Binding & Finishing

BINDING STYLES

Adhesive Binding

Style of 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 Binding.

Case Binding

To bind using glue to hold signatures together into a case made of binder board covered with paper, fabric, plastic or leather to form a hardbound book. Case bound books are available in both round and square back formats.

Printed sheets will be folded into page signatures then collated and/or 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.

Also called cloth edition, hard bind or hard cover.

Loose Leaf

Single sheets of paper or board drilled and held together in a ring(s), binding screws or similar devices, which allows for easy removal or addition of pages.

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. Perfect binding does not have the same robustness which a burst bound book offers, unless PUR glue has been used. PUR glue will create a bound book of similar robustness to that of a sewn book.

Saddle Stitched (Stapled)

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.

Spinemaster (Square Back)

This is the same as Saddle Stitching above, but the back is “squared” giving it the appearance similar to a perfect bound book.

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 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 opened as opposed to a perfect bound or saddle stitched book. PUR gluing will provide similar results to that of a sewn booklet.

Wiro Binding (or Wire-O)

A metal preformed binding, which is clamped through a series of punched holes on the binding edge. Wiro offers a variety of cover options, most common are illustrated below:

	Standard Wiro Binding Most common cover style. Separate front and back covers. Opens easily back to back.
	Full Canadian Wiro (Square Back) The partially hidden wiro is exposed on the front and back cover. Flat spine allows for easy identification.
	Half Canadian Wiro (Back Cover Bind)  The partially hidden wiro is exposed on the back cover. Flat spine allows for easy identification.
	Cased In Wiro Standard wiro pasted into a hard case with all the advantages of opening.
	Reverse Wiro Binding Allows for an expandable inside cover where a large spread image is important. The binding is hidden and the spine is flat. Back flap can be pasted down or left free.
	Catalogue/Publishers Wiro An intriguing one-piece cover style that opens “in reverse”, creating a flat spine for identification.
	Concealed Wiro (Pasted Back) Wiro bound insert is pasted inside a one-piece, flat spine cover. Binding is concealed. The spine can be printed.
	Easel Wiro A free-standing, triangular cover. Pages flip easily.
	Calendar Wiro The best way to bind wall or desk calendars – with or without a hanger and or thumb cut. Pages always lie flat.

Advantages of Wiro binding:

• 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.
• Inclusion of tabbed pages

To see an enlarged view of the illustrations click on these image