Binding Fundamentals: rounding, backing, and other engineering essentials workshop

This workshop is not currently scheduled, but it could be in the future. Please contact me if you are interested.

A handsome, functional book is built on a solid foundation of traditional forwarding skills. In this course students review and reinforce these skills, by going through all the steps of crafting a traditional binding prior to covering: folding, marking up and punching signatures; selecting endsheets appropriate for board/case attachment and full opening; sewing on and off a sewing frame; gluing up and rounding the spine; lightly backing the text block; sewing endbands; spine lining; the importance of a break-away spine for unencumbered opening of a case binding.

To complete the binding, the text block is anchored into a folded paper case.

Binding Fundamentals is a prerequisite for all advanced binding workshops.

Note: This is a fast-paced intermediate-level workshop for students with some book arts experience and a strong desire to build skills. Librarians, designers and similar book professionals with no hands-on experience are welcome.

This workshop requires a finishing press and something to back in. This can be the finishing press, the finishing press supplemented with backing boards, or a lying press, or a job backer.

The online format is a series of live tutorials via Zoom. The tutorials are recorded and the videos are available to registered students for 90 days. Students need not be present for the live sessions. Workshop fee includes supplies and a detailed handout, which are mailed to arrive in time for the first session. Zoom links will be sent the week before class, and a tool list no later than three weeks in advance. Please check your spam filter if you have not received these messages in this timeframe.

Students outside US and Canada please contact me to discuss options for supplies.

Payment in full is due at time of registration. See FAQs for refund policy.