An incomplete guide to everything you might ever want to know about fancier binding techniques
To say there's many of different ways to bind books might give you the impression that there is some upper limit to that number. There isn't. To fall back on the initial metaphor of the class, there are as many book construction techniques as there are ways to build a houseâor a blue condominium building with rough-faced cinder blocks on two sides. Here, though, are a few of the most popular and prominent techniques for book binding and the guides to using them. Do read this guide thoroughly well before you print, as it almost certainly will alter the way in which your design will actually be output.
For those working with signatures whether with a hard or perfect bound cover, follow this guide as it goes. For those considering stab binding, skip to the end.
Sewing signatures (along with extra information for hardcovers, if that's the route you wish to take)
More than likely, whether you want to or not, you'll have signatures as your final output from InDesign just due to your page counts. If you're using signaturesâregardless of how you'll actually be constructing the coverâthe initial process remains nearly the same. First, make sure your page count is a multiple of the number of pages in a signature (signatures of a variable number of pages are messyâdon't take on that challenge quite yet). In essence, it's one of saddle stitching each signature, but with actual stitching*. I've actually found this guide to be immensely helpful for the basicsâthe images are shown below, but you really should click through to view the guide in all 32 glorious photos with descriptions of the actions happening in each.
Depending on how you want to progress with your book, you might choose to ignore anything relating to the bandsâwhich hold the book block to a hard coverâand instead finish by sewing the signatures together. A thinner thread and a minimal knot is advisable for those of you considering perfect binding, as they're far more visible there than against a more solid spine.
For those wishing to learn more about hardcovers, don't ignore the bands (although those bands are kind of gnarlyâa simple band of fabric tape is generally preferred). Press on with this guide until the bitter end and you'll have a wonderful hardcover treasure to sit proudly on your bookshelf.
Does this signature assembly demo have you in stitches (in a bad way, which I guess is not how that phrase is normally used, but whatever)? Check YouTube for more demos of how to sew and assemble signatures. If you're interested in the dozens of different, awesome hardcover bookbinding methods, YouTube has answers for you there, too.
Perfect binding: not just for perfectionists
Once you have your stitching done, the time has come to actually put a cover on your book. But wait! Your cover isn't in your actual page flow anymore because, in perfect binding, it wraps around as a single sheet. Make sure to take the front and back cover out of your file, replacing them with something else. I might suggest a second title page, which I almost certainly guarantee you found in other books you looked at for research. You might create an index for the back, or split up some of your museum-related information a bit more, or create something else totally fictional. You could even leave a few rear pages totally blank, as is not uncommon.
So, with your pages printed and stitched per the above guide, get to gluing! This is a pretty solid video tutorial I found that lets you use materials you already have lying around, like binder clips and art history textbooks and bricks (please do not take the bricks that make up the walls of this building for bookbinding).
Once you have the initial block of signatures glued together, then it's time to finish your cover. I'd wait to print it until here, because you'll far more easily be able to set up your cover this way. Use a spine calculator like this one to figure out how big your spine should be based on your paper weight and number of pages, but check it against the actual width of your assembled spine to be sure. I'd suggest setting your cover up as a single page with thin crop markers in the bleed or slug for where the spine should be (as the video suggests, leave a bit on the sides for safety and for the space taken up by the binding thread). Then, print that thing as a whole sheet on a good piece of cover stock. Fold it with a bone folder and glue it as the video instructs.
Voila! Perfect binding done perfectly!
Is perfection still not enough? Check YouTube for more perfect binding demos.
Stab binding: for single sheets, the best way to go
Maybe you can't print signatures because of the stupid page resizing bug that breaks Print Booklet in InDesign. Maybe you like having your cover in your file. Maybe you just want a book that is a little more honest about how it holds itself together. In any and all of these cases, stab binding may be the way to go.
Why not glue pages together, you might wonder? The signatures hold themselves together through more than just glue, for one, and for another, glue ages, cracks, dries, and does things which are not necessarily amenable to heavy use. There's a reason page a day calendars and postcard books are set up this wayâthe pages will fall out eventually.
Stab binding creates a cover by wrapping around the page block with thread, leaving part of your page area beneath the binding. This is one of the most important concerns when considering this method: that it requires a significant inner margin and will undoubtedly alter your page size rather a lot. An inch is what the video suggests, but somewhat less than that can still work. Be sure to either alter your design with that in mind or be prepared to crop your book with that in mind. Once your single sheet pages are made, follow the tutorial below to set up your binding. Once that's done, you'll have a book that looks as good as it works.
For far more information than you could ever require, check YouTube for more stab binding demos.
* I've seen some perfect bound books that do use staples to hold together signatures, but this often looks crummier than it should. If you're careful with it and don't have the time or the skill for actual stitching, though, it might turn out okay.
