#bookbinding asks

[vellichorbindery]

First, I want to say that I adore your binds. They are stunning.

I am working on getting into book binding, but I do have some questions/things I’m struggling with that I’m hoping you might be able to help with.

I’ve designed several typesets and covers, I’ve just not yet made it to the finish line. Perfectionism is kinda kicking my butt tbh.

1. What kind of printer do you use? (And do you love it?) I’ve currently got a b&w laser printer, but I want to be able to print typesets in color, but I’m debating between an ecotank inkjet printer or a color laser printer. I’ve never had a color printer before so I don’t really have a frame of reference for what’s better.

2. My other big issue on my typesets has been figuring out the margins. I’ve been formatting my typesets in MS Word. If you use word, do you mind sharing what you set your margins at? And how much you cut off when you trim your textblocks?

I can’t seem to find the best balance between wasting space/paper and having margins that look too small.

Thank you! :)

Hiiii! Thank you for the sweet words 💖🫶🏼

For printers—I have a canon pixma ip8720 that I use for wrap covers, dust jackets, paperback covers and endsheets. I LOVE this printer so much (any of the pixmas are solid color printers) I also use off brand ink bc I can’t be bothered to spend $$ on brand name and it works like a gem.

My other printer is the canon imageclass which I love/hate. It’s a color laser printer so works like my b&w but with color (so I could do foiling on it) the quality is great but I did have issues with it once I put off brand toner and I need to clean the cartridges so I don’t fully love it 100% yet. Still a fan though for the price point. Thats what I used for my Sugar High & ‘tis the damn season typesets. Otherwise I just use my brother b&w for typesetting.

For margins I typically go for .6 on the side margins and usually .5 top and bottom for hardcover. Larger for paperbacks. I try to cut the least amount off on my guillotine but I def have cut off far too much sometimes.

Make sure your layout settings in word are for a letter sized paper and under book fold. Then update the margins and then you can upload it into book binder js to make the pdf into a signatures! (Also I would HIGHLY suggest using Blak Bindery’s macro (find them on insta) it saves me so much time with typesetting in word. (Also ALWAYS hit control A to highlight the entire doc before changing margins/page layout (have learned this the hard way hehe)

Hope this helps!

[three--rings]

For the bookbinding ask game: 8 and 13 please! :D

8. What’s a binding type you’ve never done but that you’d love to try one day?

I'm fascinated by the K118 binding that @spockandawe recently did. And one day I want to do a sewn board binding.

Oh and a Springback. I got a brief lesson on them at the Renegade meetup last year but I don't really remember much so I need to study up. Since I tend to thick AF books I need to try it.

13. Do you have a favourite cover material?

I really prefer using fabric, either commercial or homemade bookcloth. And when combined with lovely marble printed fabric, it gives a lovely effect with maximum durability.

[bamsara]

If you're stressing out about a part of the writing process for fanfic to the point where it's not fun anymore, just don't do that part

Post that fanfic with 1000 grammar and spelling errors. Make your characters OOC and give it a Mary Sue. It is a hobby you're sharing not a literature assignment you have to turn in by midnight

[three--rings]

I'm extra bored RN so please send me questions in asks please!

20 questions about bookbinding

What are you excited about binding right now?

What is your latest binding?

What was your first binding?

What is your favourite binding so far?

When did you get into bookbinding?

What is a binding by another binder you really love?

What’s your favourite type of binding? (coptic, stab, fine, Bradel, etc.)

What’s a binding type you’ve never done but that you’d love to try one day?

How would you describe your binding style?

What’s your favourite bookbinding tool?

Do you have a DIY press/what is your press like?

What is your workspace like?

Do you have a favourite cover material?

Do you have a favourite paper for textblocks?

What are your feelings about headbands?

What type of text do you usually bind?

Do you match the aesthetic of the bind to the text?

Have you ever done a rebind?

Do you have other craft hobbies besides bookbinding?

If you had to give past!you one advice about bookbinding what would it be, and is it the same advice you give newbies?

[celestial-sphere-press]

what kind/style of endbands do you usually do? they look so good 👀

hi!! sorry for taking a while to answer, I wanted to make sure I could give you my best answer.

I usually do what's called a "double core" endband. I use double core endbands over the "bead on front" method because bead on front style is not great for uneven distributions of color, irregular patterns, or using more than three colors. Functionally it works by having your extra threads wrapped up inside the thread that is showing, forming the smaller secondary core. Ultimately you are doing figure 8s around the main core & then your secondary core of thread. This keeps things pretty neat & tidy. The tutorial I first used was this one by DAS Bookbinding, though I don't think his endband tutorials are his best ones. Another binder I've spoken with endbands about a lot is maleeka, who recently did an endband tutorial herself.

maybe I should do one... but it takes a lot for me to get enough motivation to make videos. I'll take this opportunity to write up some tips I've shared when people ask instead:

1. Endband core material is the MOST IMPORTANT component. You need a core that is stiff but flexible - it should NOT be floppy because it wiggles everywhere under the tension of the thread, but still needs to flex with the opening & closing of the book. You want something that doesn't compress, to reduce tension shifts in thread creating a lumpy endband. Have a smooth core is less critical but helps to avoid snagging threads & allows you some leeway on sliding threads around for adjustments. My personal choice is smooth leather jewelers cord (link is just an example, I get mine from a local craft store).

2. Thread size. All your threads need to be the same size; it will be visible if you are using two different sizes, and mess with your front core. Additionally, I know lots of people will use larger twists of multiple strands of embroidery thread, which can work, but is more likely to compress & alter its size in unexpected ways. A single strand is preferable. If you want something thicker you can find some thread weights that are heavier twists intended to be used in a single strand, not pulled apart. I prefer smaller sizes because it works better for the gradient designs I like.

3. Silk thread is your friend (if you can spend the money on it). It reduces fuzz (no fuzz like you get with cotton/DMC embroidery thread), it's usually easier to manage, has a more compact twist, and a higher shine. I use Japanese silk hand sewing thread in size #9 (9号). There's multiple brands (Tire, Daruma, KNK/kanagawa, etc). Here's a wholesale listing (minimum 20,000¥ for international). A non-Japanese brand is Guterman silk (German brand). Both the Japanese & German threads come in a heavier weight (Japanese is #16, Guterman is buttonhole).

4. Thread tension is the most important part of the actual technique. You need to ensure the threads currently wrapped in the secondary core keep tension when you are working the thread around them.

5. Working on a curve. This is only really relevant if you're doing an endband on a rounded book, but the circumference of the curve means there's more real estate on the outside vs inside of the curve. Sometimes this can cause bunching on the secondary core. My own solution to this is that sometimes I wrap the primary core but drop a wrap here or there around the secondary core (only between two wraps of the same color I'm dropping). I uh... don't know of anyone currently recommending this besides myself so I can't point to any pro endorsement for this method, it's just what works for me. Forgive my terrible writing:

6. Pattern management. I... don't really plan much how my patterns sit on the spine, which is not very helpful. HOWEVER you can do some pattern management on the fly, if you really want your pattern to end at a certain place. Thread can be packed more or less densely on the core, resulting in some pattern compression; you could also strategically drop wraps in less noticeable locations. An unintended example: I was replicating the pattern on this endband (left) when I realize I wasn't packing the thread as densely as I had the first time around (right), which resulted in the overall pattern taking up more space. You can do this on purpose, if you need to.

this was way more than you asked but it gave me a chance to put all this in one spot. Best of luck in vanquishing the dreaded EndWyrms.

[gia-d]

Guess who just completed their first Linked Universe Bookbinding project! 💙

Made myself an anthology of all my favourite Wild-centric fics that were just too short to be a book on their own.

I wanted to model the cover off the Champion's Tunic so I ended up finding this gorgeous bright blue bookcloth and decorated it with white HTV, then found some blue and white headbands to match (not quite ready to try making my own just yet).

I hope people like this because I've got a big Linked Universe Bookbinding project I plan to announce soon, so stay tuned for that!

(Also please don't ask what fics I included, I feel guilty because I wasn't able to make authors copies and I don't want anyone to feel disappointed)

[that-butch-archivist]

"The New York Femmes, 1991" by Morgan Gwenwald

source: The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader, edited by Joan Nestle

[shamedumpster]

I designed and hand bound It's Not the Same Anymore into a proper book!! It's been a long but rewarding process from start to finish, and I'm so happy to have a physical version now! :))

Thank you to @renegadepublishing for having so many good resources available for beginner bookbinders. Anyone else who'd like to try, start there!

(Bookbinding progress pics and a bunch of the chapter header images below the cut, for anyone who's curious!)

Bookbinding Process Pics:

Chapter Header Images:

[bowtiepastabitch]

hi hello welcome to me being a nosy shit in your ask box (per that one post you reblogged)

how are the book binding endeavors going 👀

Hiiiii yes nosy ask! Huzzah!

The bookbinding is certainly going! I’ve had a lot of pain in my hands the past couple days so pretty much all my handcrafts are on hold, but here’s some cool sexy photos of what I’ve been working on:

I've done a couple paperback rebindings (including a copy of Pride and Prejudice that's waiting to be painted!) plus DFAFM from the incredible @phoen1xr0se and a veeery mysterious text block waiting for its cover!

Wahoo!

[wolfsbanesparks]

Hey y'all!

I'm very excited to share this bind! This book was made for the winner of my Fandom Trumps Hate auction via the crafts bazaar! @fandomtrumpshate

This is a tete-beche style bind where the book contains two separate fics and one is flipped upside down in relation to the other so no matter which way you hold it one of the stories is oriented for reading! The "reverse" pages with the cards are where the two stories meet in the middle. I also included a matching bookmark since the usual ribbon bookmark wouldn't make sense for this style of bind. This is my first time trying this technique (I didn't even know the name of it until I was halfway through typesetting!) But I am so happy with the result!

Fandom: Supernatural

The fics are The Glamorous Life and Hating the Weather both by Rivkat.

I just mailed it off, so I'm eagerly awaiting confirmation that they got it!

[kaygee-doodles]

When Gloom and Doom is finished, would you be ok with a fan trying their hand at bookbinding with it?

Absolutely!

In fact, that's also my plan when I finish it! Maybe make a few copies for the whole 3 people who still read it by the time I finish

[vellichorbindery]

Hi! I just saw your post with your bind of Dear your holiness and it is STUNNING!!!! Seriously a work of art, the cover (that bejeweled cross), the decoration on the typeset! Even the design on the page numbers!!! Pure talent!

I decided like a week ago to start binding fics, and I’m currently working on the typeset for my first one. do you have any advice for begginers?

AHH thank you so much this means a lot to me 😭😭😭

For beginners- start simple until you learn the basics and the steps it takes to complete a bind. Don’t let imposter syndrome stop ya (I mess up every single bind and though I wanna kick my own ass sometimes, you just have to be ok with mistakes 😂)

If you have word (especially on PC) use blakbooks bindery’s macro (this is a lifesaver and it takes me 5 min to run the macro and then the typeset is ready for decor!) check her out on insta.

There’s a tonnnn of free resources and tutorials on TikTok for beginners (I have probably 10 I’ve filmed covering various stages).

Feel free to em me here or on insta if you have specifics you need help with! Welcome to the binding world 🫶🏼

Cheers,

Jules

[three--rings]

#1 and #4 for the bookbinding ask!

What are you excited about binding right now?

Well, right now I'm pretty laid up and not really able to do any binding. Mostly because of my foot and how difficult it makes getting around my house, but also because I'm out of paper and can't spare the $ to order more.

But the typesetting projects I have going are two video game related projects. One is a fan novelization of the game Planescape: Torment and the other is the script of the game 999. Which I am still working on figuring out how I'm going to make it into a readable format.

4. What is your favourite binding so far?

I think I have to say my most recent one, First Step by futuresoon. Everything worked out pretty much just like I wanted it to and it looks so cool.

Asks are here.

[bamsara]

I accidently deleted the ask because my phones broken screen did a weird touch glitch thing so just in case: you can print out / bookbind any of my fanfictions, or have someone else do it for you if you need a permission to do so (so as long as it's not being sold. Commissioning a bookbinder to bind the fic doesn't count, that's fine)

Though I would HIGHLY recommend going through with grammerly and proof reading before making signatures because I don't use a beta reader since I write for fun and escapism, I don't focus real hard on proper of it and a lot of my stuff has hidden grammatical and spelling errors (I'll get around to editing and fixing that...eventually)

[nalyra-dreaming]

So, as Armand is the creative director of the TdV, are we to assume he's the one who came up with the idea of Claudia's enforced babydoll act? Because that would be so so sinister! IIRC at least some of their plays are written by Armand, right? It's so interesting to me that Louis detests the coven but seems to mark Armand as "different" and more civilized than the rest when he's actually instrumental to it all, he's just very good at getting others to do his dirty work lol

Louis called Armand a cunt (a bookbinder's wife) in his head via Dream-Lestat.

Like, let that sink in.

He clocked in on the threat at the murder mansion. Latest.

Oh, he's trying to make do, and he's still a bit flirting, but he's also having Lestat there, all the time. Like... that's not being into someone. And he knows - and has called Armand - maître. He knows.

As per the play... I am not sure. I wouldn't put it past them to have Armand write this for her. But I can see it be a coven effort instead just as easily. We'll see.

He did say "The coven has great plans for her"... which might indicate the coven, and which is - of course - a hint at the bigger play that's on.

[mister-a-z-fell]

You might already have seen this videograph elsewhere, but I was rather excited to add this particular book to my collection! One of only twenty-four copies, I feel deeply privileged to be able to share it with you all.

Not only is the story itself very special to me (and worryingly accurate in many respects), it is most gloriously and skilfully bound, and contained in a burr oak box with brass fittings, lined with hand-marbled paper of celestial blue, and illustrated by that marvel of portraiture, Mister Paul Kidby.

Within the box are an assortment of ephemera, some of which are pictured below.

(And yes, I can read the alien ‘penalty notice’.)