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OT: manual book binding options

serview

Aluminum
Joined
Sep 14, 2012
Location
NJ
I am upgrading my library with sections in the library for machines. Now that so many manuals come as pdf, I wish to print copies of manuals.
I wish to bind the manual and ideally have a Flat spine I can label with the titles and info so they can be identified on the shelf.

I have been printing 8.5x11 double sided, with a clear plastic cover and black plastic rear cover and having staples spiral bind them. This works, but having a flat area for spine would allow the title to be visible on a full shelf.

I do.use electronic PDF, but wish to have an option to read the hardcopy as well. We will use the books as well the pdf

What are people doing to bind the book and label the spine?

The spiral bind works but it makes it hard to pick out the book on the shelf. I can sub out the task, but it is looking like an expensive job, and I haven't found a vendor that will bind and put a.flat spine, perhaps with a stitched spine
I am willing to print internally and invest in bookbinding tools, or sub it out.

Any vendors or links to binding machines and vendors to outsource would be appreciated

Thanks!
Steve
 
The cheap and easy means of meeting the flat spline with label requirement is to use 3-ring binders. They are made in numerous ring sizes and lots of quality/price levels. Spine labels are either built-in or available as add-ons. Any of them will be cheaper than an actual library cloth binding, which probably is not possible on a stack of loose pages anyway. Treat the binders as throwaways if they get damaged. They also make it easy to print and replace random damaged pages, much better than spiral binding.

Larry
 
I've done a couple quickies for manuals, but I'm not sure how they will hold up long term. For this one I just clamped the pages and fanned the spine end for about ¼" then smeared in some flexible hot glue. Then clamped the spine end quick until dry. Trimmed the glue square, re-applied more of the hot glue and did a wrap and re-clamp with some black Tyvek type material I had. So far so good for the last year or two. Wouldn't mind getting a little more professional equipment to do this myself.

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There are thermal binding machines that use a cover with a hot melt glue spline like eKretz above. They are no good for any serious usage, but occasional use is ok.

Online book printing like lulu.com can do a single professional print like a paperback or hard bound book for not a lot of money. Upload into their design tool and it will check for quality. A single hardbound 100 page US letter size black and white is US$13.50
 
The old style hard manual/ parts book binders
might be able to get em from cat or John deer dealers
basically 3 ring binder holes with bolts instead of rings.

or look at how a paperback book is done, line eveything up and hot glue the spine.
like eKretz.
actual proper book binding would be cost prohibitive,
because of how you have to print the pages, much like how a newspaper
was printed just better quality paper.

the guys who knew how to do it are either dead retired or out of business
you might find a good printer with the equipment to do paperback
its not very complex.
 
Lulu or amazon or any online book printer. Just looked at Luke, it is cheaper than paper and ink in a printer.
Kinkos (fedex office) does it, many times you can work with the layout person there who will be doing your book. Cost a little more, faster tho.
 
The cheap and easy means of meeting the flat spline with label requirement is to use 3-ring binders. They are made in numerous ring sizes and lots of quality/price levels. Spine labels are either built-in or available as add-ons. Any of them will be cheaper than an actual library cloth binding, which probably is not possible on a stack of loose pages anyway. Treat the binders as throwaways if they get damaged. They also make it easy to print and replace random damaged pages, much better than spiral binding.

Larry
Thanks Larry, we do this but the 3 hole punched manual degrades quickly with heavy usage. I agree this works, but I am looking for a more robust solution.
 
Thanks Larry, we do this but the 3 hole punched manual degrades quickly with heavy usage. I agree this works, but I am looking for a more robust solution.
Maybe you should try better quality paper. That $4 a ream 20 lb. stuff is pretty flimsy. Try 28 lb. or 32 lb. And there are heavy duty binders out there. My company had very sturdy 3-rings they used for parts, maintenance and specs. books that had to get revised pages from time to time.

Larry
 
I use 3 hole paper reinforced with a plastic strip, very durable. I like to make notes on setups and processes, want them to sit open on a bench. I also make worksheets laminated in plastic to hang over the machine for repeated parts.

I just prefer hard copy to screens, especially out in the shop. Everything is archived in my laptop, and backed up multiple ways. Much easier to edit digitally.
 
The glue technique, such as eKretz used, is called 'perfect binding' (supposedly because each page is secured along its full edge, giving perfect support) and there's a lot about it on the interwebs if you research under that name. Get it right and the binding is very strong and durable; get it wrong and your book develops 'writing-pad disease' where individual pages come loose and fall out. It's over thirty years since I was involved in technical publications, but I have a recollection that our bindery sometimes used ready made perfect-binding covers, ready glued, where you put the pages in the cover and heated it in some sort of press.
George
 
In the old days they printed the manuals on a heavier paper, and had holes
for a binder or hard cove bolts.
heavy pages but always a paper back,
the flexible glued ones hold up well the ones that they used a hard glue on tend to
lose pages like the newer cheap car repair books like Haynes

Larry nailed it on the paper quality and durability
 
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I have done a lot of cheap and dirty book binding after downloading or copying the originals.

First I try to print them with a wide margin on the side to be bound. A minimum of one inch is a good start.

Then I use a standard file folder. They have creases for various widths so you can have a spine area for your titles. I pre-fold them on the appropriate crease for the thickness of the document. If you want to get fancy, there are colored and plastic file folders available.

Then I use a heavy duty stapler to quickly fasten everything together. Mine has a depth stop so I can place the staples at the same distance from the spine.

Extra width of the file folders can be trimmed off with a steel ruler and Xacto knife on a self healing pad. I even have some corner rounding paper punches to trim the corners.

If you are a neat freak, use the back of the file folder for the front of the book. You can also use a drawing program to print nice labels for the front and spine.

This lasts better than most paperbacks. And it keeps the edges of the paper even so you can thumb through quickly or turn the pages one by one easily.
 








 
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