Torn between signatures and individual sheets for my new project

I'm starting a rebind of a 400-page fantasy novel and I've always sewn individual sheets, but my buddy swears by folding into signatures for better spine flexibility. I tried a 8-page signature test run last night and the alignment was off by about 2mm on the third signature. Anyone else switch methods mid-project and regret it or love it?

3 comments

3 Comments

theas282d ago

Wait, did you also find that the registration marks were actually way more forgiving than you thought once you got into a rhythm? I had almost the exact same 2mm drift on my third signature when I tried switching mid-project on a 350-page fantasy book last fall. I was so annoyed I almost scrapped the whole thing and went back to single sheets. But I pushed through and did the rest in 4-page signatures like eva said, and honestly the end result was so much better. The spine glue really does grip better and the book opens way flatter without that crackle sound you get from single sheets. I did have to go back and recut my guide marks on the template though, that helped a ton.

carr.abby2d ago

The 2mm drift thing is wild because it's exactly what happened to me on my second signature when I tried switching mid-project last month. I was binding a 400-page novel and I got so frustrated I actually threw my bone folder across the room. But your point about the spine glue grabbing better with signatures is spot on, I noticed my end result feels way more solid too. Did you have to adjust your sewing tension at all when you switched to signatures? I found that my usual tightness was too aggressive and I kept getting these little puckers near the spine where the thread was pulling the paper wrong.

eva_moore2d ago

The 2mm slip is from not having your fold marks dead perpendicular to the grain. Get a bone folder and a metal ruler, score each sheet against the ruler edge before folding. I switched from single sheets to 4-page signatures halfway through a 600-pager last year and never looked back, the spine glue holds way better and the book opens flat without cracking the hinge. Just be anal about your registration marks on the template or you'll chase alignment issues all the way to the final trim.