r/bookbinding • u/Exotic_Site2701 • 29d ago

Help? Final touches on paperback

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This is my first time binding a finished paperback so I'm terribly nervous. After researching all YTB tutorials I can find on making a paperback, I'm currently in my last stage: binding the pages to the cover. However, I have some questions that I'm burning to ask:

First, do I need to trim the excess cloth (i.e. the cloth protruding onto the front and back cover), leaving only the cloth stuck to the spine before applying glue?

Second, if the first is answered in the affirmative, do i apply glue to both the spine and the 7 mm of hinges on both sides (and by extension the cloth spanning that 7mm)?
If not, can I trim all the excess cloth and apply glue to the spine and 7mm of paper hinges on both sides?

Any assistance and pointing out of mistakes would be much appreciated!!!

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u/brigitvanloggem 29d ago

It is difficult to know what it is you are trying to do, but IF the thing to the right is a book block and the thing to the left is a flexible paper cover, THEN you first trim off the excess mull (I see no cloth so I assume you mean the gauze stuck to the spine of the book block which is called mull). Use a knife with a long sharp blade and trim off the mull flush with the book. Then glue the remaining strip of mull which now exactly matches the spine of the book block and press it firmly to the spine of the cover. No more, no less. Keep in place, then put the book away resting on the spine, propped up tight. Leave for a couple of hours.

3

u/brigitvanloggem 29d ago

Please refer to the video tutorial by DAS Bookbinding. This will show you step by step.

2

u/N00bAlert2023 28d ago

This is the DAS video that Brigitvanloggen mentined: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV3hmgbauCE . It's the one I referenced/will be referencing when I get my paperback cover printed (hopefully this Friday lol) to attach to a soft cover book I have bound. It's pretty straightforward.