Choosing a book binding

Bookbinding is essentially the way the interior pages, known as the "book block," are attached to the outer cover. Printers can use a range of different bindings to attach this block to your outer cover, and so before you can have a printed proof made, you'll need to decide which binding type you'd like to use. It's not the end of the world if your proof comes back and the binding doesn't look right. You can always change your mind, but it will cost extra time and money. It's a much better idea for you to understand what you're getting before you order anything.

Not many authors realize how many decisions you'll be up against when printing your book. As soon as you settle on one thing, a whole new issue pops up. It's like a publishing whack a mole. Unsurprisingly then, if you decide to use a print-on-demand (POD) service, the question of bookbinding will follow soon after.

Your binding choices

With POD, your choices are fairly limited, which does narrow things down. Perfect bound paperback and casebound hardback are the standard choices, with saddle stitch and dust jackets available more selectively depending on the printer and the book.

And alongside them all lies another option. Maybe POD isn't right for your book at all? If you can get to know the binding types and their alternatives, you should gain some clarity on the matter. If you need to change course and employ a traditional printing service instead, now's the time to realize and do so.

Perfect bound paperback

Printers make a perfect bound book by folding a thick paper cover sheet around your block of printed interior pages. Then they apply a strong glue down the inside edge to hold the two together. Many paperback books you see sold commercially will be perfect bound. It's the most obvious choice for most fiction, nonfiction, and technical books. Perfect binding is fast and cheap, no wonder it's the most popular binding method. If your book is thick enough, it can also include spine text on a nice, straight edged spine.

Because the pages are glued rather than stitched, a perfect bound book won't lie completely flat, and that glue, called EVA, is stiff stuff that doesn't take kindly to ink either. So you'll need to leave a significant gutter area on the left of every page, and keep it blank rather than risk a full bleed spread down the middle. If you're drawn to the familiarity of perfect bound books but are worried about durability, design or usability, there are two similar non-POD choices available. The first is to use PUR binding instead. This looks very similar to perfect bound but uses a stronger, more flexible, more resilient PUR adhesive. Using PUR binding will mean pages can lie much flatter.

The second option is Smyth sewn binding. Here, printers fold, stitch and glue the pages, resulting in a much stronger binding that allows pages to lie completely flat. It's also worth us pointing out that using a non-POD printer will give you many more options for your paperback cover. You'll be able to add foil stamping, embossing, debossing, varnishing and laminating. Unsurprisingly, however, for small print runs, these options are definitely more expensive.

Saddle stitch paperback

Saddle stitch is simply a fancy way to describe stapling. If a printer saddle stitches your book, they will print your pages, fold them, and then stack them open at their center spread. The "stitch" comes from a wire staple or two down the centerfold. This is the most basic and cheap of all binding methods, and it's perfect for very small volumes. Open a saddle stitched book, and it will lie relatively flat. However, they're only suitable for short books and availability through POD is fairly limited.

You'll also need to factor in design adjustments for something called paper "creep." Creep occurs when you stack lots of paper pages inside each other. The pages in the center will stick out slightly, and so your printer will need to trim them. You'll need to make sure the position of your text on each page compensates for that. This can be quite complicated without proper help. A good alternative would be spiral or wire binding. You'll be able to bind many more pages, and these are the stand out winners if you'd like your book to lie flat.

Casebound hardback

With a casebound hardback, instead of a floppy paper cover, your book will be thicker and more rigid. This is because printers add board to give the cover extra support. To make one, printers cover thick board with your designed and printed paper cover, then attach the interior book block inside.

Casebound hardbacks have strength and durability built in. The cover will protect your pages, making them a good choice for children's books, photo books or art books. This means they're great for reference materials and books that you hope people will use time and time again. We'd also recommend them for books with larger page counts as the extra structure will make them much easier for your reader to hold.

Casebound hardbacks look better quality than a paperback. This perceived value means readers are prepared to pay much more than they would for a paperback, even though both contain the same content. Good news for your sales! Of course, quality does come with a price. Case binding is much more expensive than perfect binding. Production costs will obviously be higher, and the extra weight will add costs to your shipping. For something stronger again, traditional printers can offer Smyth sewn hardbacks, along with foil stamping, embossing and other finishes that look especially impressive on a hardback.

Dust jacket hardback

A dust jacket is a separate printed paper cover wrapped around a hardback book, with the flaps tucked inside the front and back covers. Some POD printers offer jacketed hardbacks, while others only offer casebound covers.

A dust jacketed book has a lovely, traditional feel to it and perfectly suits more literary genres. For some books, they just feel right, like a person wearing the perfect jumper. The flaps also give you extra room for things like a synopsis, author biography or reviews.

Dust jacketed books are strangely divisive. Some people love them, while others absolutely hate them, finding them slippery and unnecessary. It is easy to lose or damage paper covers and, despite their name, dust jackets do absolutely nothing to repel dust. In fact, they actually seem to give it even more places to gather and stick. If you use a non-POD printer, you'll have much more freedom over the book underneath too, including cloth binding, foil lettering and all sorts of extra decoration.

Which binding should you choose?

So there we have it. Every book is different, so just hone in on those advantages that you feel are most beneficial to your work. And, of course, now's the time to spot the disadvantages that could be a deal breaker for your book's particular personality.

Although POD offers many benefits, it's also important to remember that it isn't the only option. Traditional printing techniques, although more expensive, could add a winning extra detail or touch of quality to your book. It is a bigger investment, but the more books you print, the more the price will come down.

Whatever you choose, we hope you'll enjoy picking your book's new "clothes." Your book's binding type is what it will wear forever, after all. Visit our book formatting services page to see the options available for your book, and we'll help you choose the binding that suits it best.