You already know about two book binding types: paperback and casebound (hard) covers. But have you considered other types of book binding?
Here’s a list from Book Design Made Simple with some other options—each book binding type is labeled in the illustration below.
Less common book binding types to consider
There are plenty of other kinds of bindings that might fit your book better than the more common hard and soft covers. Here are some ideas:
- Saddle stitch Used for very short books that consist of only one signature (see pages 321–322). The signature is stapled two or three times at the fold.
- Spiral Like a spiral notebook, with metal or plastic-coated wires.
- GBC binding Also called Cerlox®, it holds the pages together with a cylindrical plastic comb. It requires rectangular holes to be punched near the inside edges of your pages. You can choose from many colors and sizes, and the binding can be printed on with your spine information. Consider using this for cookbooks or technical books.
- Wire-O® binding Similar to spiral, but the wires are parallel to each other and in pairs. Used sometimes for technical or reference material.
- Concealed Wire-O Like Wire-O, but the front-cover material continues across to the back (as in a hardcover book) and conceals the wires so the spine can be printed on.
In most of the bindings listed above, the inside margin on your pages must be wide enough to allow for the holes that need to be punched for the binding (usually 0.5″). Ask your printer for their requirements.
Your book will lie open flat with all of these types of binding.
* * *
Please note that you cannot use any of the book binding styles in the list above with POD printing. What is POD printing? It stands for print on demand, and you can compare it with other book printing options here.
Read more: Book printers for indie authors »
Read more: Book binding basics »
Read more: How to choose the right trim size »
The excerpt above is from Book Design Made Simple, Second Edition, chapter 60, Choosing your book’s binding, page 408. Copyright © 2017 Fiona Raven and Glenna Collett.
Need more info about book design, InDesign, and publishing? Our website, book, videos, and blog cover every aspect of how to design and publish a book, whether you’re already an experienced book designer or a complete novice. Download chapters 1 through 9 of the book by subscribing to our blog—simply fill in the form below, and click the Join Us! button.
