How to Bind Booklets
Binding your own booklets is a simple and elegant way of presenting written or drawn material. Since it's done by hand, binding adds a personal touch to a gift. Although professionals offer automated binding services, the hand-binding of booklets offers an opportunity to express your creativity. Many designs are possible following a simple method. Binding skills are useful for sketch books and photo albums, as well as in the repair of old books.
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Instructions
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Use a ruler to measure a point 1/4 of an inch in from the left side of the front page. Draw a pencil line, from the top of the page to the bottom, through this point. Use the ruler to keep your line straight. Now measure 1/4 of an inch from the top and the bottom of the page, marking both points on the line. Make two new marks on the line between the first two marks, dividing the space between the first two marks into thirds. You should now have four points marked on the line to indicate where to punch holes later.
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Binder clips will help keep the booklet steady. Stack the pages of your booklet neatly on top of each other in the desired order. Apply binder clips to the top, bottom and right-hand side of the stack to keep the pages from shifting.
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Punch four holes in the booklet at the marked points, using an awl.
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Tie a simple knot in heavy thread that is just more than three times the length of your booklet's spine. Thread the other end through a needle. From the spine side of the booklet, push the needle point in between pages three and four, near the lower of the middle two awl holes. Work the needle into as near a vertical position as you can, without pulling the pages out of position. Push the needle point downward to make a new hole in the booklet that runs through a third of the pages toward the last page. From that position, push the needle into the lower-middle awl hole and return it out to the front page. Pull until the knot sits tight.
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Loop the needle around the back of the spine and back up the lower-middle awl hole from the underside. Move the needle to the upper-middle awl hole. This time, push the needle into the hole from the top side. Loop around the back of the spine again and back into the upper-middle hole. Proceed to the top hole, this time working from the underside.
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Make a loop around the spine at the booklet's top hole. From there, return to the upper-middle hole to make a second loop around the spine. Proceed to the lower-middle hole for a further loop and eventually to the bottom hole for its first loop. After the bottom hole, return to the lower middle hole with one final loop around the spine.
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Tie off the thread at the lower-middle hole and cut away any excess thread.
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Tips & Warnings
When looping around the spine, alternate between working from the underside to the top side at each hole. Pull the thread tight after each loop.
You can use a brad and a small hammer instead of an awl.
Add more color by using ribbon instead of thread.
Hand-crafted hard covers work well with home-sewn booklets.
Before using the awl to punch holes, place protective material of some sort under your booklet.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit NA/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
