Book Binding - How To Make Your Own Books You can easily produce your own copies of your documents, ebooks, and photos in book form. All it takes is a few simple techniques and tools.
Bookbinding How To - Tools
The tools needed to create a simple paperback bound book are easily found at any home improvement store and around your home.
A bare minimum tool list would be:
Computer
Printer
Booklet printing software
A stiff straight edge such as a yard stick or a piece of wood about 12 inches long.
A couple of clamps that will clamp about two inches thick.
A sheet of card stock for the cover
Glue to glue the pages together.
Wax paper
Scissors or a paper cutter
Bookbinding How To - Printing
Print your book on your computer printer. Paper and ink can be saved by using a booklet printing program.
Booklet printing programs can be found by doing an internet search. The leading software programs offer a free trial version that will print your first books. Print your document in booklet format. Be sure to print page numbers on the pages.
Bookbinding How To - Cutting and Assembling the Book
If you printed the document in booklet form, you will need to cut the pages apart. Each sheet will have four pages. Fold each sheet in half to mark the cut. Place the page with the highest page number face down, place the page with the lowest page number face up on top of the other page. Continue to cut and assemble the pages until the book is complete.
Bookbinding How To - Creating the cover
The cover for your book can be cut from sheet of card stock and printed on your printer. A good source of cover material is the thin poster paper found in office supplies and dollar stores. One sheet will supply several covers.
Cut the cover height the same as the book page height. Make the length twice the width of the book page plus the thickness of the stacked pages.
The cover will wrap around the book in one piece during assembly.
Print your cover on your printer
Bookbinding How To - Putting It Together.
Place the cover with the back on the edge of a table. The printing on the cover should be off the edge and facing down. Lay the stack of pages on the cover with the spine or back edge of the pages at the edge of the table. Be sure to orient the pages so the cover will fold over and be right side up.
Cover the stack of pages with a bit of wax paper on the spine side.
Place the straight edge along the spine. Clamp the straight edge on both ends of the book as tightly as possible pressing the stack together.
Spread glue along the edge of the page stack that is clamped under the straight edge. Work the glue into the edges of the pages until all the pages are saturated.
Once the glue gets tacky, fold the cover up across the spine. The cover should be pointing straight up at this point. Press the cover firmly across the spine.
Bookbinding How To - Finishing
After the glue has thoroughly set up, remove the clamps and straight edge and pick up the book. Fold the cover over the front of the book and crease tightly along the spine. It helps to place the finished book under a weight for several hours to press the cover flat.
Remove the wax paper that protected the front cover.
You have now created your own book by a simple book binding process. There is much more to book binding.
A centuries old craft, bookbinding how to knowledge can take a life time of study to master.
