Don't
forget your margins when binding!
Most Graphic Designers have learned early on that you need to
take into consideration the finishing processes (folding, trimming,
binding and finishing etc) before you progress too far with a design
job. Not taking these things into consideration can incur costly
re-designs or re-prints, for example if you did not allow a wide
enough inner margin on the inside pages of a perfect bound publication.
This article will help you to understand some of these processes
better, and hopefully prevent you from making some of these common
errors.
There are many different ways to combine multiple pages
into a single finished piece. In its most simple form we could
use staples, paper clips or binder clips to combine sheets of paper,
but on a more professional level, methods are a little more elaborate.
These include Saddle Stitching, Side-stitch Binding, Perfect and
Case Binding, Comb Binding, Coil or Spiral Binding, Wire Binding
and Post Binding to name but a few.
So, how do these binding methods
actually work . . . let’s
find out!
Saddle Stitching
This is a very common, simple
and cheap binding method and uses one or more staples on the spine
of a signature. (A signature refers to the group of pages that
are printed on the same sheet of paper which is then cut down and
trimmed to the finished page size. The number of pages on a signature
depends on your page size and the size of the printer’s sheet
or roll of paper.) Magazines are the type of media that most often
use this method of binding. The staples that are used to anchor
the signature at the spine are more commonly created from a spool
of wire. When binding, the loose sheets of pages are laid over
a saddle-like holder (which is where the name comes from), the
wire is put into position, cut to the correct shorter length, bent
into shape and then the legs of the staple are forced through the
signatures. The legs are then bent into the staple shape.
This whole process is done incredibly quickly, usually less than
2 seconds from start to finish. Creep can be a major factor though
when using this method of binding if large numbers of signatures
are used, so remember to allow for larger margins when using this
method, especially when the outside edge of the bound job is trimmed
to produce a flat outer edge.
Figure 1: In saddle stitching, wire is fed from a roll,
bent into shape, the legs are forced through the signatures and
then bent into the staple shape.
Side-stitch Binding
A similar process to saddle
stitching, but rather than putting the staple through the spine,
the staple is instead put through the sides of the signatures,
close to the fold. The resulting binding is not quite as nice as
saddle stitching.
Perfect Binding
This method of binding is commonly used in larger publications
(50+ pages) such as annual reports and textbooks. In this method
of binding, all of the project’s signatures are placed together
(usually in smaller groups of 16-page signatures) and stitched
through the spine and then the spine edge is ground to a perfectly
flat edge. The cover of the project is then glued to the outside
edge of the signatures.
Figure 2: Signatures are placed together in groups of
16-pages and then glued into the cover.
Whilst perfect binding does not suffer from the same degree of
creep that you might find in a magazine, consideration should still
be made for the effects of combining a large number of pages with
the relatively stiff spine of a perfect binding. Even a 192-page
magazine (relatively slender by comparison to some) can show a
large degree of pinching of the pages in the centre of the finished
magazine, making it difficult to read text near the interior bound
edge. Remember to compensate for this by using wider inside margins
when designing your pages.
Figure 3: When perfect binding large numbers of pages,
remember to allow for pinch and ensure you add a larger inner
margin (right).
Case Binding
This process is almost the same as perfect binding and is ideal
for larger hardcover books. In this method, after the signatures
have been ground off, the spine is reinforced with a gauze or cloth
strip before affixing a hard cover.
Comb Binding
This method of binding is ideal for business reports, cookbooks
and workbooks and is often used by companies to bind their own
short-run publications internally and it allows the bound booklet
to lie flat when opened. Small rectangular holes are punched down
the edge of a stack of pages and the plastic teeth of the comb
binding are then inserted into these. The spines can be removed
and reattached if required, but this method does make adding a
printed spine difficult, but not impossible. Once again, remember
to allow wider inner margins to avoid the punch holes.
Figure 4: Comb binding allows books to be opened flat
but makes a printed spine difficult.
Coil or Spiral Binding
In this method of binding, a wire or plastic spiral is threaded
through round holes punched in the edges of a stack of pages. As
with comb binding, this binding method allows the pages to lie
flat when opened.
Figure 5: As with comb binding, coil binding allows
the books pages to lie flat, but does not allow a printed spine.
Wire
Binding
Wire binding uses tooth-like loops of wire in a similar fashion
to comb binding; however it produces a much sturdier binding than
the plastic comb binding method.
Post Binding
When producing heavy-duty publications with content that is constantly
changing, this method might be the most suitable solution. Often
seen in wallpaper sample books, metal posts are pushed through
punched holes in the book and anchored with bolts that thread into
the centre of the posts. This allows you to easily add or remove
pages and can also allow an exterior cover with an imprinted spine.
There
are many different variations on these basic binding methods,
such as using ribbons or screws for example, but these tend to
entail limited print runs and a large amount of hands-on work to
produce them, resulting in larger make-up expense. Whichever method
you choose to use, plan it carefully and don’t forget the
margins!
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