Binding

Today we bound the book, last step of this project! The method through which we decided to bind the book was using the Perfect Binding Machine. Had thought about using a stitch bind as this could have allowed for some more creativity in the bind itself; However, using the Perfect Binder gave us the opportunity to create something that had a really professional finish to it. It was an extremely fiddly process that took some time, but we are very pleased with how the books have turned out. 

Process and Finished Products: 

    

The process of Perfect Binding works by grinding up the binding edges of the pages, then adding a glue to the scuffed edges before wrapping the cover spread over this. One problem that arose whilst we did this is that a couple of the pages in the book are slightly loose. We're not sure exactly why this happened, potentially the pages weren't correctly lined up before being put into the machine. Will just have to take care when handling the book and be more cautious of this next time. 

Using the machine trimmer helped us to achieve a really clean cut on all the edges. One final problem we encountered during this process is that due to the nature of this bind (but also probably any other binding method) it is difficult to see some of the imagery that falls between the two pages. Such as in the Brazil spread, where a character is placed directly in the middle of the spread. This was a problem that we should have foreseen prior to printing. We did manage to sort the issue out when binding the second copy of the book, so that the character is much easier to see. 

Couple of notes for the next time I use this process:

- Ensure you accommodate for loss of image in between pages. 
- Make sure that all pages are PERFECTLY aligned with one another before binding using machine.