How Well Do You Know Bookbinding Terminology?
Everyone involved in the production of a book should be familiar with bookbinding terminology.
Everyone involved in the production of a book should be familiar with bookbinding terminology. You don’t even have to be directly involved in the publishing business. Knowing the industry jargon can put you on equal footing with your publishing and binding partners and give you a better idea of how to convey your needs and communicate your expectations. So let’s find out some more about what we mean.
Boards
Boards are the technical name used for the covers of the book. Originally, the boards were all made of wood but nowadays they are made from cardboard instead. This is one instance of where bookbinding terminology evolves over time as technology improves.
Dust Jacket
The dust jacket helps protect the front cover of the book from damage due to moisture or dust. These covers are made of paper, and in the United Kingdom, they are known as dust wrappers. Along with protecting the book in a physical sense, the dust jackets also serve to give the reader more information about the author and about the book itself. Like many other examples of bookbinding terms, the dust jacket has been around for decades and even centuries – the oldest known dust jackets date back to the early nineteenth century, after all!
Headband
The headband is used to help protect the spine of the book. It doesn’t matter if it is plain or given an interesting color, it can be made of leather or paper.
Endpapers
The endpapers are the leaves of paper added after the rest of the book is bound. These are found in the front and the back. One is pasted to the boards, while the other can be manipulated or flipped by the readers. Since these pages are intentionally left blank, they are a good place for an author to hide a surprise signature for avid collectors to find.
The Advantage Truck
Now let’s take some time to learn more about Advantage Book Binding’s latest acquisition: the Advantage Truck! The truck is a 26’ tandem box truck. In terms of cargo, the truck usually carries books – bound books to our clients, and picking up flat work. Unbound books are picked up to be brought back to our warehouse for binding. Then the completed books are either returned to the client or sent to secondary distributors. This truck is used for all deliveries, as it is valuable for assisting clients all over our area – whether they are in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, New York, or New Jersey. It took a few days to design and apply the logo on the side of the truck, which was done at our location. The logo application was meant to help boost the visual appeal of the truck and make it more noticeable while it is out on the road.
Advantage Book Binding Can Help You Create the Printed Book You’ve Always Wanted!
Are you interested in having a bound novel? Are you entering the workforce, and need a bound portfolio to showcase your work? Advantage Book Binding offers plenty of services and binding types that are perfect for suiting your needs. We also offer specialty binding options for those of you looking for something extra special.
Advantage Book Binding can advise you as to what kind of binding style will work best for your specific project, taking into consideration budget requirements to provide you with the most cost-effective and project-specific solution for you. Please contact us today for more information, and keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Also, don’t hesitate to visit us at our Baltimore headquarters.
