Signature Bookbinding

• 3 Signature minimum
• Minimum ¼" spine thickness
• Hardcover binding 
• Tight sewing
• Printed Title on Cover
• Cohesive aesthetic throughout
• Image and text present within the book
• Visual flow from page to page

Things to ask yourself:

• Did I plan out my pages to flow across signatures?
• Have I created elements that create unity across pages and the cover?
• Did I do something beyond the minimum requirements?
• Did I remember to print the title on the bookcover?

Book Parts

SIGNATURES

This is a stack of five signatures. Each signature in this book will have ten pieces of paper. That makes a book of 200 pages or 100 spreads.

BINDING TAPES

Binding tapes hold the signatures in alignment. They are often made of linen fabric, but they could be any sturdy material, from ribbon to cord.

BINDING THREAD

You will be sewing the signatures together using thread. Linen thread is a traditional choice, but any sturdy thread will work.

SUPER

Super is glued to the spine of the signatures. This cheesecloth-like fabric is what helps support the thread and tapes holding the signatures into the cover.

Sewing Signatures

Make sure you pull the thread tight after each signature, so that the book ends up square.

• Cut tapes to fit the width of your spine plus an inch on each side. (If you spine is ½", then you need three 2 ½" tapes)
• With the signatures stacked in order, use a ruler to mark where the holes will go. (You need 8 holes on each signature - ⅜" from each edge and on either side of each tape.)
• Use awls or t-pins to pierce holes in the signatures.
• Starting from the outside of the signatures going in, sew across the first signature, placing tapes underneath the thread as it runs across the spine.
• When you get to the end of one signature, make sure you tighten the thread. Each signature should be tied to the last signature on each end.