I would like an idea besides just putting something heavy on it overnight.
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Are you referring to the way the pages cluster together in sections?
That’s a consequence of the way the book is bound: the sheets are printed on large 4x4 press sheets that are then folded in half four times, stitched through the folds to the fabric spine in “signatures” of 32 printed pages, and trimmed on the outside edges. One consequence is that the finished pages in each signature are each a slightly different width if you take into account the part curving into the fold; and if the pages are bent into a different orientation, this difference in widths becomes apparent.
This is the more traditional method of bookbinding, used on your edition of LOTR (I’ve got the same edition.) More typical mass-market paperbacks are bound using “perfect binding”, in which the cut edges of the pages are glued directly to the spine instead of being folded into signatures and stitched. The traditional method is more durable and flexible, without the issue of spine cracking that glued, perfect-bound books are prone to.
The difference is a bit more evident in the soft-cover binding used for this edition (as opposed to the hard covers more commonly used for traditionally-bound books), because the soft cover allows you to bend the pages of the whole book block (emphasizing the signatures) more than a hard cover would permit.
One slight amendment, you are right with everything except for that perfect bound, or PUR bound books aren’t folded into signatures, that isn’t true.
The sections of the book will still be folded into signatures, as you say 32pp or 16pp sections are the most common (pp being printed pages) they will then be collated down a line, so you have a feeder that feeds each individual section in the order that they should appear, once you get to the end of the feeder section all of them will be held together tightly by a clamp.
This clamp then brings this book block around against a milling blade which will then mill a couple of mm off of the entire spine section of this book block. This then essentially turns them all into individual leaves as they are no longer now joined together at the spine where they are folded. The clamp then runs around and rolls the spine up against a glue applicator wheel. This will add a layer of glue, the thickness of which can be changed by the operator, to the spine of the book block.
The block carries on in the machine to the cover feeder. Here the cover feeder will feed a single cover at a time through two creasing wheels that will crease the cover where it needs to be folded. This again will be adjusted depending on the thickness of the book, straight after that it will add a line of side glue to either side of the scores that will, surprise surprise glue the cover to the sides of the book block. The cover then moves down between fingers that guide the front and back cover in the direction they need to be folded before the book block comes up to meet the cover.
As the two meet there will be a plate that adds some pressure to aid the bonding before the clamp releases. The clamp will return around the machine to collect another book block.
The book is then dropped down onto a long conveyor belt that travels the length of the machine (the one I’m used to was around 50m long) and back to give the glue so time to cure before dropping into a three knife trimmer to trim the head foot and for edge. This will trim the book in singles or multiples at a time depending on the book thickness.
Then they run into a stacker to be stacked ready to be ejected.
Source I working in industrial print and have run PUR binders and folders.
Sorry this was a long reply just to say perfect bound stuff is still folded into sigs before being bound :)
Does your name happen to be Brooks Moore? Loved your show!
I had to look up who that was, I cannot claim that fame but could probably give an in depth description of how a lot of mainstream printing techniques are achieved xD
Lol tbf I also had to look up who it was but in reverse, I looked up “How It’s Made guy” hahaha.
That is pretty cool though, I like nerding out on shit like that!
without the issue of spine cracking that glued, perfect-bound books are prone to
My first edition copy of The Crystal Shard by RA Salvatore cracked a few years ago and in the last move I lost a page somehow.
Stitched is 100% better AND allows me to easily re-cover an old book.
This was a fascinating read, thank you for explaining in such detail.
Not sure what you think the problem is… the uneven distribution of page segments?
Most people don’t know that when books are bound, they are grouped in bundles of pages, in a hardcover, those bundles are stiched together and then glued or sewn into the binding.
What you have here is a leather or fake leather cover, and the bundles of the book are bound a little too loosely so when the book is opened, each bundle has more or less play than the others.
I wouldn’t say anything is necessarily “wrong” here unless the bundles are loose when the book is closed. No real way for you to fix it either unless you have bookbinding experience.
@[email protected] already gave you a good answer, but incase your issue is the “pages keep closing unless I tightly hold them to the sides”:
I learned a trick years ago from a librarian who said it protects the binding of your new book, which also helps with the above problem:
Rofl… I’m a patient person and even I don’t have the patience for that
Yeah someone introduced me to a nice eReader and haven’t bought a physical book in awhile :) (although I do miss physical books sometimes).
I do it like 10 pages at a time, no need to do single pages.
I, too, am unsure of what you þink of a problem, but if you just want þe book to stay open wiþout having to hold it, and don’t have patience for þe librarian meþod, use a chip clip.
