuinely the coolest thing I’ve ever seen and I’m honored that you took the time to make this for one of my fics!!
I’m sending you the biggest, tightest hug right now, thank you again for sharing pics of the finished piece! 🫶🥹
I finally started working on the pile of fanfics I adore to the moon and back, and that I want to bind! ♥️
The first one on my list is "Flesh-Devouring" by @magicalbats , which has absolutely changed my brain chemistry in the most positive ways (and has probably the best smut I've ever read 👀)! It's a goddamn masterpiece! ♥️
If you like yourself a dominant Wriothesley, you NEED to give this fic a chance! The first chapter is part of a Kinktober collection, and the rest of the chapters are a separate work! Here's the link to the first chapter:
And a bit of info on the bind for those interested:
After finding out that the author's inspiration for the fic's title was the cerberus, which is Wrio's constellation, I knew that I needed to use a cerberus for the book's logo. Well, I wasn't able to draw up anything I liked, so I decided to use Wrio's original logo from the game... I was really worried that using it would look too boring, but I actually really love how it turned out!
For the cover, I wanted to try a new method (a gradient from red to black with an airbrush), but it seems my ability to use said airbrush is not developed sufficiently (= I fucked it up), so I resorted back to my usual gold heat transfer vinyl method... maybe next time I'll manage to try something new (that doesn't include an airbrush 😅)
And for some reason, I managed to get an oil stain on the end paper - but after panicking I just printed out an AO3 logo and slapped it on the stain (nobody will ever know (excpet those that opened the read more and read this 👀))
All in all, I'm really happy with how this book turned out and I'm learning more and more how to make things look exactly how I want them to look. I'm very happy to have this on my bookshelf! 😁
warnings: a hint of suggestiveness
wc: 0.9k
notes: for @popheartz ty for the idea ! and yes it's the laufey title so all fluff i promise
you say wriothesley’s name when you think he can’t hear, pretend his name is a secret that you whisper to the silence of your room. it rolls off your tongue gently, as if worried that each syllable might wake him in the peaceful quiet in the early morning. light peeks in through the curtained windows, a bit dim from the partly cloudy sky outside and you’re thankful that it’s not bright enough to wake wrio.
said man sleeps beside you, face pressed against the pillows and he sprawls out on his stomach across the bed. you find it both heartwarming and sad the way it took him time to be okay with stretching out across the bed, so used to curling up into himself when he was younger. he’d come over to your home on the surface the previous afternoon with tea and snacks (bundled in a picnic basket too, he was quite proud of himself), eager for your stay-at-home date. it’s not often that wriothesley stays the night, after all his job requires his utmost attention, so you soak up the time you have with him.
“maybe i should stir up some trouble in the pankration ring,” wriothesley had grinned boyishly. “gives me an excuse to blow off some steam, come up to the surface to drop off paperwork to neuvillette. then i can stay with you. or you could help me—”
“wriothesley,” you gave him an exasperated look. it was almost comical how his expression deflated into a pout and his tufts of hair that stuck up also seem to droop. he continued to bemoan dramatically that you’re a heartless lover and must not enjoy his presence until you shut him up with a peck to his lips.
but in this moment that you’ve woken up before him, try to remember the gentle expression painted across his face. his hold on you is loose, allowing for enough movement to untangle yourself from his warmth and savor the next few minutes you know you’ll have before wrio wakes. when he stays the night at yours, he’s always rising along with the sun, pressing lingering kisses to your skin as he murmurs about having to get ready for the day soon. he’s always running late (by his standards) but refuses to leave unless he gets his proper fill of you.
wriothesley. you test each syllable. he’s known by many names: the duke of meropide, your grace, the duke, wriothesley, wrio (but only for you). each title holds a weight to it, sometimes with admiration, other times with disdain. so if you can say it with as much love as he deserves, maybe he won’t feel so uncomfortable about the way his name sounds from others.
he won’t tell you that he’s come to adore it when you say his name, so different and warm from what he’s known. wriothesley remembers the sickeningly sweet sound of his mother’s voice calling his name. he first remembers the way it sounded down the hall as he curled into himself, trying to pretend that he wasn’t going to be next in line. then how it fell from neuvillette’s mouth, a criminal sentence that sent him far below the surface. his name is one that is etched into history of the pankration ring, the chant of a victor of ruins. though now most address him formally, tacking on a title he doesn’t quite feel as if he’s lived up to.
but then you say his name so delicately, that for a moment he asks if that’s how his name can really sound. wriothesley steadies his breathing as he lays quiet, relishes in the way you gently card your fingers through the end of his hair, careful to avoid potentially tugging at the tangles from sleep.
“do you need something, darling?” his voice is rough, laced with sleep and half muffled by the pillow. “or do you just love saying my name that much?”
you pull your hand away and clear your throat. “how long have you been awake?”
“long enough to hear you whisper my name over and over,” wriotheley teases, twisting so he can look up at you. his eyes are still bleary and hazy, hair a mess, and voice crackling, but he looks up at you with such a lovesick grin.
“any other ways you want to say my name?” he hums, reaching for your hand. you let him guide your knuckles to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss as he stares at you through his lashes. it’s impossible to look away, not when he promises so much in those ice blue eyes of his.
you ignore his previous words, much to his disappointment and instead ask, “what time must you go?”
“kicking me out already, darling?” he huffs. but wriothesley knows what you’re trying to ask. how much more time do i have with you before you return to the fortress? he glances over at the brightening light that filters into the room and the clock hanging on your wall. he looks at the trinkets and decor that sit on the shelves and the bedside table. his own items scattered amongst yours, as if they’d always fit this perfectly in your space.
“not anytime soon. let’s rest a bit more.” he decides and wriggles closer to you, snaking one hand around your waist and encouraging you to lie back down and tuck yourself into him.
when he presses a kiss to your forehead you faintly hear him murmur something under his breath but you don’t press. the way he hugs you a bit tighter says everything you need to know.
As best as you can, you scoot up into a kneeing position. He still doesn’t ease his grip on you, but his trembling intensifies as you pull away slightly to be able to change positions. “Wriothesley,” you try again, softly, and the only reaction you get is him pulling you closer. Then his hands finally let go of your arms, only to find the fabric of your shirt. He lays his forehead on your collarbones, effectively hiding his face from you even more. For a second, you don’t know what to do.
Wriothesley continues shaking as he desperately, desperately pulls you into him, and his fists tremble so hard that you should fear for your shirt – but you don’t, because you couldn’t care less about it when he is in such a bad mental state right in front of you. You don’t care that he tears the fabric, and you don’t care about his blood seeping into it as you carefully wrap your arms around his body. The smell of sweat and iron overwhelms you, but you don’t care about that either. You just gently press him into you in what could almost be described as a hug, your thumbs gently caressing his back in the scarce places that aren’t torn or cut.
Fuck. He’s completely out of it.
Read more here:
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
snowghoul
theartofmadeline
kianamaiart
stormborns
dededos
tangentwithtanner
dailybridgerton
