Had a chat with a vintage book seller last week that totally flipped my binding process

I was picking up some leather at a shop downtown and got talking to the owner, this older guy named Charlie. He told me I was way overthinking my endpapers and that simple linen hinges work better than fancy paper ones for most books. I tried it on a client's cookbook yesterday and it laid flat way better than my usual method. Has anyone else simplified their hinge material and gotten better results?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace_wright3d ago

You know what, I actually switched to linen hinges a few months ago and it totally changed how my books sit open. Fancy paper ones looked nice but they'd always fight me on the flat lay. Linen just gives without being too loose.

paul2863d ago

Nah I used to be the exact opposite. I was all about those fancy paper hinges because they looked so clean on the shelf. But yeah after a few months the paper ones start fighting you, especially on thicker books. I grabbed a random linen hinge from a craft store just to see what the fuss was about and now I'm actually switching all my older ones out. The linen just bends with the book instead of making it pop up in the middle.

ryan3692d ago

Wait, don't paper hinges break in way more naturally with the spine over time? I've had linen ones get all loose and floppy on me after a year. @grace_wright probably just got lucky with a good batch.