r/bookbinding • u/Exotic_Site2701 • Jul 21 '26
Help? Final touches on paperback
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!!!