In the first post in this Simplified Bookbinding series (How to Make a Cheap First Book), I explained all the steps to assemble a book. This post gives a couple tips about Steps 3 and 4.
Bookbinders use bookcloth to create the covers for the book. You can make your own bookcloth, or buy gorgeous, exquisite bookcloth at Hollanders or Talas or other bookbinding supply website. I made bookcloth for five books and then decided to find another option.
I cover my books with cardstock - archival quality, acid-free, 12x12 inch cardstock that is generally used in photo albums, so it’s designed to last a long time. One sheet of 12x12 inch cardstock, cut in half, covers a book. It’s much cheaper than bookcloth, and it limits my options. Seriously, you give me everything in the world to choose from and I’m going to freeze up and choose nothing. But I buy one stack of 12x12 inch cardstock and I’ve got a limited choice selection. (Well, now I have 3 stacks.)
Every post in the Simplified Bookbinding series recaps the the four steps of bookbinding and tells you where this post fits:
Step 1. Format the text and print it. (nothing about this step)
Step 2. Create the text block. (nothing about this step)
Step 3. Create the case. (Cardstock covers)
Step 4. Attach the case to the text block. (scrapbooking paper as end papers)
I bought this stack of cardstock for about $12 USD and bound 8 books (only 6 pictured).
More pictures and paper glee under the cut.
Step 3: Create the Case
Here’s more cardstock that I used for Step 3 in creating a case. This pad of cardstock cost me $10 USD (good coupon) and so far I’ve bound four books. What I love about this one is that it’s textured to look and feel like linen. It’s a variety of old-fashioned looking prints in many colors.
Yes, most scrapbooking cardstock is baby or wedding themed, but if you look, you’ll find the ones that will make classy book covers. The craft stores near me (Joann, Hobby Lobby and Michael’s) have a scrapbooking section where you can buy individual sheets of cardstock, if you want to buy a couple sheets just to try it out before buying a stack of 50.
I wrote a series for Frozen, and because Frozen is so heavily merchandised, I found scrapbooking paper to go along with my books:
So that was fun. I bet you can find Harry Potter or Star Wars cardstock if you look.
Cut the 12x12 inch cardstock in half, and it covers both front and back, like so:
(See the first post in this series, How to Make a Cheap First Book, for full instructions on creating the case.)
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Step 4: Attach the Case to the Text Block
End papers should be text weight paper. I use scrapbooking paper for the end papers in Step Four. When I print on A5 paper, folding an ordinary sheet of 8.5x11 paper is about a half inch too short for the text block. I buy 12x12 scrapbooking paper and cut it down to work as end papers.
I found this stack of scrapbooking paper. There’s a huge range of color, so I can always find something to match:
If you want to use bookcloth, check out those links up top. But for your practice books, it’s cheaper and easier to start with cardstock. I actually plan on using cardstock longterm. I’ve bound all my own fics with cardstock covers. I love the way it looks, the cost, and how smooth it is.
Whichever cover method you choose to use, your books will be beautiful!
Learning new bindings feels so great. I feel like I've accomplished something, even though in reality all I've done is stood at my desk and folded a bunch of pieces of paper together... It just makes me so inexplicably happy to put all those folios together and end up with a chunky stack of paper. They never turn out perfectly, but I love figuring out ways to make these different bindings work in my little makeshift bindery. My most recent project has been the buttonhole stitch (instructions from Keith Smith's Non-Adhesive Binding). I love the potential for beautiful design this particular binding has. My book is about as basic as you can get, but it was a great project to learn from. I made a few mistakes, like adding a last-minute book block pleat with endsheets after measuring and tearing the cover paper, so the side-covers are a bit too short and the spine isn't quite thick enough.
Some pictures:
I decided to use a jig made out of binder's board to trim all the signatures to size. I can't decide if it was worth it in the end, because once everything was sewn together, the book block wasn't as tailored as I had hoped. Anyway, here's some nice, trimmed paper porn for you all to enjoy:
I used some really yummy Cave paper for the cover:
And, the finished product!
Not perfect, but I suppose that is why we practice.
Some exciting life updates:
I will be volunteering at a book conservation lab starting very soon! Learning how to make enclosures and sleeves and doing lots of repetitious work. I'm thrilled!
I have decided to apply for a Fulbright to study in the MA Conservation program at the University of the Arts London. Does anyone know anything about this program? In all the research I've done on conservation and bookbinding programs, I hadn't come across this particular school until very recently. It really interests me, though, because I haven't found any conservation programs that allow to specifically study books. I would be interested to hear if there are any graduates of the program out there, and whether or not they've found employment.
I'm still trying to decide if I should apply to the North Bennet Street School bookbinding program. Any graduates of that program out there on the tumblrverse? Did you end up going through a conservation program after NBSS?
