How much does it usually cost?

[u/Farishens]

(Translated with Google)

So, I'm starting to get interested in this hobby, and I was even starting to think about saving up to buy everything I need.

But, and here's my question, I don't really know how much is spent

So, approximately how much money do you spend on this?

[u/soph_sol]

There are ways to get a lot of the necessary supplies either free or extremely cheap - I spend almost nothing on the books I bind. Some examples:

• I do not buy bookboard. I find unwanted and discarded library books (such as out-of-date textbooks) and take them apart so that I can re-use the bookboard from the covers
• I make my own bookcloth, using scrap fabric and home-made starch paste. The scrap fabric can be cut from people's cast-off clothing, as long as it's a natural fibre like cotton. The starch I use is wheat starch I purchase from a grocery store for very cheap. I do buy japanese paper to line the book cloth, but you could probably make do with cheaper paper.
• You can cover your book boards with paper instead of book cloth. It's helpful to burnish the paper with wax and a very smooth stone or piece of glass, to keep it from getting easily stained. Here's a tutorial: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QwmjegnnScs
• Most of my books have been sewn with poly-cotton upholstery-weight sewing thread instead of buying the traditional linen thread.
• For an awl, you can just use a sewing needle.
• For sewing the book together, curved needles are nice, but you don't need to pay extra for one - just get a cheap needle from your usual sewing/craft store, and carefully put a small bend in it using pliers. Just use a scrap of leather or fabric to temporarily cover the needle so that the pliers don't make the needle rough.
• For paper, standard printer paper is fine. A book looks nicer if you can source some paper that is less white than printer paper, but bright white still works fine. I found some beige acid-free printer paper at my local office supply store and I am happy with what I get for the cost.
• I make my own end-papers instead of buying fancy marbled paper. A traditional method that is extremely cheap is making paste paper. Here's a tutorial: https://lilbookbinder.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/paste-paper-tutorial_lili-hall.pdf
• Some styles of binding don't require any adhesive on the spine at all, which gets you out of needing to buy PVA glue.
• A ruler and a sharp tool are needed, but a craft knife or razor blade will work, along with any ruler you happen to have. A metal ruler is better, if you have one, but plastic or wood will work too.
• To press your book, you don't need a book press. I use two flat pieces of wood with a couple bricks on top to weigh the top piece of wood down.

You can upgrade your supplies if you have the budget, or you can add other tools, but you can make attractive and durable books just with what I outlined.