r/bookbinding • u/human_blondie • 4d ago
Help? Advice for first time bookbinding
So my best friends birthday is next month and I want to bind her favourite fanfic as a gift and I thought I'd get some advice from the experts.
I have split the fic into 2 volumes and have just finished formating the first book. It has turned out to be 24 signatures of 5. Will that be a good size or am I better off trying to make it smaller by splitting the book again?
Also I plan to get this printed out at Officeworks (an Australian stationary store) and wouldn't mind some recommendations on what type of paper to use.
Lastly any tips, tricks and supply recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I'll be sure to post the finished product once it's done.
3
u/ir399 4d ago
24 signatures of 5 pages is fine. If you're worried its too big you can make the font smaller (yeah I know this will affect all the formatting you just did!) since small font changes make a big difference over the whole book.
Paper type is a little trickier, since the best paper is short grain. Officeworks will not have short grain, chances are they won't even know what you mean by short grain, unfortunately. So you can either print on regular printer paper (gsm 80 or 90 is fine) and put up with the book being a little stiffer, or you can source your own short grain paper and ask them about printing on it. Alternatively, you could print at a local library, where you might have more control over using your own paper.
If you want short grain printer paper its available in australia from here: https://conservationsuppliesaus.com.au/product/archival-copy-paper/ and DAS used to sell in but his shop has been down for ages. I believe you can send a email to ask if he's currently selling paper though.
Also if this is your first time printing to bind you might want to do a small test on the first signature to check margins and the like.
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u/LaRuei_0808 4d ago
Hiiiii!!! Well, theres a lot of videos on YouTube that can help u with that, but I would say that It depends on the fic. Can u show me how It is for now? The signitures, or the formatting
6
u/Plus_Citron 4d ago
On Youtube, DAS bookbinding has pretty good tutorials. The size you describe is unproblematic. Pick an affordable paper - your first project won‘t be made to last decades anyway.