Industry
Paper craft case studies: 5 lessons from two Mainz Bibles
Paper craft case studies from two Mainz Bibles, one written, one printed: five bench lessons on sewing supports, vellum, rebinding, page layout and slow work.
Contributor
Noah D. Hayes
Noah D. Hayes is the editorial byline assigned to this area. Background, definitions and the interpretation of available information belong to this editorial remit. Subject: Bookbinding, paper arts and handmade books. The emphasis is on useful distinctions rather than a universal recommendation. This is an editorial pen name used by the publication, not a claim of an independently verified personal identity.
Industry
Does the paper damage record actually point to water more than workmanship?
No case studies are invented here. What published salvage and emergency guidance shows about water, preparation, and what the record cannot tell you.
Reviews
Two tools can replace four: bookbinding categories compared for buyers
Categories compared on the one specification that matters in each, plus the two tools that replace four and how printers solved small-tool storage.
Features
What a conservation lab inspection checks on a handmade book, in order
A fixed order for inspecting a handmade book: text block, sewing, boards, adhesive and pH, then housing, plus what a condition report should list.
Industry
Bookbinding machine access: questions to ask any studio
Bookbinding machine access, not lessons: the questions to ask before booking studio time, the search order to follow, and how to confirm hands-on use.
Reviews
Which error should decide your next bookbinding tool purchase?
No tools were bought or tested, so no ranking is given. A framework instead: survey first, judge by the error prevented, buy as failures appear.
Costs
Independent paper makers: count cost per kept sheet, not per pull
Independent paper makers should divide each session's cost by kept sheets, then sort mold, press, felts, fiber and packing into one-time and recurring lines.
Guides
What Library and Archives Canada and the CCI expect from a handmade book
Archival standards Canada: what Library and Archives Canada, CGSB paper rules and CCI notes ask of handmade books, from adhesives to documentation.
Reviews
Independent paper makers: four surfaces needed, and only one is a bench
Four surfaces, four jobs, and only one is a bench. Heights, materials that survive standing water, and why couching decides how many sheets you keep.
Industry
Book arts guild Canada: CBBAG and regional groups to join
Book arts guild Canada: what CBBAG membership includes, how to join, and the named regional groups from Vancouver to St. John's and their workshops.
Guides
Calgary and Saskatoon pressing in dry prairie air, a working checklist
Prairie binders fight 20 to 30 per cent indoor humidity. Condition board, cook paste thick, and dry every glued book under weight in still air.
Features
Quebec bookbinding terms and the French-language resources worth owning
Bookbinding in French Quebec means learning terms like couture and reliure d'art, plus guilds, manuals and letterpress traditions in Montreal and Quebec City.
Industry
Canada Council and provincial arts council grants for a book arts studio
Canada Council grants for artists cover project and equipment costs in book arts studios, and provincial councils add more. Here is how to apply and budget.
Reviews
Sourcing bookboard and paper in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver compared
Canadian paper suppliers in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver compared on bookboard stock, minimums, shipping and pickup, so you can choose local or mail order.
Maintenance
3 ways Ontario winters dry paper, and what to change at the press
Winter paper drying Canada has three causes: cold outdoor air, indoor heating and forced-air circulation. Adjust paste, board handling and pressing time.
Guides
Bookbinding Supply Stores in New York City: A Local Buyer's Guide
Bookbinding supply stores in New York City split two ways: a Brooklyn specialist stocked for structure, and Manhattan art shops with partial ranges.
Costs
Linen Thread vs Cotton Thread for Bookbinding: Which Should You Buy?
Linen thread vs cotton thread bookbinding comes down to stretch, price and how long the spine must last. Here are US prices, sizes and the case for each.
Guides
US arts grants for independent paper makers and book artists: tiers and application sequence
A practical guide to US arts grants for independent paper makers and book artists: tiers, applicant status, budget, work sample and the application sequence.
Industry
Bookbinding faults: name the part, then write the condition note
A table of binding parts and the faults named for them, how old repairs read, and a four line condition note you can write before deciding what to do.
Features
6 short exercises that turn bookbinding mistakes into deliberate lessons
Six short bench exercises that each make one failure happen on purpose, so grain, tension, adhesive and time stop being things you read about.
Guides
Paper marbling learning plan: a weekend schedule
A paper marbling learning plan for one weekend: prepare alum and size Friday, practice Saturday, then rinse, dry and flatten sheets Sunday.
Industry
Paper marbling classes: questions to ask and notes to keep
Questions to ask before booking a paper marbling class: the four causes of a gray sheet, who mixes the size and alum, which style to learn first.
Features
4 points on handmade journal ideas that matter
Eleven journal formats from an evening to a weekend, plus how folding decides the format and why paste paper is the easiest cover to make yourself.
Reviews
Which bookbinding tools earn their price, and which are a budget trap?
Rank bookbinding tools by cost per use, name the specific items worth buying, and see which cheap supplies quietly cost more than they save.
Guides
Folding compared with sewing: a weekend plan for handmade journals
Handmade journal ideas learning plan: four sessions over two days, fold twenty sheets, sew five identical pamphlets, cover them without metal fasteners.
Reviews
One level tray matters more than a level bench in decorative paper work
Wet decorating work wants different surfaces from cutting. Trays, glass, blotting boards, and why a level bath matters more than a level bench.
Guides
Book arts turns out to be four crafts sharing a single material
Book arts is four crafts sharing one material. How binding, papermaking, printing and paper decoration fit together, and what to learn first.
Maintenance
5 things worth knowing about book arts mistakes
The failures that repeat in home book arts work: grain, adhesive, damp storage and rushed pressing, and the cheap habits that prevent each one.
Industry
Five bookbinding supply decisions from library policy
Bookbinding supply costs expert tips: five decisions from two library preservation policies — when to box, when repair pays, where to spend.
Features
Cutting what bookbinding actually costs: fix the specification, not the supplier
Bookbinding supply costs options: change the specification rather than the supplier, make what only needs to be strong, and cut waste at the layout stage.
Costs
Budgeting bookbinding supplies by category beats chasing a single price list
Budget binding supplies by category over a whole year. Why storage and shipping are the lines people forget, and why no prices are quoted here.
Guides
Planning a bookbinding project means picking the structure before the idea
Pick the structure first, then write a project sheet and build a dummy. A planning method for bookbinding that catches errors before you cut anything.
Industry
Handmade journal classes run best through university programs, not directories
Handmade journal ideas classes and studios worth finding: university book arts programs run public workshops and hold the equipment you cannot own.
Industry
Decorative paper patterns trace back to marbling imported from Europe
Where decorative paper patterns come: marbling reached Europe as an import around 1600. The pattern families, what they tell you about a binding.
Reviews
What actually separates good book arts materials: pH, lignin or grain?
How to choose materials for book arts in 2027: paper, board, cloth, thread and adhesive judged on the properties that matter, pH, lignin, grain.
Guides
Why do handmade journals photograph best open, moving and lit from a window?
How to photograph and: shoot the book open and moving, light it from a window, expose using the histogram, and keep resolution and print size straight in your head.
Costs
Pricing a bookbinding project: cost per finished book, not per sheet
A costing method for binding supplies: work out cost per finished book, count a run before ordering, and know where the money actually goes.
Costs
Decorative paper costs make more sense per kept sheet than per session
How to price supplies for decorative paper: track cost per kept sheet, not per session. Where the money really sits in decorative paper work.
Reviews
Storing handmade journal materials: avoid crowding, avoid contact damage
Crowding and contact cause most damage to stored paper. Enclosures, interleaving, and where in the house to keep stock for handmade journals.
Industry
When does storage matter more to book arts than technique itself?
Book arts expert tips: storage, drying and studio layout decide more than technique does. What published guidance and studio equipment lists tell a first-year maker.