this is the information page on what binding styles serve what purpose in commercial printing
So, you’re not sure which binding method best suits your needs. Well, the good news is you wouldn’t be the only person in that position. We have added this page to try and clean up some of the confusion surrounding book binding. While you are more than welcome to call us at any point in time, in the below text we has described each book binding method, demonstrated where it should be used and added a link in the headlines so you can deferrer away from the page and look at one book binding method at a time.
How should you choose between different binding styles?
There's no need to guess. Our dedicated print team will look at your quantity, size and purpose and advise you on which binding process is best suited to your book printing needs. Our book print Account Managers can help you determine if Perfect Binding, PUR Binding or Saddle Stitching is the right binding process for you.
If you're considering making an order, the best thing to do is to contact our team here with any questions and we'll come back to you same day for a chat..
Perfect Binding and Burst Binding
What is Perfect Binding? Perfect binding is one of the styles of binding a book that glues the books text pages into the book cover's spine. The collated book have 3mm milled off the spine edge and the cover is then glued into position with a PVA style glue. Perfect binding is suitable for light usage and has the disadvantage that single pages may fall out with time. This is because the spine edge has been milled off and while the straight line edge does look good, it does give the glue less of edge to hold onto. Perfect binding is an ideal binding method for magazines and books that are only going to be read a few times. Monthly and quarterly magazines are only called upon for a short period of time, and while there are countless perfect bound books in circulation that have never lost a page, it is occasional that they do.
What is Burst Binding? Burst binding is very similar to the above perfect binding except that the spine edge of the collected pages is not milled off, instead, the spine edge has notches or perforations which allows better penetration by the glue. For this reason burst bound books have better strength and durability than perfect bound books, and while both perfect binding and burst binding present well, they are not suitable for very heavy usages. As mentioned in the above perfect binding section, burst binding, like perfect binding is useful for quality periodicals, school yearbooks, light use catalogues and other types of general usage publications.
PUR Binding
If your softcover book is going to be very thick, or if it needs to survive constant usage or extreme climatic conditions, it may require PUR binding. PUR binding is nearly identical to perfect binding except that it uses a special high tech adhesive called Polyurethane Reactive Adhesive. This process is the most expensive option of all the glue binding options but will provide binding many times stronger than the standard perfect binding.
CASE BINDING
If your book is intended for constant daily use and will be subjected to considerable wear and tear, then perhaps a hard case-bound book would be appropriate.
Hard-cover books / Case-bound books are also more often associated with high-value (high cost) book printing and it's for that reason that most self-publishers do not choose this option.
Case bound books are section sewn, with the text being imposed into signatures and sewn together with cotton. Endpapers are then glued into a cloth or vinyl covered hardcover which may be printed, foiled or embossed. This is the strongest and most archivally stable bookbinding method available. If you would like to discuss case binding and whether it is the best option for binding your book.
Saddle Stitching (Stapling)
Saddle stitching, also known as book stapling, is one of the most cost efficient binding methods available to fasten books. It's fast, economical and ideal for smaller publications and booklets. The pages are secured through the centre-fold by wire staples, allowing the book to open flat. The number of pages that can be stitched depends on how thick the paper is, although as a general rule 48 pages is the maximum advisable number of pages for a saddle stitched book.
It's also interesting to note, that saddle stitched books need to have a page count in a multipul of 4, so that there is a spine fold for the staple to fasten. We'd be pleased to advise you on soft cover options and whether it is the best solution for binding your books...
Wire-O-Binding & Coil Bind (Yes, they are different)
Wire binding (or wire-o-binding) is commonly found when a combination of heavy and light stocks are all used together on the same book intermittently. Because wire binding is durable and allows for full and flat book opening and closing, it is useful for binding items like calendars, swatch books, note books, annual reports, diary, presentation books and unusual custom publications. Wire binding is available in a range of colours, finishes and sizes, to suit your needs.
