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Changed my mind about rounding spines after a 20 minute talk with an 80 year old binder in Portland
I always pressed my spines flat because that is how I was taught. Flat backs, clean edges, done. Then I shared a table with this older binder at a meetup in Portland back in June and he pulled out a book he made in 1974. The spine was rounded and backed, and the thing opened like it was brand new. Fifty years old and the pages still lay flat.
He said something simple. Flat spines crack at the hinge because all the stress hits one spot. A rounded spine spreads it out. I argued with him for a bit, then he handed me the book and told me to open it in the middle. No creak, no pop. Mine always creak around year two.
I have rounded my last 9 books now. Still getting the hang of backing them without crushing the shoulder, but the difference when a book opens is not small. Anyone here round and back everything, or do you still do flat spines for certain styles?
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hannah_west3915d ago
Rounded spreads stress, flat focuses it. That old guy nailed it.
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