Loving everyone’s designs. Do you make them yourself or use photos then process them to create those epic outlines? What program do you use? I know Cricut is being used on some but there’s look like true gold leaf? How do you get it so precise?

https://preview.redd.it/0l25achy1r4e1.png?width=1391&format=png&auto=webp&s=046b2f11668d6c8a3d2923dd73e46742c4e0e9db

Hi if you have something similar to this or the same model, can you let me know if its any good? I'm gonna be binding a lot of pages, probably over 1000 pieces of paper.

Hello everyone. I am new to bookbinding, so I apologize sincerely if this post is a repeat of those you all see quite often. I have a book that I bought used that has a spine that has continuously cracked off, and I have been looking into the idea of spine repair. However, since the material on this book is not cloth, I am not sure of the best way to go about this repair, as I 1) do not know if I will be able to lift the material to put the cloth of a new spine under it and 2) I want the fixed book to look good and resultantly do not want to differ in materials from what the book is already made of.

Here are some photos of the book. Any input would be appreciated!

https://preview.redd.it/hrvmxfxdip4e1.jpg?width=1418&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b820bf44ed038abbc400ab66698c8d9a4c23226f

https://preview.redd.it/zxuvamiaip4e1.jpg?width=1438&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89fc02b9fc9a023203ab37f3f4a5af2ef977512f

https://preview.redd.it/c5w0mbi7ip4e1.jpg?width=1446&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2722ad7aa287bcff8c45c09613d2f994c292f4a6

Hi everyone,

I’m a beginner binder and have gotten pretty good at most of the steps, but I find that once my book is dried, there is too much tension where the end papers meet the spine and they want to pull away when the book is opened. I know there must be some rule of thumb that prevents this, but I haven’t come across it in the tutorials I’ve watched. Any suggestions? (Photo of one of my finished binds- you can’t see the problem but this is the area I’m talking about.)

Hey all. I know little about book binding but my best friend has recently started. I really want to support her and get a nice Christmas gift for her. Any recommendations on supplies or equipment a newbie book binder would love?! Thanks!

My italian grandmother passed and left me a family heirloom small bible written in Latin. The book is 100% bound in embossed silver with guilded pages and a silver clasp. It is in rough shape in need of some TLC though. Can anyone work on it? Or do I have to take it to someone special?

Hi there,

I’m looking for advice on choosing the right press for bookbinding. I recently purchased steel backing boards from Talas and am now looking to buy either a laying press or a finishing press. I reached out to a company called Hewit and they suggested I go with a laying press for my needs, here’s the link https://www.hewitonline.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=EQ%2D030%2D000&CartID=1 which are mainly focused on backing books. They also mentioned that with a laying press, I can do a bunch of other things, like plough the edges of my books and potentially even gild them.

However, I’m unsure if a laying press is truly versatile enough for all of that. Can I actually use a laying press for gilding edges? Or will I eventually need to buy both a laying press and a finishing press? I really hope not, as I’m trying to make the best investment upfront.

I did like the laying press from AffordableBindingEquipment.com because it came with a stand, and now I can’t help but feel like a laying press needs a stand to work effectively. If I go for one without a stand, would propping it up with bricks on either end make it stable enough? My concern is that hammering into the books might cause the setup to shift or wobble. Finishing presses I’ve seen online seem to sit higher off the surface, which looks like it would make inserting backing boards easier without them touching the table.

On a side note, when I purchased my backing boards, I didn’t think to also buy a press at the same time. My initial plan was to use two boards clamped together with a strong C-clamp, but I quickly realized that wouldn’t work. If I’m already investing in backing boards, I feel like I should invest in a proper press since I see myself doing this hobby long-term.

For reference, I’ve also reached out to affordablebindingequipment.com because I liked their setup, but they don’t ship internationally, and I live far from the U.S. Thankfully, both Talas and Hewit offer international shipping.

Any advice on whether a laying press will work for backing and potentially gilding, or if I’ll eventually need a finishing press as well, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

P.S. am I overthinking everything? 🥲

This is all coming from a non-bookbinding person, as i've thought bookbinding is interesting and looks cool, but i've never done it myself nor do i really have the time/recources at the moment. However, i would one day be interested in binding together a continuos large 1000+ page journal and was wondering how one might go about that? Is it the same process as normal book binding or are there specific factors i need to take into consideration?

ThNk you again for your time! I apologize if this seems like a stupid question.

Brand new to book binding. I have an old cookbook I’d like to practice on. It has a dozen or so pages in the index section in various stages of disrepair. The page shown is about the average state. How do I fix these pages from the curled edges to the fragile paper to all the little tears? I’m thinking there must be some kind of 8x10 page of tape that I can lay this on and cut to size, but I haven’t found anything. Do people really go through each page and microscopically (as it seems) repair each little tear? Thanks!

I have been searching for a source for end sheet material that looks like goatskin or smooth leather. Something like in this picture. Cambridge Bibles use something similar.

Hi everyone!

I hope this is the right place to ask—if not, I apologize! I’m looking for a seller or someone open to taking commissions for a physical, bound copy of Manacled by SenLinYu.

I’ve checked Etsy, but I haven’t found any options I love. Since it’s a fanfiction that was originally posted on Archive of Our Own, it’s been proving tricky to track down a copy.

If anyone has recommendations or can point me in the right direction, I’d really appreciate it!

Thanks so much!

I'm certainly still an amateur bookbinder, but I've made a lot of case-bound book gifts that I'm quite proud of. At this point I feel like I have a few tricks up my sleeve to really wow someone when I gift them a case-bound book: things like hand-embroidering designs onto book cloth, foiling on spines, taking my time to beautifully round-and-back a book, gorgeous endpapers, that sort of thing.

I'm now planning a gift book that will be be somewhere between 36 and 48 pages. Expanding it isn't an option.

At this length, I've only ever made softcover pamphlet-style books, which don't have the same wow-factor as case bound books. And while I'm sure there's no reason you can't do something like a single section bradel binding and incorporate the above things I like to do to make an "artful" book, I worry that it ends up looking kind of foolish being 90% cover and 10% content--or else looks like a notebook and doesn't have the dignity a hardcover book should.

I want something with as much formality and as sophisticated-feeling and, to give up on real words, as much *wow* as I've been able to get out of case bound books. I'm very willing to learn new techniques, as well as suggestions for embellishments I can learn that are better suited to a thinner book. Or new ways to look at using what I already know to make short books shine!

Best of all, any examples you have of artful, dignified, "wow"-ful short books would be wonderful! Thanks so much :)

I have a book from the 1970s that I'm interested in repairing. While it has sentimental value for me, it has no monetary value...I can't justify getting it professionally repaired, and I can find the same edition cheap online.

I believe the book is notch-bound (arranged in signatures with slits up the center of each signature for the glue) and is not sewn. As you can see from the pictures, the glue is very old, and the spine has broken in several places. As far as I can tell, I have two options:

1. Separate every single sheet of paper, repair the center of the sheet, fold the sheets back together as a signature, and proceed with a sewn binding (similar to the process in this video), or
2. Separate the signatures and remove old glue, repair any places where the paper is torn, and glue the signatures back together like a perfect bound book

My question is, while option 1 would result in a more structurally sound book, it would be extremely time intensive and prone to errors as I'm an amateur. Would it be worth it? Is there a third option I haven't considered?

https://preview.redd.it/63fegxci3i4e1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2af5f391f1947097058f452acd12456927ee579

https://preview.redd.it/icgbmwci3i4e1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9d4ab86bdb6da0563e00dcc41e03936ee731a958

https://preview.redd.it/gfbt7yci3i4e1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6501583fd186938f4800ec56563d636da63ad7fe

Hello,

I recently discovered that rebinding books is a thing, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it! I feel like it’s the perfect hobby for me since I’m extremely detail-oriented and love working on intricate projects.

From my research, it seems there are two main methods: one involving needle and thread, and another using glue and special cloth. However, most videos I’ve found that use needle and thread seem to focus on making a book or notebook from scratch, rather than turning a paperback into a hardcover—which is what I’m interested in.

The glue-based method seems straightforward, but I’ve heard it can be prone to failure, with pages falling apart over time. What has your experience been with these methods? Is there a particular technique you’d recommend for turning a paperback into a hardcover?

Also, do you have any go-to resources or tutorials for learning book rebinding?

Thank you in advance for your guidance!

Hi! I write poetry as a hobby and have multiple portfolios and poems from my creative writing minor in college. I want to give my mom a small collection of my poetry as a Christmas present this year and am wondering if there’s an online service (Amazon, Etsy, another website, etc) that I can send off a pdf of my pages to in order for it to be bound as a real book and sent to her. Since it’s poetry it won’t be that long of a book (I’m guessing like 30 pages tbh). Does anyone have recommendations for the best way to do this? Thanks so much. :)

I'm just getting into book binding and am looking to make a couple of bifold notebooks. It's been hard sourcing 25/3 linen thread that is unwaxed. Amazon is full of heavily waxed stuff that I've been advised to avoid. I like the look of this but the price doubles with shipping.

My local fabric stores don't have any linen thread at all. But they have loads of other options. I'm wondering, are there any sizes of embroidery floss or cotton thread that I can ask for that would be suitable for simple bifold notebooks?

Hello everyone,

I'm starting a bookbinding business and need to stitch up lots of books. I was wondering which sewing machine would be the best to stitch up 10 pages of 60gsm togather (could do with 5 pages) consistently.

I've looked at people suggesting a heavy duty Singer, other recommended heavy-duty leather-sewing machines like a used Consew or Juki.

What are your thought and experiences?

Never custom made a book before, but I’m trying to either find a custom book making store or make it myself. I recently saw the Lindau Gospels book cover and I’d like to recreate it. Not trying to use real gold or real jewels, but definitely looking to create a hardcover replica of it. If anyone knows any shops in nyc that would help make a replica of that book cover please let me know

So, I used paper that was rolled up for a long time and the pages of the book now hold that shape. Is there any way to flatten them or will they stay that way? Thanks!