Book Binding Techniques

Article by Thara Washington

Bookbinding has been around for centuries and continues to survive to this day. Although the processes are not the same as it was when it first began, its value is still as great as it used to be. I mean if the Romans didn’t invent it, we would all have been walking with the magazine scrolls and parchment pads. Books are great! And bookbinding is the process that brings our books to us.

I can imagine when it first started it would have taken a drawn out process and a long time to create an individual book, we now have machines that can create hundreds of books in as short a time as minutes. But if you want to do your own printing project at home, as many of us do. Folders are going to get really old really fast and having loose pages running around just waiting to get lost, that is not an option.

So for your home and ‘diy’ projects I introduce to you bookbinding home edition. Now there are many different methods you can use to bind books. But these are two of the easiest and most commonly used methods that we will explore; saddle stitching and perfect binding.

Saddle stitching is simple enough. You take the sheets you desire to be bound together and level the sheets on all sides, fold in half equally; making sure to keep all the edges equal to each other. You can clamp both sides together and along the fold line staple. And there you go! You are done.

If that method seemed too ‘play dough’ for you there is the other method – perfect binding, which has a little more things to do but is just as easy. This method is what is used generally for magazines and just like it’s name it looks perfect and very neat. First you collect the pages you want to bind together and neatly place them end to end making sure the ends all around are equal.

Using a series of clamps, probably four, hold in place along the edge which is going to be glued. Be sure that when clamped the pages are equal and leveled off. When level, remove the inner two clamps and spread glue along the inner edge. Replace the inner clamps and remove the outer two clamps and glue along the outer paper edge. Use adequate amounts of glue not too much and not to little. Make it just right. Leave this to dry. (Clamps and all)

When dry, we begin the process of adding the cover. Covers in this method are not two separate sheets but actually one large sheet, big enough to cover the front and the back of the paper including the spine (Edge that is glued). Measure on the paper designated for the cover into the segments making measurements also for the spine.

Fold along the line marked out for the spine. Remove the clamps from the pre-glued papers. Glue the spine and attach the cover, you can re-clamp and leave to dry. When the papers are dry remove clamps and TaDa! You have just bound a book.

It is easy quick and has minimal cost attached. Diy bookbinding gives you the opportunity to personalize anything and get exactly what you want from a book. The possibilities are endless but please don’t take my word for it… take a look a this http://www.expertsecretspublishing.com/bookbinding.html

Learning card making techniques- fun activity to involve with

Article by johnmak

If you are interested in making handmade greeting cards for special occasion, say for birthday, Christmas cards or New Year cards then you need to actively devote your time in learning the process of card making. If we talk deeply about the various card making techniques then there are various things which you need to learn like cross stitching, rubber stamping, quelling, paper folding and more. If you’re all set to enter in to the creative world of card making then there are various basic things, which you need to learn your craft supplies.

For beginners, who are new to the world of card making, there is a strong need to devote quality time and effort assembling the necessary supplies and equipment required for a project. Before stating any craft project whether it is card making or scrap book design, make sure that you have equipped yourself with a selection of paper and card stock, a paper trimmer, a craft knife, a cutting mat, a pair of scissors, a bone folder, an embossing tool, a pair of tweezers, a paper punch. And don’t forget to keep various pencils, markers, paints and glue for other activities.

It’s important to have a good selection of paper and card stock to choose form. While choosing a paper think more creatively about various things such as color, texture, thickness and texture. There are a number of people who love to use recycled paper in their card making adventures. Card stock can come in countless shapes, colors, textures and sizes. Pre-folded card stock is really nice to work with, but plain sheets of quality A4 are not to be ignored. For creative craft makers glues and adhesives are another important consideration. Tacky glue, white glue, and the good old glue stick are trusted tools for the avid home-made card making and craft supplies enthusiast.

When it comes to finish the card making project then it’s also important to consider the finishing touches. A decorative box or a handmade card envelope provides a nice finishing touch to the project.

Bramwell’s is one of the UK’s leading distributors of card making and craft supplies, combining a comprehensive and imaginative range of quality products. Learn effective card making techniquesfrom here only.

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