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Binding Styles_

Binding Styles

Adhesive Binding

Style of unsewn binding in which the backs of gathered sections are cut off and the leaves are held together at the binding edge by glue. Also referred to as Perfect Bound.

Burst Binding

Method of unsewn adhesive binding widely used on paperbacks, in which the back fold is burst through (nicked) in short lengths during folding so that the glue can reach each leaf as well as section without having to remove the usual 3mm as in perfect binding.

Due to the fact that each leaf and section is adhered with the glue, burst binding is considered to be a more robust form of binding than perfect binding.

As folded sheets are required to burst through, this method of binding does not lend itself to digital print processes.

Case Binding

To bind using glue to hold signatures together into a case made of binder board covered with fabric, plastic or leather to form a hardbound book.

Printed sheets will be folded into page signatures then collated and sewn by machine, the edges are then trimmed to form a book block. Endpapers are then attached to the first and last sections of the book block.

The back edge of the book block is then coated with glue and a strip of gauze glued to the spine. This is then placed within the case (cover) on a casing-in machine which pastes the end papers to the case and fits the cover.

Case bound books are available in both round and square back formats.

Comb Bind

To bind by inserting the teeth of a flexible plastic comb through holes punched along the edge of a stack of paper.

Loose Leaf

Single sheets of paper or board bound together in a ring or similar device, which allows for easy removal or addition of pages

PUR Binding

A form of adhesive binding using PUR glue. PUR glue creates a stronger more robost bind, with the added advantage of the pages lying flat.

Perfect Binding

An adhesive form of binding. Signatures that are folded will have a section of spine cut off with the back edge roughened, glue will then be applied and the cover attached.

As perfect binding is able to utilise loose sheets, it is a suitable method for binding digitally produced work also.

Perfect binding does however not have the same robustness which a burst bound book offers.

Spiral Bind

A form of binding using a spiral of continuous wire or plastic looped through punched holes in the documents back margin. This can be either metal or plastic.

Saddle Stitched

A form of binding that uses staple shaped wires through the middle fold of collated sheets. In saddle stitched work the printed sections are inserted one inside the other on a saddle before stapling along the back fold.

Although dependent on the stock weight, ideally most suitable for books with fewer than 80 pages.

Wire - 0 Binding (Or Wiro)

A metal preformed binding, which is clamped through a series of punched holes on the binding edge. This can have either round or square punched holes.

Wire-O offers a variety of cover options, most common are:

• Standard Binding - separate front and back covers
• Full Canadian - partially hidden wiro is exposed on front and back cover
• Half Canadian - wiro is exposed on the back cover
• Easel - a free standing triangular cover

The advantages of Wiro binding are:

• Pages turn easily
• Sheets will also stay flat whenever the book is opened (impossible with gluing or stitching)
• Back to back opening without ever damaging the spine
• Secure retention of pages
• Perfect registration - ideal for overlays and double page spreads
• Different materials and thickness can be combined anywhere in the book
• Easy removal or replacement of sheets
• Virtually no size restrictions

Sewn with Drawn on Cover

Providing that extra robustness when required. A paper or board book cover that is attached to a sewn book block by gluing the spine and are then trimmed to final size.

In producing the sewn book block, after gathering of signatures, the sewing machine inserts threads through the spine of each section and then uses further thread to join the sections to each other to form the book block.

Sewn books will generally tend to lie flatter when opended as opposed to a burst, perfect or saddle bound book.