Helpful Tips

This Month's Topic: Perfect Binding Cover Layout Tips
October 2004

The versatility of cost-effective perfect binding can make it the ideal solution for book projects, magazines, reports and a wide range of products. Here are a few tips to help you prepare covers for your perfect binding project before it reaches the team at Allied:

Proper layouts are the key to the success of any adhesive binding project. The standard layout above accounts for ample trim areas, which are essential for efficient and cost-effective production.

Don't get trapped: The head and foot of your covers must be 1/8" larger than your signatures so they can function as "glue traps." This is in addition to the 1/8" trim margin at the head, foot and face of your cover and text signatures. If this allowance isn't made, glue may seep onto subsequent covers and binding equipment during the process, which can delay production and result in lower-quality books.

Go to the dummy: Creating a 'bulking dummy'-or a mock-up of the production piece-is crucial to sizing your spine properly. Be sure to build the bulking dummy out of the same stock you'll use to produce your project. This will allow Allied to accurately measure bulk to ensure that covers fit snugly for improved production quality.

Go head-to-head: When laying out your covers for multiple-up production runs, place them head-to-head to provide Allied with ample supply at the foot.

Book quality hinges on the spine: Be sure to leave a margin of ¼"on either side of the book spine for the inside cover hinge scores. Text or images placed on the spine side of this margin will be obscured in the finished product. When incorporating cross-alignment images between the cover and the first (or last) page of text in the product, plan for an additional ¼" margin that will be used for side gluing.

The Allied Advantage
Rely on Allied Bindery for all of your perfect binding needs. In addition to standard perfect binding, we offer layflat adhesive binding, tape binding and high-quality, high-strength PUR binding. Related finishing operations such as folding, cutting, trimming, and shrink wrapping allow you to consolidate all production of your perfect-bound projects under one roof.