Form and Function Part 2: Ex 2 Paper and binding choice & research task

'Knowing what papers are available and their qualities is an important part of what you might offer as a commercial book designer. One way to do this is by requesting sample books from commercial paper merchants, or talking to your local printers, who can give you a swatch of the papers they recommend for you to share with your client and keep for future reference. Another way of doing this is by looking at as many different kinds of books as you can and critically start to gauge the weight, grain and finish of the papers.'

 In order to see what type of papers were available I requested some samples from a few printing companies

• Solopress
• bookprintingUK
• Printondemand worldwide
• ImprintDigital.com
  
• Mixam 

Do all books keep the same paper choices throughout? Most books do however I think sometimes there’s a page after the jacket of the book that can sometimes be thicker than the middle block of the book, for protection purposes most likely. The different choices could also be a stylistic choice or to compliment the content on the page for example the paper sample book from solopress had finished pages like gloss, silk, unbonded and other.

 There is a page in the finishing options section that is a matt lamination called spot UV, it says both sides are laminated to create a smooth finish and adds extra durability. 

The silk section showcased finishes that were popular with their customers which is and example of stylistic choices.

 

 Another section from the bond paper samples provides a rustic and textured feel to the page which is also used stylistically a for quality. So applying these example to books there is a lot more variety in some books then the are others, cheaper probably tend to have less of a focus on fancy finishes where as a book such as one in a series or collection probably have more intense paper finishes for higher durability and stylistically.

 

Imprint digital sample book

this book was a lot more relevant to book design as there were pages youd expect to use in a paperback or novel rather tehn just leaflets and commercial buisness cards and such. It also had a contents page with the types which was good.

The final sample that came in the mail was the one for MIXAM this had the most sample types and it also came in two pinned together bunches that fanned out into a circle. The types of paper in here were a lot more diverse teh nteh other two. Along with these two booklets was a paper guide with contents and paper size and thickness information.

What’s the relationship between the covers and the paper inside? The cover provides a sturdy jacket for the inside pages and is usually thicker which means it is easier to hold, It also used in order to attract a reader, maybe give them a little indication as to what the book is about or the genre which can be reflected by design, typeface, colours, illustration. The cover is like the inside pages advertiser.

 Which books do you like the feel of, and why?

I like the feel of the Bible, it’s a satisfying texture, its not to rough but it is like raised grain all over. It isn’t also too thick so its nice to hold and bendable, so the pages are easy to access. As for the pages they are very thin, and I do like that in a way, but I feel like I could easily rip them with a wrong page turn. But because they are so thin the feel is gentle. The bible as a whole is very nice to hold, I think it’s the perfect thickness cover wise. There is a nice hard case for the book to which is good for durability.

Similarly textured to the bible the Game of thrones books are rough in texture and grainy except their book jackets are solid and hardback, I like the indentations of the patterns and designs in gold and silver its like a 3d feel. The pages are a nice standard not too thin not to thin, these books are definitely meant to keep their quality and shape with the details and hardback.

Analyse the binding style of the books you’ve collected. How does the book block adhere to the cover?

Game of thrones books - Are attached to the spine by black stitching, This method is case binding and it is as thick as you would expect a large heavy hardback to be. The pages are in 4 sections so that the pages can be opened fully and can accommodate a lot more pages.

 

The Bible - The inner pages are connected to the spine using black and yellow stitched binding. It’s pretty solid and sturdy but the pages still remain flexible. The cover is connected to the centre pages by the stitching, but the spine isn’t connected to the stitching there is a gap which is why the book itself is so flexible.

 

Great British dishes the healthy way -  is also stitched binding but this time there is a lot of little sections to make the pages easily accessible and stay open on the pages if you were put down on a kitchen countertop for example.

 

The science of Self-realisation book is also bonded using thread.

  

The book of general ignorance - looks like it is perfect binding but it is not connected to the spine, it has the behaviour of stitched binding but it looks glued. This book also has a dust jacket which is the paper over the actual cover.

 

The 60s book - perfect binding, this method is usually used for paperbacks and novels and non-fiction or books that have around less 350 pages. The pages are a few sections but cannot be left open on their own.

 

Roald Dahl book is also perfect binding, this method means the book can not stay open on its own.

    

Research Task: Paper and Bookbinding 

Reading Alan Pipes' chapter 'on press' on the OCA website.

These chapters gave a bit of history into Paper and papermaking, how raw materials are made into paper and books (the whole process from trees to books). Different papers were also explained, recycled, Handmade, machine made and the characteristics all the way down do paper stock choices and inks.

I didn't make a full page or a stand alone book full of all samples cause I didn't want to ruin some of the books I collected and the samples from companies I did recieve already came as they're own books so there was no need. Instead I just kept all the samples in a little folder. I did however use one of the little paper sample stacks and commented on them experiemented with some of those pages by folding,Stapled, drew and glueing them together, whilst also explaining some of their properties and uses in the industry. Thsi will be a good page to refer back too whe I want to know what paaper is best used for a certain genre.I added one of the booklet paper guide that i attached to the binding becasue it was very informative with paper weights, uses, printing ect. Finally with the books I have collected I stuck next to the similar paper sample as a real life example.