OUGD504 - Brief 3 - Bookbinding Workshop

OUGD504: Brief 3: Type In Context

Bookbinding Workshop

Perfect Bind

The primary benefits of perfect bound books are that they look professional and a strong aesthetic while remains less expensive to produce that hardback books. The square spinal edge formed by the perfect binding method allows for the book’s title or other information to be printed on the spine (something the saddle stitch and spiral binding methods do not offer.) In addition, perfect bound books can be printed in Short Runs and are a great candidate for On Demand Printing. This provides copious benefits to book authors as well as cost-conscious organisations.

Perfect Binding works well creating a professional aesthetic however is temperamental with the facilities provided within the college, we can only produce a perfect find with PVA glue not specialist glue used in industry as this requires a machine process to set the glue. Due to these draw backs pages can often warp or fall out due to the properties of the PVA glue making it an unsuitable option for manufacturing my book. 

Saddle Stitch 

Saddle stitching has a vast range of benefits including; 

• It is the least expensive binding method.
• The turn around time is generally quite fast.
• It can be used for very short production runs…for example, 150 books.
• Books can be made with a heavier weight cover or as “Self Cover” books. Self Cover means the cover is the same weight of paper as the interior pages.
• It allows for books to be made in a wide range of sizes – small like a pocket guide or large like a road atlas.

Produced with the right materials these publications can look of a very high quality and can be equally as engaging as more expensive production methods such as hard back covers. From my research I found a vast range of the specialist books found in Village book shop were saddle stitched or perfect bound, this assures me that this binding method is popular within the niche of art/photography books and would be a viable production method for manufacturing my publication. 

Saddle Stitch with hard cover 

The cover of a modern hardcover book is generally made from pieces of thick, rigid paper board. This dense board is commonly covered with a glossy coated paper for improved appearance and durability.  Because the front and back covers are inflexible, they must be created with a flexible hinge area near the spine to allow the book to open and close easily. Hard Cover binding is the most expensive binding method and is used for books that see frequent use such as textbooks and cookbooks, or when longevity is important such as a bible, yearbook or other keepsake.

Due to the small size and page count of my publication it would not be feasible to produce a hard cover publication. In addition to this it also would fit my aesthetic of a relaxed informal guide as the hard cover connotes text heavy educational book. The high production cost means it would be more expensive as a commercial product requiring a higher price point. 

My Publication; 

Based on this workshop and independent research into other binding methods my publication will be bound using the saddle stitch binding method as it is the most appropriate. The binding method is simple and minimal similar to the aesthetic of my book and will suit the scale of publication creating a small pocket guide aesthetic that adds minimal bulk with the binding method. The cheaper production cost is avatagnious in a commercial context and will appeal to the target audience as a range of similar publications found through my research also use this binding method. I aim to use high quality materials and detailed stock choices to add a well designed tactile feel to the publication and pose it as a upmarket book as opposed to a cheap stable bound photocopied zine. These materials will play an important part of the final outcome elevating the quality of the resolution and directly appealing to the target audience through the use of specialist stock and production methods. 

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