Advantage Book Binding

October 11, 2017

Even if you aren’t an expert in graphic design, designing the cover for a perfect bound book can be much easier than you might expect.

Producing a softcover book doesn’t have to be a hassle, especially if that trouble comes from finding the best design for the book’s cover. But even if you aren’t an expert in graphic design, designing the cover for a perfect bound book can be much easier than you might expect. In fact, the perfect-binding technique is so versatile it can also be used to create manuals, magazines, and workbooks in addition to your newest novel.

Set the Width of the Spine

First, you will want to work with your printer to decide how wide the spine should be. Until you know how wide the spine is, you can’t settle on a final design for the cover. How long is your book? Keep in mind that page count factors into the overall width of the spine. What’s another element in cover design you must remember? Paper thickness will affect the size of the spine as well. Establishing the total number of pages and how thick the paper you will use early on helps the entire process run more smoothly. So, once the spine is done, what comes next?

Don’t Separate Parts of the Cover

Next, you should strive to keep all parts of the cover together. One sheet of paper is usually all that is needed for creating a book’s cover. With this fact in mind, the spine and both sides of the cover should be designed based on that convention. The front cover should go on the right side of the proposed layout, while the back cover should go on the left. If you plan on having anything on the inside cover, that the inside front cover should go on the left and the back cover should go on the right.

Where Does the Text Go?

Then, consider the placement of the text. Important information such as the title of the book and the author or editors can be included on the book’s spine. But whether the perfect bound book is going to be kept vertical or lay flat, any text on the spine should be easy to read and understand. To do this, make sure that the text is printed large enough to be legible and is centered down the length of the spine. Also be sure that the text orients correctly so that it runs up and down instead down and up.

Don’t Go Near the Edges

The cover, spine, and pages should all be assembled in a crisp, attractive fashion that is pleasing to the eye. Clean edges are a telltale sign of a perfect bound book. Avoid putting vital information about the book near the corners where they might be cut off during the production phase.