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The DIY Binding Thread

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dozymuppet	The DIY Binding Thread	Lead	[-]
Posts: 405 Jan 15 11 7:02 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tags : binding, diy It's taken me a long time to get to this point. I've been hoarding Firestorm and JLA issues with the intention of putting together some custom bindings, inspired by the fantastic work I've seen done here and other places I've been lurking. After much investigation, it didn't look like I could get good quality binding done in Australia for a price that made it interesting. This led to me contemplating what was actually involved in a DIY approach. After looking at a bunch of examples and some pretty ordinary instructions, I stumbled across this guy's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/Ceropegia #@+! it, I could do that. I just needed the bits and pieces, and a couple hours spare time to finally kick it off. Rather than start with what will be "my precious", i.e. Firestorm, I started with something else that didn't cost me much of an outlay. I know Kirby's Black Panther run has already been collected, but I wouldn't mind having a volume to put next to the Forth World and Demon books. I even threw in the final few non-Kirby issues for good measure. WIP photos Contents page printed, staples removed: First signatures sewn, using first kettle stitch: All signatures sewn: Next step: Endpapers and spine dressing. I then started working on a few other books, including two books each of Billy Batson and Batman The Brave and the Bold for my boy. It was becoming quite a production line, with 9 books in various stages of the process, but with no end product. With Christmas approaching I decided I needed to take a slight diversion and I fast-tracked an early Christmas present for the boy. A very happy boy, and I was pretty happy with the first output. Last Edited By: dozymuppet Mar 28 11 9:44 PM. Edited 2 times.
dozymuppet		#1	[-]
Posts: 405 Jan 15 11 7:05 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	A few more process photos, leading up to the next three books: End papers on for BB&TB book 2, with 2 Billy Batson books underneath. You can see the contents page here as well. Close up of the 3 books showing the kettle-stitching and spine tape.
dozymuppet		#2	[-]
Posts: 405 Jan 15 11 7:08 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	A couple of steps skipped and more end product: All four books complete. The second BB&TB cover is the same as the first, just with a different number on the spine, but I did different ones for the Billy Batson books (fortunately, the boy accepted this inconsistency happily...). Head view. Pretty happy with how tidy this turned out. Book 1 contents page. Nice and simple. Book 1 spread. Book 2 cover. The only thing I did with this other than correct the colour levels was to get rid of the bar code and drop a lightning bolt on there. Book 2 spread. DC really should make a poster of this.
dozymuppet		#3	[-]
Posts: 405 Jan 15 11 7:12 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	And finally, one for myself. Always was a fan of this Shadow run, though I know it's not one for the purists. The Black Panther book got delayed again here, because this cover was easier to put together, and could stand-alone, whereas the Black Panther cover could go a few ways. A bunch of issues became more apparent for me moving off projects for my boy and onto my own stuff. It's hard to tell from the pics, but the first and last issues are not quite flush to the spine of the book block, so the cover board overhang is extremely tight, and the book block is closer to the head than the tail. The other major issue emerging is my choice of printer and paper for the cover. I'm using a pretty decent 160gsm A3 stock, on a very expensive printer (at work). This is not terrible, but also not that hardy for multiple reads, and because the printer prints on the top of the paper (not saturating it), cracking can appear pretty easily in the creases. I need to be using a photographic stock, and probably a very good inkjet printer. And it will have to be A3. <ch-ching!> On the subject of A3, the paper size actually restricts how thick my volumes can be. This is a 5cm (2 inch) spine, which is just a tad too think for a decent bleed to wraparound the boards and under the endpapers. As such, I'll be trying to keep my binds under 20 issues in most cases. One last thing: The DC logo is too big. I wanted it to be bold, but in the context of everything it will need to stand next to, I made a mistake here. I'm still very happy with the fact that I can do this, but I need to refine my technique and materials quickly. It's not the sort of thing you want to %#*! up too many times.
Topher LS		#4	[-]
Posts: 257 Jan 15 11 10:11 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Wow, frickin' WOW! Those look amazing. Not that I want to try it myself, but that's awesome you can make your own and make them look that good. See what I'm currently reading. Submit your own best comic covers list.
blindboy		#5	[-]
Posts: 338 Jan 15 11 11:54 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Very impressive sir. Any thoughts of attempting to trim the block before you attatch the covers ? Really fantastic work. I will be watching those videos in the near future.
leveret1		#6	[-]
Posts: 8475 Jan 15 11 12:32 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Echoing what others have said, these look great! Trimming would make the book look even nicer but, as is, these are fantastic-looking home-made volumes. Welcome to the forums! Looking forward to seeing your other projects.
dozymuppet		#7	[-]
Posts: 405 Jan 15 11 8:40 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks for the comments! Yes, I have given some thought to trimming, but I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to do it. I need to find out what type and size guillotine I would need for a 20 issue block, and whether it's within my definition of affordable. Unless anyone else has some good ideas? Also on the list of things that could be too expensive: a nipping press, so I can get the blocks a bit tighter in the spine. To buy one would be prohibitive, but I may be able to rig one myself for about $100, which could also double up as a stamping press.
comicsprof		#8	[-]
Posts: 849 Jan 15 11 9:26 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	You know, a local binder would probably not charge much just to trim. I get the DIY thing, having done a bit of hand binding (Chinese stab binding of blank paper books, mockups of one of my own works). but some equipment just isn't practical to own. You could also ask a local graphics or printing firm if they could do a trim for a few shekels. Or if you have your heart set on DIY, maybe that's the investment you need to start a cottage industry....
dozymuppet		#9	[-]
Posts: 405 Jan 15 11 10:32 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I've thought about taking them to a local binder, but the more I do this, the more I want to be self-sufficient! I did have a quick a look-around today, and it seems I could get something that should do the job for under $100, e.g. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws...ewItem&item=110635613026 I just need to figure out if that cutting height is enough for what I need. I'm figuring 400 sheets of 80gsm is the equivalent of a ream of paper, so should be fine.
jhalbright		#10	[-]
Posts: 9952 Jan 15 11 10:53 PM Golden Age Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I wouldn't worry about the trimming. Everything looks good. I recommend: Vertigo - Fables, Fairest, Unwritten; DCnU - Action, All Star Western, Animal Man, Batman, Batman & Robin, Batman Inc, Batwoman, Earth 2, Flash, Justice League Dark, Swamp Thing, Wonder Woman; Before Watchmen - All
dozymuppet		#11	[-]
Posts: 405 Jan 16 11 12:00 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks! It certainly is the path of least resistance, though if I had access to a trimmer I'd probably use it.
Rod Keith		#12	[-]
Posts: 149 Jan 16 11 4:08 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hey DM! Good to see you here. The books look great! While I prefer the look of trimming myself, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless/until you find an affordable option. It's a relatively minor thing, when the whole point is to given you an attractive collection that's easy to pull off a shelf, handle and read, and you've accomplished those tasks quite well here. Congratulations and look forward to seeing more for you and your son! Last Edited By: Rod Keith Jan 16 11 1:40 PM. Edited 1 times.
dozymuppet		#13	[-]
Posts: 405 Jan 16 11 4:48 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hey Rod! Didn't realise you were around these parts! Agree that it's not essential for the personal shelf presentation reasons, but it may take them up a notch.
gth09		#14	[-]
Posts: 201 Jan 16 11 4:58 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Great work DM. Very nice. Look forward to seeing more.
James Friel		#15	[-]
Posts: 10354 Jan 17 11 1:27 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Those are amazing, DM! I'm really impressed. Especially for first tries, they look quite professional. Ah, the meek. Playing the long game. Sneaky bastards. --Denise Mina, Field of Blood
Kenners		#16	[-]
Posts: 547 Jan 17 11 6:47 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I'm a bit late to this thread, but .. AWESOME! You've done some great work there .. Keep 'em coming!
comicsprof		#17	[-]
Posts: 849 Jan 17 11 7:06 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I neglected to say how impressive these are, DM. They are! A couple quick questions: First, did you create a whole signature for the ToC sheet? If not, how is it sewn in? Second, what's the nut? How much is your materials outlay, and how much time is involved in making each book? thanks!
dozymuppet		#18	[-]
Posts: 405 Jan 18 11 7:21 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks everyone! The ToC is something I need to put some more thought into. At the moment, it is just wrapped around the first issue, and a blank sheet around the last issue. Both have about an inch wrap around the other side of the respective issues. Serviceable, but not ideal. I'd like to create a separate signature for both, but I'd need to have some decent content to fill out some of those blank pages. This will really depend on what I have available, and I'm worried I'll run out of content when binding a run of, for example, 5 or 6 books of Firestorm, JLA or DCCP. I'll have to get back to you on costs. I suspect if I spread the initial outlay across the books I've completed and have in production, that it's getting quite minimal already. However I haven't had to pay for boards or prints as yet, and the prints would probably be the most costly component. Time-wise, I think it accumulates to about an hour per book. The stitching takes the longest of the book construction tasks. The cover work in Photoshop and InDesign can take many more hours...
davidbstewart		#19	[-]
Posts: 2291 Jan 19 11 3:26 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	WOW! I've been reading over your thread for the past few days and watching Ceropegia's videos. Could you please tell me what the material strips are that are sewn into the spine? What sort of thread is used? Also, what specific materials are the meshy looking fabric and paper that is glue to the spine? Finally, where can you get such supplies? Thank you.
ManOfBronze	Impressive!	#20	[-]
Posts: 27 Jan 19 11 3:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Excellent post. I am impressed with the results and may give this a try myself .....

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