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what are my bookbinding options?

When it comes time to get a print quote for your book, you will be faced with several types of binding styles, depending on whether you are going to go hardcover or paperback. Which one is appropriate for your book? That depends on how you want your finished product to look, how durable it needs to be, and how much you are willing to spend.

Hardcover/Case

The following binding styles are available for hardcover books. Not every printer will offer these, so ask when you are quoting your book.

Adhesive Case
This method of binding involves gathering your pages into signatures, or groups of 16 pages. Glue is then applied instead of stitching to keep the book pages together. This method is inexpensive but should only be used on books that will be used infrequently.

Costs: This method of binding usually has the lowest per-unit cost, but you may need to produce more books to obtain that lower cost in the first printing. When quoting for 500, 1000, and 1500 copies, you will find that it is much more cost effective to print 1000 or 1500 books on your first run.

Smyth Sewn
As with the Adhesive Case method above, Smyth Sewn binding involves stitching the signatures together to make a strong spine - but in this method, the signatures are stitched individually to add longevity.

Side Sewn
As with the Adhesive Case and Smyth Sewn methods above, Side Sewn binding involves stitching the signatures together - but in this method, they are sewn a quarter-inch from the spine, instead of right on the spine, leaving a space between the cover and the spine. This method creates a stronger book than Smyth Sewn, but it does not tend to lay flat.

Costs: This method is quite expensive and is only recommended for coffee table books or art books where the selling price will offset your printing cost.

Lay-Flat
Only slightly more expensive than perfect bound (adhesive), lay-flat binding is perfect for any book that needs to be kept flat for a duration of time, such as a cookbook, technical manual, or atlas. In this technique, only the first and last pages of the book are attached to the cover, not the spine, allowing the book to lay flat when opened.

Costs: Only slightly more expensive than perfect-bound. A full printing house will offer this method of binding and you will need to print larger quantities (1000/1500).

Softcover/Paperback

The following binding styles are available for paperback books. Not every printer will offer these, so ask when you are quoting your book.

Perfect-Bound (adhesive)
This is the most popular technique to bind a paperback book. In this method, all your pages are gathered together in a block. An eigth of an inch is ground off the spine to make it rough and glue is applied to the edges of the pages. The block is then glued to the cover at the spine, and the remaining cover is folded to create the front and back panels. This technique creates a flat spine where the author/title/printer can appear. Stores like it because they can display your book spine out and save shelf space.

Costs: This method of binding is the least expensive and most popular with both large printing houses and small self-publishers offering it. Some small self-publishers will offer print runs as small as 100 books.

Spiral Bound
Used mostly in paperback printing, the book is drilled with a long set of holes along the binding side and a spiral wire is inserted to hold the pages together. The spiral wire is usually covered in plastic and can come in many colours to match your book cover. Although your book will lay flat, you will not have a spine on which to print your title, making it difficult for a bookstore to display and sell your product.

Costs: This method can have a higher per-unit cost, but you can print a small initial run and reprint in small quantities.

Saddle-Stitch

This technique is only used on small books and booklets. The pages are folded in half and the cover is added, then the whole book is stapled along the spine.

Costs: This technique can have significantly low costs, but is usually only used for booklets or chapbooks. Many small local printers can produce these for you.

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