Hardcover Binding
Hardcover binding, also called casebound or case binding. It is the binding method in which interior pages are sewn together to be bound with end sheets and a hardcover. The hardcover is a board that is wrapped with printed paper, vinyl, cloth, as well as any other special paper. The end sheets include the front end sheet and back end sheet. They are connected the interior pages and board together. The book spine in the hardcover book can be either square-shaped or round-shaped. The spine is also used to place book title, author or publisher name or any other design or logo. If you do square spine hardcover book, the minimum page count must be 32 pages. If you do round spine hardcover book, the minimum page count must be 200 pages. This method can create the most protective and rigid covers for all books. You can ensure that the books look highly professional and durable by opting for this type of binding. This process can not only increase the longevity of the books but also make them look high-end.
Hardcover Book Binding Material
The hardcover material includes a sheet of paper, vinyl or cloth wrapped on board, end sheets and interior paper. The wrapped material paper on the board can be printed paper, vinyl, PU, cloth or any special paper. The board is a 2mm, 2.5mm or 3mm greyboard. The end sheets are connected with the interior and board. So the end sheets are thicker paper. If the book size is 8.5″ x 11″ and less than 200 pages, 140gsm offset paper is okay for end sheets. If the book is more than 200 pages or the book size is larger than 8.5″ x 11″, 170gsm offset paper and 190gsm offset paper are better for end sheets. Some clients like the end sheets with printing and the printing color are shiny, 157gsm gloss art paper or matte art paper is also okay.
We recommend more offset paper for end sheets. Because offset paper is durable and good at water-absorbing ability. The interior paper can be any other regular book paper. The hardcover binding book’s cover surface has more options. Glossy lamination, matte lamination, spot UV, foil stamping and debossing.
Dust Jacket and Slipcase
Some hardcover books include extra dust jacket and slipcase.
Dust jacket is a printed paper wrapped outside the board. The dust jacket includes flaps in front and back. In common, the dust jacket flap is around 4″ – 8″. It depends on the book size.
A slipcase is a five-sided cardboard box to hold a book. The slipcase wrapping material is printed paper, cloth, vinyl or any special paper. The slipcase board thickness can be 2.5mm or 3mm. It depends on the book size. Larger book size, the board thickness is thicker. We don’t suggest you design anything on the slipcase spine because the slipcase spine directly is reversed. So, the texts on the slipcase spine are also reversed. It looks not good.
Hardcover Book Binding Process
The various steps of hardcover binding are below –
Construction of the Case – At first, the case is prepared. For that, the size of the cardboard for the cover is selected. Then the cardboard and cover sheets are fed into the machine that is used for hardcover binding. There are several steps of folding and gluing after which the case is ready.
Sewing – The different signatures are sewn together with the help of the Smyth sewing technique. The outcome is a durable set of signatures that can be opened flat and wide.
Trimming – Then the sewn signatures are trimmed to bring them to the desired size.
Gluing – This is the final step where the book block and the case are placed together and then glued. Once the glue is applied to the spine of the book block, a piece of cloth is placed over it and then the case is wrapped around.
Hardcover Book Binding Advantages
Hardcover binding is quite in vogue even today and this is because of the long list of benefits that are attached to them.
Strong and durable – The superior durability that you are going to get with a hardcover binding is unmatched and not found in any other type of binding. If you want to treasure your book for years to come and maybe pass it down to your future generation, then getting a hardcover version is often advisable.
A large number of options for the finishing – From the aesthetic point of view, hardcover binding definitely tops the list because of the wide array of options that are open to you when it comes to the overall finish. Some of the most common and popular finishing techniques that go hand-in-hand with hardcover binding are – foil stamping, round cornering, leather, and even die-cutting.
Versatile – No matter what kind of project you are involved in, hardcover binding can be used in anything and everything. From art books to children’s books and even yearbooks, everything can be hardbound.
Professional outcome – If you are looking for a binding method that will give you a professional quality finished product, then the hardcover binding is the method you need to approach. With a sophisticated feel, hardcover binding also ensures that the product lasts you for a long time.
What Type of Books Are Hardcover Binding?
Books are available in a variety of styles and each one of them requires a different type of binding. But choosing the right type of binding is very essential.
Many coffee table books, child books, art books, cookbooks and more are hardcover binding. Some high-end product catalogs are also hardcover binding. Because of the ebook increased, the printed paper book quantity is less. Many people wanted to publish a hardcover book instead of a paperback book. As a gift, hardcover books can be shared with family members and friends.
A hardcover book is quite strong and can easily last for a longer time. But, unlike many other forms of binding, hardcover binding is also quite expensive and can take a longer time for production. For mass products, it can take a minimum of two weeks to complete the process. Lastly, when it comes to designing the hardcover printing file, you must make sure to keep more bleed for wrapping the board. Click here or get in touch to get free printing file templates from us now!