Glossary of terms and techniques
Backing: The process of shaping a ridge or shoulder on each side of the spine of a text block after rounding it, and prior to lining it. Backing accommodates the thickness of the boards, and provides a hinge along which they swing. Backing also helps to prevent the spine of the text block from collapsing into a concave shape over time.
Binder Cover: Pre-cut covers in a variety of colors.
Board: A general term used for pasteboard, millboard, strawboard, etc., all of which are used to form the foundation for book covers. They are made of various pulped or laminated fibrous materials pressed into large, flat sheets, which are then cut to size and covered with cloth, leather, paper, or other materials, to form the book covers. Also called cover boards, or book boards.
Bonded Leather: A leather-based material made by mixing real leather fibers with a latex or similar base. The end product looks, smells and feels very much like real leather, but at a much lower cost. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonded_Leather
Book Block: The interior sheets of the book without the cover. See Text Block.
Bookbinding: The process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookbinding
Case: Industry term for hard cover.
Case Binding: The traditional process of making hard cover books that is a method of binding in which the book case (cover) is made separately from the text block and later attached to it.
Casing-In: The process of attaching the hard cover case to the book block.
Clear Liner: A thin plastic adhesive sheet designed to make book rebinding easier than ever. Ideally suited to the fast repair of non-archival books.
Coated Paper: Paper that has a fine layer of clay, resin, or some other substrate that gives the paper a smooth, often shiny appearance for rich color printing. Coated papers can be difficult to bind using standard thermal-adhesive methods. Some form of paper preparation is recommended beforehand (see Splitter, notching, milling, roughing). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coated_paper
Cover Spine: The space between the boards of a case to accommodate the thickness of the text block. The inside of this space is stiffened with a spine strip, usually made of Bristol. A hinge area on either side of the spine strip allows for the movement of the cover boards on the shoulders of the text block as the book is opened and used. The outside part of the cover spine usually receives stamping for author, title, and publisher. Also called spine, backbone, back backstrip, and shelfback.
Custom Bookmaking: Hard cover books individually made by hand.
Debossing: A stamping process with a machine die that leaves an image pressed into the surface of a book cover. Sometimes referred to as embossing.
Die Cutting: The process of cutting a pattern in a sheet or book cover using specially-made dies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_%28manufacturing
Die-cut Window: A window on the front of a Photobook Hardcover that is cut out but not wrapped.
Edge Preparation: The treatment of a sheet of paper to create a stronger bind.
Embossing: A machine die stamping process that leaves a raised impression on book cover. See also “debossing.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embossing
End Paper: See “Endleaf.”
Endleaf: The stiff paper that attaches the book block to the front and back inside covers.
Glossy Paper: Paper coated with a slick and shiny surface. Often used in magazines, yearbooks, and photo books. See Coated Paper
Grain Direction: The direction in which the majority of the fibers of the paper are oriented. It is important to ensure that the grain direction is parallel with the bind to achieve the best results. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper
Hardcover: A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers that are typically sewn for lasting value. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcover
Headband: The narrow piece of striped or solid fabric at the top and the bottom of each book block. The headband was once an integral part of the binding process, but now it is purely decorative.
Hollow: That part or space of a case binding between the textblock spine and the inside of the cover spine.
Hot Foil Stamping: The process of applying foil to a sheet or cover by applying heat and pressure. Hot foil stamping requires special equipment and dies similar to those used for debossing.
Library Cloth Cover: Rayon fabric Hardcover. This is an extremely rugged cover designed for heavy use, such as one might experience in a library or similar setting. Ideal for binding books for heavy use purposes or a traditional look and feel. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_binding
Linen: A material made from the flax plant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linen
Linen Strip: A Super Strip made to resemble the “crash” used in traditional hard cover bookbinding.
Lining: Layers of paper used for reinforcing and stiffening the textblock spine. One of two layers of material are frequently glued to the textblock spine after it has been rounded and backed. Ideally, textblock spine linings should reinforce the glue and help hold the sections together.
Long Grain: See “Paper Grain.”
Marbled Paper: Decorative sheet of paper printed with a pattern that resembles marble. Often used for endleaves in expensive books. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marbled_paper
Matte Paper: Paper that is coated with a non-glossy surface. Matte paper is often used to create drama when combined with printed photos which appear shiny in comparison to the paper.
Memory Book: A scrapbook or photo album devoted to specific people or events.
Milling: A technique used to help bind perfect-bound books. The binding edge of the book block is abraded to expose more fibers and increase the size of the binding edge. Normally it is used with calendered or coated paper to improve the bind. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milling_machine
Newton: A unit of measurement used to measure bind strength. A newton is the amount of force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram at a rate of one meter per second squared. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton
Notching: A technique used to improve the bind on perfect-bound books. Small notches are cut along the binding edge to increase the edge area available when the book is glued. Normally it is used with coated or calendered paper to improve the bind.
Page Turn Test: A test used to determine how many times a book page will turn before falling out. The equipment used for this test mimics the action of a person aggressively turning a page in a book.
Paper Grain: The direction in which the fibers in a sheet of paper line up. Paper grain is normally either short grain or long grain.
Paperback: Softcover, or PerfectBound describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are typically a heavy paper stock, and are bound, usually, with glue rather than stitches or staples. And such book covers are flexible rather than stiff or hard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paperback
Paper Weight: There are several methods of measuring paper weights. Designations such as “bond” and “text” indicate weight measurements based on specific master sheet sizes. As a universal weight comparison, most papers also list the weight in grams.
Perfect Bind: The process of binding individual sheets directly to the inside spine of a softcover. This is process used most commonly to bind paperback books. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookbinding
Photo Book or Photobook: A photo album that is bound like a hard cover book.
Pull Test: A test used to test how firmly a sheet of paper is attached to its binding (see also, “Newton”).
Punch and Bind: Any of the binding systems that create documents by first punching the sheets and then attaching the binding element through the punched holes (e.g. velobind or coil binding).
Quarter Binding: A process that uses two different materials on a hard cover, so that the material on the spine wraps approximately one-quarter of the way around the cover.
Ream: 500 sheets of paper.
Roughing: See “Milling.”
Rounding: The process of hammering or manipulating the textblock spine into a convex shape prior to backing. Rounding diminishes the effect of swelling caused by the thickness of the sewing threads or the application of glue from an adhesive binding. It also helps to prevent the textblock spine from falling into a concave shape after years of use or of standing upright on a shelf.
Scrapbooking: The popular hobby of creating individually made books, often containing photographs and artwork. Many times, the scrapbooks are designed to create a record of memorable events. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapbooking
Sewing: Collections of folded or loose pages sewn together along the binding edge. Sewing is often used with custom-made hard-bound books. This is a very sturdy and long lasting form of binding designed for books intended to last multiple generations, but it requires expensive sewing equipment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewing
Short Grain: see “Paper Grain.”
Signature: Also referred to as Imposition - A collection of pages created from a single printed sheet that is then folded and bound. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imposition
Silver Halide: Paper used to make traditional photographic prints with a chemical development process.
Softcover: Wraparound cover made of stiff cover weight paper like those found on paperback books.
Spine: The bound edge of a book.
Splitter: The Splitter is a device that creates micro-channels in the center of sheets of paper to help improve the binding. It is primarily intended for use with coated paper.
Stitching: A stapling process using spooled wire instead of individual stapling. The term is also sometimes used to refer to sewing. Often used in a saddle or side method to bind pamphlets and brochures.
Suede Cover: Suede leather-like paper-based cover material. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suede
Super: See “Crash.”
Tape Binding: The process of binding a book using an external strip of tape.
Temperature Activated Adhesive: Adhesive that is inert until heated.
Text Block: The main block of pages or leaves, including ensheets and spine linings, which is bound together and then attached to the case (cover). Also called book clock and body of the book.
Thermo Plastic Adhesive: A heat-activated, plastic binding substance used to replace traditional animal-based adhesives.
Velobind: A punch-and-bind process that uses a thin strip of plastic that holds the pages in place. Pages cannot be removed or replaced without destroying and replacing the binding strip.
Wrapped Window: A window on the front of a Photobook Hardcover that has the cover material wrapped completely around the window resulting in a more finished final product.