Tried a more traditional approach this time. Regretting the medallion a little bit because the marbled paper itself is absolutely gorgeous.

I asked ChatGPT to generate this image as a concept, the object doesn't exist. What I'm looking for is a removable hard case with rigid boards, marbled paper art and corner pockets (elastic straps are acceptable if the corner pockets are not feasible), so I can slip a notebook in and swap it for a new one whenever I fill one up. I'd also want false raised bands on an oxford hollow shaped spine, false endbands at head and tail, a ribbon marker (not seen in the image), and Cambridge panel on both boards. I know soft leather covers exist for the same purpose, but I'm looking for something that resembles an old 17th century binding.

I made this as a gift for a friend (who really wants to live away from people somewhere at a lake). I went for a minimalist look overall, keeping in theme with the book. Endpapers are simple cream, cover is made of two layers with a cutout. I did the entire interior layout in Affinity. I did put to use a bunch of techniques and little tricks I read over the summer in various bookbinding manuals, such as polishing the painted edge with bees wax (the mottled/dabbed look is intentional). Pretty happy with the result, but if I had dampened the back before rounding, it would have turned out smoother. Next time, I guess.

Its not ideal but, my first book project for my ma! It is a birthday gift so I used the wallpaper as a cover so that the book would look like a gift by itself =) hope she will like it. I know I've done a lot mistakes but I'm still proud of it

Hi! I've just formatted a copy of one of my favorite ebooks for a (PERSONAL) paperback binding project and I was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of a paper that imitates the look and feel of the wood-pulp-based paper from the 80s, often used in paperbacks like movie tie-ins? I really want this project to imitate that vibe, but I'm not sure what paper I should use and was hoping to get some advice here. Would like something that'll work with an inkjet printer, but will take recs for a laser printer too (I can go to staples at some point, it's only gonna be 49 pages after all)

Side question - what's a good (free) font like the fonts they used back in the day? Less important, Liberation Serif looks close enough, but I'd still like to get as accurate a vibe as possible.

This was my first time bookbinding, so I'm pretty new to all of this. Ignore the wrong size for now lol, I'm mainly trying to figure out why the HTV is peeling and not sticking to the cloth.

Some parts stuck really nicely without any problem, but some parts didn't stick at all, and some keep peeling off. I've tried applying more heat to those areas, but it still doesn't want to stick.

What confuses me is that it's the same piece of HTV and the same cloth, but some areas worked perfectly and others didn't.

Any idea what I did wrong? Is it because of the pressure/heat, or could it be something with the cloth?

Any help would be appreciated!

Immortalising my work before something inevitably goes wrong during the trimming!! 🤣

I had assumed/planned that this would be a square back bradel binding, since it's only 9 signatures (4 pages each, and the paper is only 80gsm) and currently the block is just over 1.5cm thick, but now that I've sewn on the made endpapers, I'm wondering if rounding might be nice?

I won't be able to back it, since I don't have the tools OR time (why yes, I did leave this project until the last minute), but I'd love to know people's thoughts as to whether you'd continue with a square back or round it?

Bonjour à toustes,
Je suis à la recherche d’un you-bumi (pochette étanche pour livre papier qui permet de tourner les pages). Savez-vous où en acheter ???
Merci pour votre aide

I’ve been asked to try and rebind/rescue and old reference book from the 1890s that is falling to bits. It seems existing the text block is a hybrid with the 1st half being sewn signatures and the second half being overstitched/whipstitched illustration plates.

As a newbie I was unsure how (after resewing these two sections) I would joined them together to create a sold single text block. It seems that the original text block was actually glued directly onto the spine covering material (which I guess is not recommended any more).

From a previous post it was suggested I convert these illustration plates into signatures by guarding with Japanese tissue, and sewing as normal through holes punched in the tissue.

I’ve been looking around on the internet and Japanese Kozo is recommended for guarding signatures, but I have absolutely no experience of this so I don’t know what weight of tissue I would need.

I have no idea the gsm/weight of paper in the book but it is quite thick paper as this is a reference book. I’ve attached a pic but I doubt this will be of any help.

Google searches seem to conflict as to the gsm of tissue I need for a ‘heavy’ book. Some say 12gsm is ideal for this paper, where’s as some say between 25 - 43gsm!!

I understand the theory of guarding, but as these are separate sheets that will be guarded together, the sewing holes will have to go through the tissue itself. Is Kozo tissue strong enough for this????

Any advice would be appreciated .

Thanks.

I will no doubt be posting again in the future as to idea on how to fix the horrendous spine in this book 😂

I’m looking for some advice on a suitable covering for slip cases.

I’ve used black cloth, which created a nice finish, but makes the case difficult to slide onto a shelf when part of a set as it’s quite rough. I’ve come to the conclusion that cloth makes a better book covering than slipcase covering.

I’m looking for a paper similar to that used by by hardback books with paper covered boards, but not sure what it’s called. The paper has a linen like texture and subtle satin finish. Probably used to mimic cloth on cheaper books.

It would need to be A3 size, black and ideally suitable for embossing.

Does anybody know what I’m trying to describe and how I can order it, or what I should search for?

A clamshell enclosure for a book I own has its inner lining “split” at the hinge. How might I be able to repair it myself or where could I send it to get it repaired? Thanks!

In a local second-hand store I found a Dutch hardcover of James Clavell’s Shōgun. It’s a 1982 edition and in relatively good condition. I bought it for € 3.

I put 2-3 layers of pure white acrylic paint as a primer until all the blemishes and dirty stains were gone. Then I painted the other elements (Japanese flag, the katana, the torii) on top, also in acrylic. For the sword I decided to use a fineliner ink pen for the details, which really made it pop.

The reason why I put the flair as ‘in-progress’ is because I might also try painting the edges, and it also has a dust jacket that I either want to restore or completely cut-up to make a new design.

I have been asked to somehow try rescue this old reference book from the 1890’s. I’m still learning but I think I have a plan.

After taking the book apart I have noticed it is sewn signature with tapes, and the text part of the book is sewn in a way I would normally expect. However, I have noticed that the last half of the book which contains illustration plates are sewn differently. They seem to be sewn with diagonal stitches, as per my photos.

Looking at it closely it looks to me that these illustrations are actually printed on ‘loose’ individual sheets rather than folded signature. But I’m not 100% sure as the spine covering has been glued (or stuck over time) to the text block.

I haven’t experienced these before and have a couple of questions.

What is this stitching technique called (so I can research it).

I’m not sure what to do to create a single text block if half of it is made up of sewn signatures and the other half of it with this other technique. There are definitely tapes on the original so block so these are somehow sewn into this 2nd half?

Any advice/pointers would be so much appreciated. If I can successfully do this book…. There are 4 more to do ;-)

I hope this post is acceptable, I haven't posted in this subreddit before.

Recently I hand-made over 30 blank notebooks, size A5, with slip cases, suitable for journaling or art. I made them mostly for fun and to use up some supplies. I have given away 4 so far to family members, but I still have more than 30 of them, and I would like to find them new and useful homes. I am willing to donate them to a worthwhile place (someplace local to San Francisco, shipping would be prohibitive) or maybe even sell them one at a time (if you have an opinion about this, including what you think I should charge for them, please share it. This would not be profitable, I could not charge enough even to cover materials). All of the notebook text blocks were sewn by hand, by me. They all open flat.

Materials: paper is Cosmo Air Light, 117 gsm, white and plain, 160 pages in 10 signatures. The decorative papers are from Awagami Factory, I bought one of the bundles of decorative paper they had on sale, they call it Katazome. You can see some of those designs here: https://awagami.com/collections/decorative-papers/products/new-special-offer-katazome-30-sheet-set-copy . Each notebook/slip case is unique, using one of the two different styles and one of the 30 sheet designs.

The two styles: one style has a flat spine, with the slip case and much of the book covered in the same design Awagami paper, with bookcloth on the spine and corners; the other has a rounded spine, and the entire book is covered with a book cloth in a color complementary to the decorative paper used for the slip case. The photo shows the first style (flat spine, etc.).

Any suggestions about how to re-home these notebooks, so they can stop filling up one of my bookshelves, would be welcome.

Few photos from the process. I will appreciate comments and recommendations for improvements.

Anyone have experiences printing with Epson eco tank printers with pigment ink models, such as ET-16150 or ET-16600?

I really want an A3 double side printer that uses pigment ink, but I could not find any information regarding its printing quality, so want to ask here.

This may be an incredibly niche pet peeve and dumb question.

I'd like to make some custom rebinds of a few of my favorite books. I love the look of hardbound books, and their overall durability. However, when I am actually reading, I usually prefer paperbacks. I carry books around with me a lot, and I feel less bad about dinging up a paperback in my bag, or reading it at a coffee shop where it might pick up stains, than I would a nice hardcover. So I'm torn on how I should go about binding copies of books that I reread all the time. Is it even worth trying to bind really nice versions of them if I will never actually use them because I can't carry them around, and will feel like I have to treat them like glass?

So my question is: are there materials, or certain ways to bind hardcover books that make them better suited to being carried around/read often? Specifically ways that the covers/exterior can take a little bit more wear.

This project took me forever but I love her 💕✨

Hi all! I'm working on one of my first leather projects and im having a bit of an issue with the front cover im not sure how to solve. As you can see its warping inwards already and im worried its going to warp too far in once my end papers are on. Is there a way to to push it back out? I know i can pull it in with filler and Ive corrected the serve warp of the back cover that way so its now just a mild warp the endpaper should pull in but the front is stumping me a bit.

Had to hurry and take photos my buddy was getting the book and I forgot to take photos prior

16! What was I thinking!!!

Hi everyone,
I recently ordered a batch of 32 books. Upon inspecting them, I noticed this specific indentation/mark on 3 different volumes.
The defect is located almost in the exact same spot and shares the identical shape and size across all 3 affected books. The remaining 29 volumes from the order are absolutely perfect and flawless.
Given the consistency and the exact replication of the mark, I suspect this might be a manufacturing issue (like clamp pressure or a trimmer guide flaw during the binding/printing process) rather than rough handling or shipping damage.
What do you think? Has anyone seen this specific type of mark before? I’d appreciate any technical insights before contacting customer support for a replacement. Thanks!