Despite all the options available to enhance the flexibility of a work, including PUR adhesive, sewing, freehand binding (Layflat or Otabind), and respecting the grain direction, a work bound with adhesive (thermal binding) has certain constraints.
Too often, we see designs poorly adapted to the type of binding. Texts ending up 1/8 inch from the spine, Spreads (images or text flowing between two consecutive pages) with important details and titles in the joint, or folios 1/16 inch from the cut.
When a job is bound on a gluer, there may be dozens of signatures assembled at the same time. All these signatures (sections or booklets) have experienced some variation in folding and/or assembly. Certain adjustments must be made with a three-sided knife to avoid cutting into the folios or clearing the Spreads. When the design is well executed, these adjustments are not noticeable, but if the design leaves no room for maneuver, everyone can see it!
Make sure that the information in the center is not critical to prevent the reader from feeling the need to undo the binding to see the missing detail!
It is easy to see how the cover hides the first page of the volume. The gluing is generally 3/8 inch (9 mm).
It is preferable to keep a margin of about 0.75 inch (19 mm) for a comfortable consultation without constraints caused by the binding.
It is not advisable to put text that overlaps two pages. The compensation varies too much depending on the rise of the glue, the position of the pages in the volume, the type of glue, the type of paper, etc.
In some cases, a bad design can lead to incomprehensible words and force the reader to break the volume to read properly…
Do not hesitate to have your design validated by a binder specializing in thermal binding.
