If you have too many pages to fold crisply, try creating packets of signatures. A signature is a group of 4 sheets folded down the center. [1] X Research source Most books are folded hamburger style (i. e. , by folding the shorter ends of the paper together), but you can fold however you want.
If you made signatures, staple each signature separately and then stack your stapled signatures. Leave the stack unstapled.
If you’re binding a book of material printed from Microsoft Word, make sure your pages have a “gutter” margin of about 1⁄2 inch (1. 3 cm) before you print them. The gutter margin is the inside margin, the margin that will be partially obscured when the book is bound. [4] X Research source
Avoid using masking tape or clear tape. These tapes won’t be strong enough to support your book.
If your book is thick, leave a larger margin of tape so you have enough tape to cover the spine and still reach the other side. Use your fingers to press the tape around the book’s spine so that it covers both the bottom of the book, the spine, and the top of the book. If your book has many pages or several signatures, you might want to tape it more than once to reinforce it. Repeat the process of taping the book until the book’s binding feels secure.
Avoid folding leftover tape over the book, as this may make your book harder to open. Trim any excess tape.
If you want to bind a page that doesn’t have a margin, you could either paste the page into a larger page with an adequate margin, or “build” a wider margin by gluing or taping a strip of paper to the inner edge of the page.
If you’re having trouble measuring and hole-punching at the same time, mark where the hole should be with a pencil before hole punching.
You can also choose to draw a thick line with pen or permanent marker if you want the line to remain on the cover.
Consider measuring and marking the spots with your pencil prior to punching the holes, for accuracy. To make sure your pages don’t slip out of place while you punch your holes, clamp them together with binder clips or clothespins.
Choose a simple black tape for a classic look, or go for a colorful design if you want something more personalized.
If your ribbon isn’t long enough, remove it and cut a longer piece.
Looping the ribbon a second time reinforces the binding. Depending on how many pages you have, loop it a third time for an even stronger binding.
It’s common to fold your pages hamburger style—i. e. , fold the 2 short ends together—but fold your book however you wish!
For example, if you have a paper that’s 8. 5 by 11 in (22 by 28 cm) printer paper, dividing that by 6 gives you 1. 4 inches (3. 6 cm), meaning you’d space your holes 1. 4 inches (3. 6 cm) apart. If you know your page measurements, you don’t have to measure. If you don’t know, or if you’re not using a standard page size, make sure you measure precisely.
For example, if you have a paper that’s 8. 5 by 11 inches (22 by 28 cm), your first dot will be 1. 4 inches (3. 6 cm) from the edge. Then, each progressive dot will be 1. 4 inches (3. 6 cm) up from the previous dot. Your fifth dot should be 1. 4 inches (3. 6 cm) away from the top of the page.
If you don’t have an awl, you can use a large needle.
You can use whatever color thread you like, but remember your thread will be visible!
You can tie whatever knot you’d like as long as it firmly keeps the sewing in place.
In single sheet binding, you don’t fold your pages like you do for other bookbinding methods, but this means that you run the risk of the stitching tearing out of your pages if they are not reinforced well enough. You can use thick cardstock or thick cardboard as your cover.
Perform this same process on the front and back covers as well.
Use this same process to pierce holes in your front and back covers.
If you have 20 pages, and your area is 2. 25 inches (5. 7 cm) long, you will need 45 inches (110 cm) of thread for each thread.
Once you’ve tied the knot, you can trim off the end and tuck it in for a cleaner look.
When threading the needle under the first loop you made, make sure you go under both threads, not through the loop.
If you want to give your book some whimsy, choose a different color thread for each binding hole, or keep all of the thread colors the same for a more uniform style. For a sturdier book, loop your needle and thread around the stitch below the page you’re currently working on, starting on the third page.
