Bookbinding Demonstration – Glue Bound Paperback
During a holiday this summer I made a simple bookbinding jig to help speed up my efforts when creating paperback books (you can read more about the bookbinding jig in this article.)
The bookbinding jig worked extremely well (I’ve made 7 books so far) and I have been having great success using it to make books with glue bindings. So, I decided to put together this quick video to demonstrate the process I use. The video is edited slightly, but the whole process shown only took about 15 minutes from start to finish and much of the time cut out was waiting for the glue to setup enough to remove it from the jig.If you enjoy this demonstration, please bookmark the page and share it with others.
DIY Bookbinding » Why Print and Bind Your Own Books...
July 26, 2008 @ 11:26 pm
[…] Bookbinding Demonstration – Glue Bound Paperback […]
DIY Bookbinding » Instructions on How to Bind a Book
August 6, 2008 @ 8:05 pm
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May 3, 2009 @ 11:47 pm
I really enjoyed your video and instructions. I finally went out and made my first woodworking project ever!! – entirely out of scrap lumber. My first didn’t turn out to well, but my second looks great. I finished it today. I read your post about children’s books and your little one. My six year old started telling me a story in the car about two brave men – Truthful and Lieless. It was very interesting. I started writing it down for him and will type up his “first story” and print it out for him. You never know, one day we may have to e-mail you about how you publish and print your work!
Thanks again for the jig intructions. We print out a lot of classics that are not copyrighted for our homeschool. 3- ring binders were getting expensive as well as inefficient!
October 31, 2009 @ 3:31 pm
what type of glue do you use when binding paperback books?
November 3, 2009 @ 6:25 pm
Tonya,
Check out this article for more info on choosing the best glue for your project:
http://www.diybookbinding.com/glue-options-for-perfect-bound-paperback-books/
These days I often use a 5 minute epoxy for quick dry times. But, this isn’t necessarily the best option. I don’t expect my books to last for decades.
Andrew
December 24, 2009 @ 12:58 pm
Hi, I was wondering if you thought this sort of binding would work for card stock as well. The problem I’m having is that the Kinko’s near me only carries heavy card stock, not text stock. I’m thinking of having them score the sheets (11×17″) and fold them so I’d have pages of 8.5×11″”, which I would then cut down to 8.5×8.5″. I’d love to sew the binding but think it will be too stiff. Any thought if the glue binding would be strong enough for something like 80lb card stock?
Thanks. And great video.
March 7, 2010 @ 3:32 pm
hey andrew,
i was wondering if you could give me a good rule of thumb for the interior margins. i’m about to give my first bookbinding experiment a go, and i don’t want inadequate margins to blow it all.
thanks!
March 10, 2010 @ 4:41 pm
Hi there,
This is a great demonstration. I’ve built several book binding jigs based on your designs–even one that binds 3 at a time. This helped me start a small publishing operation; we’ve released just recently released an anthology of poetry.
I’d just like to thank you for taking the time to do all of this.
I do have a question, though:
How do the 5 minute d-epoxy books hold up over time? I’ve had a couple complaints about the binding coming loose from repeated use.
What’s the best glue to use?
and finally:
we use two relatively cheap paper slicers. The book is about 22 11×8.5 pages long. Oftentimes, the pages turn out uneven.
Do you have a method of slicing?
October 21, 2010 @ 10:06 am
Hi. I’ve been trying to get a book selfpublished for awhile now. Too much money. I watch your video clips. Very interesting. Could you maybe sent me the measurements and drawings of the Bookbinder. I would like to make my own.
Would very much appreciate it.
June 7, 2011 @ 4:51 pm
In response to KOBUS…
Trying to jus get a book printed can be a hassle. I got fed up with middlemen so here what I do…
I get my plot, my characters, location, scenes and start writing.
At Atomic Publishing there is a Simple Binding machine… about $100 dollars shipped. You can easily bind your books and sell them yourself. That’s what I do.
You meet alot of wonderful people and sell your book, at your price. I always include a cd with music on it as a free gift when someone buys my book.
Give me a e-mail or something and lets discuss it further.
June 18, 2011 @ 4:08 am
Hello Tom.
I recently had my first book published and although it is out there, i am very disatisfied with my publishing agents. I have four or five other books which I intend to publish myself, using the self same methods that you have used. (thanks to many, many unselfish writers who have shared their experiences!) Would you mind if I copy your idea of gifting? Music , or maybe simply chocolate and a sachet of cocoa?
January 13, 2012 @ 2:48 pm
Burnish the fold line with a fid?
February 29, 2012 @ 2:20 pm
Chip,
Burnish with a Bone Folder. Handy little tool used by folks who fold a lot of paper.
Andrew
January 13, 2012 @ 2:49 pm
Great info, you are a big help.
February 29, 2012 @ 2:19 pm
Thanks!
Andrew
January 13, 2012 @ 2:52 pm
“Not ‘super-tight’ and flexible contact cement…
February 29, 2012 @ 2:24 pm
Chip,
I assume you are referring to the glue application step. I don’t clamp the pages down very tight at first because I want the glue to work around the edges of the paper for a better bond. After application, I tighten down the press before joining the cover to the spine.
I find that a good neoprene contact cement provides a strong flexible bond.
Andrew