Curiously, people and books have something in common: both are greeted by their clothes (in the case of books, by their binding), and are seen by their minds, respectively, by their contents. The “clothes” for publications are made of binding materials, namely: cardboard, cloth (or its substitutes), foil used for embossing, sewing materials and glue.
For books, binding cover materials are as important as outer garments for humans. Such materials must be resistant to all kinds of mechanical damage, abrasion, frequent bending, tearing, and ripping. At the same time, they should be stiff enough not to be deformed by adhesives applied to them.
The polymer coating of materials has special requirements: elasticity, strength of retention on the base, durability and resistance to bending when using the book. The surface of such materials should also respond well to foil stamping and the use of various types of inks.
Bce binding materials are usually divided according to the type of base layer, which can be made on the basis of:
- fabric;
- paper;
- synthetics;
- leather.
Many ancient editions are “dressed” in leather: books bound in leather look especially beautiful and expensive. Today leather is used for making expensive editions (gift editions) and for binding real masterpieces of literature having a special value. It is worth noting that such a binding will help to keep your favorite books of priceless editions for many years. If a book that you particularly care about does not have the best binding, you can give it to the restoration, to prolong its life.
Leather bindings are divided into several types:
- All-leather. This type of binding using a single piece of material is considered the strongest and most durable. This is the best way to keep the publication as long as possible. In addition, such a cover will look aesthetic and elegant.
- Half-leather. This type of decoration means using leather not for the whole cover, but only for some parts. As a rule, it frames those parts which are the most prone to wear – corners and spine. When making sides of a book marbled or designer paper is used.
- Composite. In this type of binding, various pieces of material are used, which are selected not only by color, but also by texture. Firstly templates are made and all necessary details are cut out according to them, which are subsequently joined with overlapping or butt joints.
If we talk about binding materials with a paper backing, in their manufacture sulfate paper with an excellent absorbent surface is used. One such material is bumvinil, characterized by resistance to moisture, a high degree of resistance to bending and abrasion. It is also convenient because it can be used for foil stamping and screen printing. It is not recommended to use inks with it as they do not adhere well to such material.
Today bumvinil is used for bookbinding everywhere. It is used in the manufacture of books, albums, diaries, folders, boxes, etc.
