As a member of the creative team, you may have the responsibility of creating your book-binding projects. The process varies depending on your skills and experience. You may want to start with a basic bookbinding project such as a basic binder, then work your way up to something a bit more challenging like a spiral-bound journal. Of course, there are many other types of binding techniques out there, but these two are the most popular. Let's look at them more closely.
Many people think of saddle-stitched books as being very simple because the pages are laid flat. In reality, though, this isn't the case. In saddle stitch book binding, multiple sheets of paper, usually folded in half, are bound together at the top and bound in the bottom with several wire stitches, which are then tightened through the textured paper. Because the pages of a saddle-stitched book are laid flat, they can be glued down to make a perfect binding. Therefore, the page counts for saddle-stitched booklets should be a multiple of four, typically maxing out around 64.
Another option available when it comes to binding is the wire-o-stitched document binding. This is similar to saddle-stitched documents because the pages are laid flat, but they are bound with fewer staples. Because there are fewer staples, there is a smaller chance of tearing free booklet text or pages. Wire-O-Stitched bound documents also tend to be a little cheaper than saddle-stitched documents. This is because fewer stitches are used, so the overall bound manuscript costs less.
The final option is the simple rotating 360 degrees and lay flat (or unmounted) bind. A standard rotation of a saddle-stitch book is six degrees to either side and six degrees to the top. This allows pages to rotate freely and not touch other sides of the binding. This type of bind has no staples and is only six inches wide, six inches tall, and will fit most standard-sized books. To bind pages at various angles, the pages can be flipped over (turn the pages in a quarter turn), which will produce "gaps" between the pages.
The thickness of your pages will affect your binding method. The more thick the pages, the stronger your binding will be. Thinner stock will be weaker and more easily torn. For thick books, the use of glue will add extra strength and give the finished product a finished, professional look. You can decide if a glue-free finish is preferred for the finish of your book.
A relatively new way to bind a book, spiral binding is a durable, strong, but less common way to bind a book. In a spiral binding, a continuous spiral is made by connecting one long edge of the book's spine with the inside end of the binding. This creates a loop, which is then wrapped around and pulled taut across the spine, creating a sturdy, durable binding. Spiral bindings are not as durable as other binding methods but are often favored because they create a neater-looking spiral, which is more aesthetically pleasing than the regular appearance of a regular spiral.
