Easy Way to Bind a Picture Book

Making a picture book for your child makes reading something special.

Picture books that you make can easily be bound at home. Adding a cover to your collection and making it into a proper book adds to its charm. When you prepare the individual sheets to make up the book, ensure that there is a wide enough margin for them to be glued along the spine with the pictures and text still visible. The inner margin (the one against the spine) needs to be wider than the outer margin. If any of the pictures go to the edge of the page ("bleed") make sure it is an outside margin. Have the design of the cover ready before you start.

Things You'll Need

• PVA glue
• Glue brush
• Small vise or clamps
• Mull fabric
• Card
• Heavy books or weight

Instructions

Arrange the Pages

1. Arrange the pages in order and make sure they are all turned the right way. Trim the pages if they are uneven sizes. Tap them several times on the table on the bottom and the edge that will form the spine.

2. Place the pages (called the text block) carefully in a vise or clamps. The spine should be 4 or 5 inches above the vise.

3. Move the top of the text block over to the right with a finger so it fans out a little. Apply non-runny PVA glue along the edges of the papers. Fan the text block out to the left and repeat.

4. Lower the text block so the vise or clamp is about an inch from the spine and remove excess glue that is squeezed out with your finger. Wait 10 minutes to let the glue start to harden, then put the text block between two clean sheets of paper and under a weight for 3 hours to dry completely.

Adding the Cover

1. Take the card you have designed for the cover and fold it tightly around the text block. Remove and emphasize the folds by scoring the card on the inside to get a good fit around the spine.

2. Apply some PVA glue to the spine and lay on a piece of mull cut exactly to the necessary width. Put some more glue on top of the mull.

3. Lay the card face down and arrange the text block to lie on top of it. Holding down the block firmly, stretch the cover around past the spine to the front. Run your hand up and down the spine to get a good connection with the glue, the place the book under a weight overnight.

Tips & Warnings

• When the book is dry, check it carefully for any glue that has gotten into the pages and wipe clear with water.

• Gently fold back the pages on first reading so that there is not too much strain on the spine.

References

• No Media Kings: Do it Yourself Book Press; 2006
• Persistence Unlimited: How to Bind; 2006
• Bookmark Self Publishing: Children's Books; 2010

Resources

• "Hand-Made Books"; R. Shepherd; 2002