Back or backing - The process of shaping a ridge or shoulder on each side of the back of a sewn volume prior to covering, compensating for the thickness of the boards and providing a hinge-line from which the cover swings.
Back edge- The left-hand edge of a recto, or right hand edge of a verso. This is normally the binding edge.
Back lining - The material used to line the back of a book prior to encasing it in a loose back (or hollow back) cover.
Backbone - The exposed part of a bound volume when shelved. Also called spine and shelf back.
Binders board - A high quality, single-ply, solid-pulp board for constructing covers.
Binding slip - A sheet of instructions sent to the bindery with each volume, specifying the binding requirements for that particular volume.
Brittle paper - A weakened condition of paper due to deterioration caused by acid, which may cause darkening of the paper.
Buckram - A strong, durable woven book cloth produced with cotton and polyester threads. The woven cloth is impregnated or coated with a nonmigratory resinous material, generally acrylic. Group F buckram, which is used in library binding, must meet all performance specifications as stated in the ANSI/NISO/LBI STANDARD FOR LIBRARY BINDING.
C-1 Cloth - A durable woven book cloth produced with cotton and polyester threads. The woven cloth is impregnated or coated with a nonmigratory resinous material, generally acrylic. C-1 cloth is a lighter weight book cloth than buckram and therefore has less strength. Books weighing less than 2 pounds may be bound in C-1 cloth. C-1 book cloth must meet all performance specifications as stated in the ANSI/NISO/LBI STANDARD FOR LIBRARY BINDING.
Case - A cover that is made complete before it is affixed to a volume.
Casing-in - The process of putting a volume that has received all of the binding or rebinding operations, into its cover or case.
Collate - To examine a book or periodical volume, page by page, before binding to ensure its completeness and proper order.
Cut flush - The cover is trimmed after binding so that its edges are even with the edges of the leaves.
Depth (of a book) - The measurement of the book at its thickest point, including the covers.
End papers - The sheets which attach the textblock to the covers.
Flat back - A book that is at right angles with the sides; opposed to the usual round back.
Fold Sewn - When the signatures are sewn through their folds, each signature attached to the next.
Fore edge - The front or outer edge of a book.
Group F Buckram - See Buckram
Gutter margin - The margin space available along the binding edge.
Hand Fan - The material is fan glued by hand. Used for items less than 1/2" or greater than 2".
Head - The top portion of the book's spine.
Height (of a book) - The vertical dimension of a book as it sits upright on its tail.
Hinge - A paper or cloth stub or guard that permits the free turning of an insert, leaf, section, or map.
In-house - On the premises.
Joint - The part of the cover which forms the hinge, between the board and the shoulder of the volume.
Journal - In binding, a title which is usually made up of several issues or numbers. Also known as periodicals, magazines or serials.
LCB - Limited circulation bind.
Leaves - Pages of a book.
Library binding - A standard of binding which is normally higher than publisher's binding, edition binding, library edition, and others not in accordance with this standard.
Limited prep - Preparing journal volumes before being sent to the bookbindery (by collating, removing unwanted covers or ads, checking for foldouts and placing pages in desired order).
Margin - The space on a page outside the printed text area.. The four margins are commonly designated as: 1) head or top; 2) fore edge, outer or outside; 3) tail or bottom; 4) back, inner, inside or gutter.
Monograph - A separate treatise or thesis on a single subject.
Music bind - A binding style used for music which allows the material to open fully and lie flat.
New case - When the existing binding is retained, sewing on new endsheets and casing into a new cover. Also new case-end sheets only.
Oversewn - Groups of pages are sewn together with the needles set at an angle, so that each new group is sewn onto the previous one..
Pam-bind - A prefabricated board cover with a clear plastic front and cloth hinge, inside which materials (up to 1/4" thick) are stapled or sewn.
Paperback - A book with a flexible paper cover, usually adhesive bound.
Paste-down - That half of the lining paper which is pasted to the inner face of the cover.
Pocket-volume- - A book whose cover is made with an inside pocket to house loose or unbound items.
Portfolio - A folding case for holding loose papers or similar material.
Pull Slip - The instruction sheet to pull a complete bindable serial unit produced on Innopac.
PVA - Polyvinyl acetate, a fast drying adhesive. Very long-lasting, transparent and flexible.
Quarter-bind - Covers constructed of binders board with buckram covering only the spine and 1/8th of each cover, cut flush.
Rebind - The existing binding is removed, fan glued and cased into a new cover.
Recase - The existing text block is cased back into its original cover.
Recto - The right-hand page of an open book, usually bearing the odd page number.
Rounding - Shaping the book back to be convex.
Section - A group of leaves of a volume, suitable for sewing, usually about 1/2" thick.
Signature - Two or more sheets of paper folded together as a group, and which when bound together with others, form the book.
Spine - The part of the book which faces outward when shelved.
Split - To cut single signature issues greater than 6/8" through the fold, before oversewing or fan gluing.
Tail - The bottom portion of the backbone of a bound volume.
Tapes - Pieces of tape or strips of cloth attached to the covers, and to which sections are sewn to strengthen the binding.
Textblock - The pages of a book, sewn or adhered into one unit.
Tip-in - Pasting a leaf (or leaves) into a bound book without using guards. Also called "tipping-in."
Ultrabind - Bound with an automated machine which sands, notches and fan glues. Requires a 3/8" gutter, covers must not be high gloss, foldouts must not return into the gutter, and volume must be between 1/2 - 2" thick.
Verso - The left-hand page in an open book, usually bearing the even page number.
Vinylbind - Treatment for paperback books. The cover is removed, reinforce and laminated. The contents are fan glued and cased into the cover.
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