What Is Perfect Binding?

Perfect binding

Perfect binding is another very popular method of binding but the name can be a little misleading. It is a high-quality quality, very reliable method of binding that provides an excellent and consistent finish.

Instead of a wire being threaded through the pages like saddle stitching, Perfect bound jobs use glue. Additionally, for this process, we need a special separate cover to conduct the process due to the glueing.

Initially, the text sections are all prepared in the correct order and are placed on a conveyor with each new section placed on top of the previous like a sandwich. The text pages are then clamped together with the spine side facing down and taken around a carousel. On the carousel, the spine area is then “roughed” up to increase the surface area before glue is applied to the whole length. Before the glue cools and dries a cover is supplied flat and face down into the machine and has its inner spine pressed into the glue. The product is then given time to cool down and stick together whilst passing along several conveyors until it is fed into a hopper that feeds the trimmer where the product will be cut to its final size.

The product is now finished and ready for dispatch. Perfect binding is excellent for high-quality items and larger page counts than saddle stitching.

It is possible to add extra mini-sections, sometimes called tip-ins. These are usually a card or smaller item that is bound into the middle of the main product but has pre-applied perforations to allow it to be easily torn out.

The other methods of binding your product are Saddle Stitching and PUR Binding.