January 2004: Perfect Binding

Perfect binding is an economical and functional binding style that gives books an attractive appearance. Unlike most mechanical binding styles, the spines of perfect bound books can be printed for easy identification. The versatility of perfect binding is ideal for a variety of products, including cookbooks, annual reports, shop manuals, and textbooks.

To make sure your books meet your needs, there are plenty of planning details that must be communicated between us and the printer. To get you started, here are a few planning tips to keep in mind when designing books for perfect binding:

Cover and text layouts should have proper trim margins - Proper layouts are the key to the success of any adhesive binding project. Text signatures should have trim margins of at least 1/8" at the head, foot and face. Keep in mind that these trim margins are approximates. We are able to work with slightly smaller margins depending on the specifics of your book layout.

Leave a glue trap - Cover layouts require an additional 1/8" glue trap margin at the head and foot. This extra margin helps prevent excess glue from seeping onto subsequent books during binding.

Leave an ink knockout - Heavy ink and coating can compromise the adhesion strength of a perfect bound book. For that reason, be sure to knock out all inks and coatings from the spine area.

The Eckhart Advantage
While these tips give you a starting point for designing a project, there are many more details that must be considered prior to printing. With Eckhart and Company as your perfect binding partner, you can rest easy knowing your books will be handled properly.

Back Issues:

• April 2004  Turn Your Mechanically Bound Book Into a Display Piece

• March 2004  Large Diameter Spiral Wire Binding

• February 2004  Perfect Binding

• January 2004  Our Capabilities

• December 2003  Turned Edge Advantages

• November 2003  Semi-Concealed Wire-O

• October 2003  The Advantages of UV Coating

• September 2003  Mechanical Binding Inserts

• August 2003  The Advantages of Prototypes

• July 2003  Calendars

• June 2003  Index Tabbing

• May 2003  Plastic Comb Binding

• April 2003  Mechanical Binding Options

• March 2003  News From BookTech

• February 2003  Plastic Spiral Binding

• January 2003  Serving Our Customers

• December 2002  Wire-O Covers

• November, 2002 Spiral Wire Production

• October, 2002 Wire-O Binding

• September, 2002 Mechanical Binding Basics

• August, 2002 Cased-In Wire-O