Types of Book Binding
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by Christopher Dow
These are the different types of binding for most multipage pieces of printed matter. In almost all cases, the paper stock or other material used for the covers is harder and stiffer than the pages they protect.
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Hardback Binding
Generally, hardback binding is the most durable and expensive type of binding, enclosing the pages in a hardboard cover. Usually, a group of pages are folded into each other to make bundles that are stitched together with thread at the fold. These bundles have different names depending on how many times they are folded before being stitched at the central fold—folio folded once, quarto twice, and octavo three times. The bundles are themselves bundled together with stronger thread and/or glue inside of a durable material such as heavy cardboard that is sheathed with another durable material such as leather or heavy cloth. Normally, the spine is not directly attached to the butt ends of the gathered bundles. Either it is glued to the back edges of the covers or the sheathing material simply wraps around both covers and the spine. Usually, a printed paper dust jacket is included to protect the cover and to add descriptive material and more colorful packaging.
Hardback binding without a dust jacket, left, and with one, right.
Case Binding
This type of hard binding is similar to Hardback Binding except that the cover boards are covered with a graphic—like a trade paper book—and coated with a tough clear material instead of leather or cloth. There is no dust jacket. The flat spine allows for the display of type, such as title and author. These sorts of covers often find homes on cook books, children's books, textbooks, and other more utilitarian publications that take a beating.
Two examples of case binding: a children's book, left, and memoir, right.
Perfect Binding
A type of soft binding in which the pages are inserted into a wrap-around paper cover that is glued to them along the spine. This is a common binding type for paperbacks, trade paper books, phone books, and some periodicals—usually those with page counts over the practical limits of saddle-stitching (see below), which, depending on the weight of the paper stock, is about fifty-six (seven octavos). As with hardback and case binding, perfect binding produces a flat spine that allows for the display of type.
Perfect binding is a common binding method for paperback books, catalogs, some magazines, and many other types of publications.
Saddle Stitching
A type of binding in which the printed sheets of paper are all folded in the middle, inserted together inside of each other, and stapled together along the folded edge. This is a common binding for booklets, pamphlets, and periodicals such as comic books and magazines with a page count lower than fifty-six. The spine is a sharp ridge that cannot display type.
Saddle stitching is used for magazine, catalogs, and other types of publications that do not have enough pages to be enclosed in perfect binding. The spine cannot be printed on.
Comb Binding
A type of binding in which small rectangular slots are punched through the edges of the pages to be bound. The pages are held together by a circular wire or plastic comb whose teeth clamp through the punched slots. Plastic combs can be printed on by specialty companies.
Comb binding is a method used primarily for textbooks and other utilitarian publications. Plastic combs can be printed on by specialty printers.
Strip Binding
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A binding type in which a series of small holes are drilled through the edges of the pages. Plastic posts are inserted through the holes and into corresponding holes in plastic strips, and all the junctures are fused together. The back of the book will be rectangular, as with perfect binding, but the spine edges of all the individual pages will be exposed, and no title can be printed. (Unless you get out your trusty magic marker and print in crude bold letters.)
Strip binding often is used in publications produced in a photocopy facility.
Spiral Binding
A binding type…. Well, you know: those spiral notebooks you carried all those years of school. But some manuals, textbooks, and other printed items use this sort of of binding. No real spine to print on.
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Three-ring and Report Binding
Yep, those other notebooks you carried. Good for binding ephemera such as flyers and class handouts. And all those report covers are just dandy for the same purpose. I recommend going with paper report covers since mold tends to attack the plastic ones after only a few years on the shelf. You can print out or hand-letter a label for the spines of three-ring binders, but report covers either are ridges, as with saddle-stitched publications, or have exposed page edges, as with strip binding.
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