Grain direction in paper

When binding a book it is important to know which direction the paper grain is going in, as this will affect the outcome of the book. The panels/fibres in the paper run a certain way and create a direction. The grain direction can be found out by bending the sheet of paper; the paper should be easily bendable when folding it in the direction of the grain and difficult to fold against the grain, meaning it’s more resistant and therefore an uneven fold.

When binding a book, the grain should be running from top to bottom so that it is parallel to the spine. We went through a few examples of books that had the incorrect paper grain, which were stiff to flick through. Books might still be made with the grain running in the false direction because they are cheaper to produce if they are able to get more sheets cut when going against the grain. If the grain direction doesn’t run parallel to the spine, or the grain direction in book pages are mixed, the pages could resist turning, the edges of the paper can become wavy or the binding edge could become bulky and distorted.

Three-hole pamphlet stitch

This binding is fairly simple and straightforward, yet looks impressive.

Dos-à-dos

The name comes from French and means “back-to-back”. This binding method has two covers and could be used for depicting many illustrations, for example ones that may have a never-ending story or don’t have a start or finish.

Japanese stab binding

This is an ancient technique, which dates back to the 14th-19th century when western style binding supplanted it. There are four basic variations of this, with the four-hole binding being the most common and straightforward style, however people choose to create many unique variations on the standard method. Japanese stab binding is cost effective and doesn’t involve many tools, expensive material or any machinery.