Gigabooks Hand Bookbinding Supply
Quick and easy bookbinding for writers and others who want to see their words in print. Learn to make your own trade paperbacks and hardcover books.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
by Chet Novicki
The Two Big Questions, the ones everyone wants to know the answer to, are: Just what exactly is a perfect-bound book, and what's a trade paperback? So let's get those out of the way first.
Perfect binding is a method of using glue to bind books. The typical perfect-bound book has a paper cover and square edges all the way around, including the spine. Just about any paper-covered book of more than 100 pages is perfect bound. Take a look at your telephone book for an example. A trade paperback is, basically, any paper-covered book that's not the same size as a mass market paperback, which are the common, small paperbacks carried in bookstores and supermarkets. Trade paperbacks usually are 5.5" x 8.5", 6" x 9", or 8.5" x 11". They also cost more than mass market paperbacks. Typically the price of a trade paperback is somewhere in between the price of a mass market paperback and a hardcover book.
Other questions
1) Is this for real? Can you really make professional-looking books on a small hand-binding press?
Yes, you really can. And it's easy, too. Stop and think about what's involved. All you really have to do is learn to glue a cover onto the backs of some pages. You can print that cover on your inkjet printer. Your pages, too. That's pretty easy. And once you know how to do it, so is binding that cover onto those pages. In fact, it's so easy that even machines can do it!! Honest.
2) And it will look completely professional?
Well, the binding will, assuming you do it correctly. The book will come out nice and square, just like any other trade paperback. The pages will be even and they won't fall out, even when you open the book wide or bend it over. Of course, whether or not the rest of the book looks professional is up to you - in particular, how good a job you do with your cover design.
3) Is it really as easy as you say?
It must be, because lots of people have successfully made their own books this way. I know of both third-graders (8-year-olds) and people in their eighties who have done this without any problems, as well as lots and lots of folks in between those two extremes.
4) I'm curious, but not entirely sure this is what I want to do. Any advice?
Sure. Get a copy of my paperback, The Perfect Binding Handbook: Making Trade Paperbacks by Hand, which is hand-made, by me, on one of our small presses. In addition to getting all the information you need (how to set up your pages and covers and then bind them together), you can check out a book made this way, look at the pretty pictures (there are 28, illustrating every step of how to do this) and illustrations, tug at the pages, try to break it, whatever.
5) I've read most of the stuff on your site and I'm anxious to get started. What do you recommend as the easy way to get into this?
I guess the best way is with one of our "I Can't Wait to Get Started" specials, because they save you money. The specials are available with the press of your choice (we have 2 different sizes) and come with a copy of The Perfect Binding Handbook (the same book I mentioned in #4, above) plus a sample pack of 30 covers (2 different kinds) for you to try on your printer. Basically, these specials cost about the same as just the press and book, so it's like getting the sample pack of covers for free. Check out our catalog page for more info.
6) What exactly is the difference between the 2 presses you sell?
The small press will bind books, or just pages, that are 5.5" x 8.5" in size. The large press is completely adjustable and will bind books from (about) 2" x 3" up to 9" x 12", and any size in between. They both work the same way - they clamp the pages and cover in the correct position while the operator (you) applies the glue, lets it set for a few minutes, then pushes the cover down onto the backs of the pages. That's it - the book is bound.
7) How long does it take to bind one book?
It actually depends on the brand of glue used, but it takes from 4-5 minutes (with a quick setting glue) to about 17-18 minutes (with a slow setting glue). If you use the invisible staple binding method, it adds about 2 minutes to each book. Once you learn how to do this, I'd say a reasonable expectation would be 4-6 books an hour. I once did 10 books in an hour, just to prove I could, but afterwards I was so tired I had to stop and rest for an hour, so ... :-)
8) I have a 16 page children's book I'd like to do. Can I use your system?
I don't recommend it for straight perfect binding, but if you use the invisible staple binding method (added to my book in August, 2002) you can. For smaller children, you can use your home sewing machine or hand-sew the pages instead of stapling them. This is not the same as booklet binding, where folded sheets are stapled in the middle.
9) I don't have a desktop publishing program to set up pages and I can't afford to spend $600 - $800 for a good one. Any advice?
Well, you could always set up your pages by hand and then take them to a copy shop and get them copied. That's how I started, years ago. But a really easy and inexpensive way is to get a copy of ClickBOOK, which will allow you to set up your book pages and cover(s) in any word processor and then print them out in the correct order and size for your book. Read my how-to article here for more info about ClickBook.
10) Do I need any special tools to do this?
Not really. A razor-knife and a metal straightedge (preferably one 18" long) come close to being required items for anyone doing a lot of books. I also use cotton swabs to spread glue around and drafting tape to keep glue from getting on my binding bar (I'm kinda sloppy). A self-healing cutting mat is a nice thing to have, too, but I did this for years before I got one. None of these items are expensive.
11) I've heard that perfect-bound books need to have the edges of the pages "roughed" or "notched" in order to get a good bind. Do your presses do that?
No, and it's not necessary. Roughing and notching are only necessary when using hot-melt glue, which merely grips the paper. It helps the glue get a better grip on the paper. This method uses contact cement, which works differently. Being a liquid, it actually starts to soak into the edges of the paper before it sets. While the end result - the book - looks the same, the two methods are really quite different.
12) How do I trim my books? Do I need a big, expensive paper cutter?
No. This method starts with pages that are all the same size and a cover that's the same width as the height of the pages, so after the book is bound all you have to trim is the excess length from your cover. The easy way to do this is by using that razor-knife and metal straightedge I recommended in answer #10, above. You can, if you want, trim your books without getting a big, expensive paper cutter. Kinko's and other large copy shops typically offer this service, as well as commercial bookbinders.