Notes for "How to bind your own hardback book" Instructable

I recently tried my hand at bookbinding based on the instructions at http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-bind-your-own-Hardback-Book/. I had moderate success. Several issues arose from my choices of paper, glue, and technique which I share below. Look over the instructions before reading further. 

Overview

The book is a collection of photos taken by me. There is no text. All images were square of various sizes.

 Below: My first hard bound photobook. 25 pages, 9"x9"

Paper

I wanted my images to stand out on the page. My idea was to print the image then glue the image to the actual book page. This would give the image some extra depth. The page paper I chose was Strathmore Bristol 300 Series (100lb 270gsm). This paper is very stiff. While it would be perfect for individual prints, it is much to stiff for a book. The pages do not bend well. I think a lighter weight paper would have worked better.

I printed the images on a Kodak Matte Double sided photo paper. I don't believe this paper is available anymore. I was satisfied with this paper.

Gluing image to page

My first attempt to glue my images to the book page was using a liquid glue like Itoya O Glue. Not only did I succeed in getting glue on the image, the paper would curl, making it harder to align on the book page. After about four pages of this method I switched to using a spray adhesive made by Krylon called Paper Finishes Spray Adhesive. Have plenty of scrap paper around and use a fresh sheet for every photo to have adhesive applied. 

I was able to do a much neater job with this. I got better coverage and less curling.

Gluing up the text block (photo block?)

After letting the pages dry for a day or two, I began to construct the block of pages. Since I had a raised photo on each page, I thought it might help to put a spacer strip in the gutter of each page as I glued them up. The diagram below illustrates the process.

I did this to prevent the block from bulging so much in the middle. This seemed to work pretty good. I also put a crease in the page about 1/2" in on gutter side.

After all the this strips in the gutter had dried, I began gluing the pages together. I glued up 2 sets of pages, let them dry overnight, then glued the 2 sets together to make one block. I used the O Glue for this. 

Making the cover

I made the cover from the backing board that came with the Bristol board. It was about 1/8" thick. I cut the board to size using a paper cutter. Since my paper cutter will not cut material this thick, I would cut on one side, flip over, and cut on the other side. This was a bad idea. Getting the two cuts to line up was just about impossible. I would have been better off using a straight edge and xacto knife. I ended up with three pieces: front, spline, and back which were not square and had a pretty rough edge. I trudged on. I can tell you that these pieces should be square. Particularly the spline. If the spline is not square, the cover may not close correctly and it will make attaching the cover and interior cover papers all the more difficult and imprecise. I recommend you get this part right to alleviate problems later on.

I used a Canson colored sheet for the cover paper. It was the only paper large enough that the local art store carried. I used another Canson sheet for the interior covers. The interior covers come after the block is attached to the spine.

I used a piece of cardboard as a glue spreader. I believe a brush would have worked much better. It is difficult to get glue to the edges of the board with the piece of cardboard. The cover sheets wrinkled almost immediately upon apply the glue. The good news is that they tended to flatten out after a night of drying under pressure. That goes for the outside and inside sheets. I used a stack of books to apply pressure to the book as the glue was drying.

Attaching cloth to the block spline

The Instructable suggested using hot glue to attach the cloth to the spline. Just be sure to work the glue into the cloth and block with a Popsicle stick or something similar.

The integrity of this glue joint is paramount to a good finished product.

The cloth is then glued to the cover. Do not glue the spline directly to the cover. 

Next cut the inner cover sheets to size and glue to the front and back pages of the cover. The book is now completed.

Overall, I am pretty happy with the results. However, if my ruler had been straighter, and my glue less prone to wander, the results would have been better.