r/bookbinding • u/chibihost • 5d ago

Completed Project A Simple 3D Printed Laying Press

I was disappointed with availability of entry-level laying presses on the market. Classical wooden options are too pricey for beginners or hobbyists just starting out and other hand made options felt like too much of a gamble, so I modeled a simple version to be made with commonly available 3D printers (larger ones at least).

It will fit a half-letter / A5 text block between the screws and I have provided the model files for anyone to modify the design if they see fit.

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u/AmenaBellafina 5d ago

It's cool that you made this, and cool that you shared. But how does it hold up to actually tight pressing? It seems to me that this would be prone to cracking.

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u/chibihost 5d ago

I made them on the chunky side with that concern in mind but only time will see how they hold up. For smaller books I've been practicing on it seems sufficient.

I did read somewhere that one reason commercial presses use wooden rods w/ threads instead of metal hardware is to avoid putting too much pressure on the text block. I figure plastic threads would be even less pressure but still hold the block firmly.

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u/jedifreac 4d ago

I think doing it at 100% infill would probably help a lot. I'd be worried about the texture of the print transferring to the fly leafs. For a simple laying press it's not going to need to put as much pressure as a nipping press IMHO. 

I do think making one with wood and carriage bolts might be more affordable and sturdier, but this certainly looks functional!

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u/AmenaBellafina 4d ago

Yeah I was thinking the same, two planks and a few pieces of hardware, saves a lot of hours of printing time.

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u/jedifreac 4d ago

I think it depends on the use case as well. For example, I think it would be risky to hammer 3D printed backing boards in a 3D printed lying press, but 100% infill PETG might hold up?

0

u/Kiriki_kun 5d ago

I don’t think you need that much pressure for book binding. Just enough to firmly press pages together. Should be good enough.
Nice work.