Features
Archival standards for handmade books at the bench
Archival standards for handmade books, turned into bench choices: alkaline paper, linen thread, reversible paste, lignin-free board and a materials sheet.
What to take away
- Archival standards for handmade books start with the paperISO 9706 and ANSI/NISO Z39.48, plus ISO 11108 for sheets expected to last. Board, thread, adhesive, cloth and the binding itself each add a rule of their own.
- A collecting institution reads three things on a handmade book: the materials list, the sewing structure and the board.
- Alkaline paper, linen or cotton thread, a reversible adhesive and lignin free board cover most written requirements.
- The book has to open flat, stay square and last decades of reading without a repair.
- Keep a materials sheet with supplier, batch and pH notes, and send a copy with the book.
What collecting institutions check
Library and Archives Canada and the Canadian Conservation Institute treat a handmade book as a preservation object first, not a craft object. They ask what the paper contains, whether the adhesive reverses, and whether the structure can be repaired later.
The written standards for paper are ISO 9706, the international requirement for permanent paper, and ANSI/NISO Z39.48, the U.S. standard for the permanence of paper in libraries and archives. ISO 11108 sets the tougher archival grade, ISO 16245 covers the boxes and file covers the finished book is stored in, and ISO 18916, the Photographic Activity Test, governs enclosures that touch photographs. The paper standards describe what the bench can check: alkaline, with a reserve against acid, a pH between 7.5 and 10, and no groundwood pulp. Test it with a pH pen or an indicator strip for a surface reading, or send a sample for a cold extraction test when a lab figure is needed.
The CCI Notes on materials for bookbinding, including thread selection, are the working reference for the rest of those questions. In the United States, the Library of Congress, the Northeast Document Conservation Center and the American Institute for Conservation publish the preservation guidance binders work from. For the full Canadian set of rules, from adhesives to documentation, start with the LAC and CCI requirements for a handmade book.
Board, thread and adhesive choices at the bench
Board is the decision most binders get wrong. Paperboard and chipboard vary widely in density, and a soft board cockles when indoor air dries out.
Archival binding material choices
Component
- Text paper
- Alkaline pH 7.5-10
- Sewing thread
- Unbleached linen or cotton
- Adhesive
- Starch, methyl cellulose, PVAc
- Board
- Lignin free, 2.0-3.0 mm
- Cover cloth
- Sized cotton, colour fast
Ask for
- Text paper
- Slows acid breakdown
- Sewing thread
- Holds tension, no cutting
- Adhesive
- Keeps book repairable
- Board
- Resists warp and crush
- Cover cloth
- Wears without fraying
Why
- Text paper
- Sewing thread
- Adhesive
- Board
- Cover cloth
The U.S. Government Publishing Office style manual names Davey board as its standard for federal binding. The office also holds certification for compliance with the ANSI/NISO/LBI Library Binding Standard Z39.78-2000, the U.S. rule that covers the board, sewing and covering of a library binding. Between them they tell you what a durable board has to do under load.
Choose board that is lignin free and alkaline sized, and at least 2 mm thick for a book over 20 cm tall. The standards govern the fiber and the sizing; thickness is bench practice.
Board, thread and adhesive choices
| Component | What to ask for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Text paper | Alkaline, pH 7.5 to 10, no groundwood | Slows acid breakdown in the sheet |
| Sewing thread | Unbleached linen or cotton | Holds tension without cutting paper |
| Adhesive | Starch paste, methyl cellulose, reversible PVAc | Leaves the book repairable |
| Board | Lignin free, alkaline sized, 2.0 to 3.0 mm | Resists warp and corner crush |
| Cover cloth | Sized cotton, colour fast | Wears without fraying at the joint |
Sewing structure and the spine that survives handling
Institutions judge opening quality before they judge decoration. A tight back that refuses to flex will crack at the joint within a decade of reading. Build for movement:
Sewing a spine that flexes
- Fold and press sections, grain parallel to spine
- Sew on linen tapes, five stations over 25 cm
- Round and back lightly, line with linen and hollow
- Case in with hollow tube, opens past 90 degrees
- Fold and press sections so the paper grain runs parallel to the spine.
- Sew on linen tapes or cords, with at least five stations for a book over 25 cm.
- Round and back the spine lightly, then line it with linen and a paper hollow.
- Case in with a hollow tube so the boards open past 90 degrees without strain.
Cloth, covering and the surface that takes the wear
Book cloth is the component that fails first on a working volume. A sized cotton cloth resists abrasion far better than a coated paper cover. Paring leather too thin is a common error, so keep the spine covering even and the paste thin.
A book that opens flat, closes square and shows a clean joint will satisfy a conservator long before gold tooling does.
Documentation and the file that travels with the book
Write a one page materials sheet and keep it with the book. Record the paper mill and batch, the pH reading, the thread weight, the adhesive brand, the board thickness and the cloth fiber. Add the binding date and your name.
Example: a case binding built to archival spec
Picture a 24 cm blank journal built for a small archive. The text is 100 gsm alkaline cream paper, folded into four leaf sections and sewn on linen tapes at five stations.
The spine is lined with linen and a paper hollow. The boards are 2.4 mm lignin free board stock, covered in sized cotton cloth and pasted with starch throughout.
The materials sheet sits in a pocket inside the front board. That book passes review because every choice can be named and reversed.
A pre delivery checklist
- Text paper is alkaline and free of groundwood, and the pH reading is written down.
- Thread is linen or cotton and matches the section thickness.
- Every adhesive is reversible or documented as permanent.
- Boards are lignin free, flat and cut with the grain.
- The materials sheet is written, dated and packed with the book.
Where the materials come from
Board, cloth and thread come from a short list of mills, converters and binding suppliers rather than a general craft store. What changes from one supplier to the next is minimum order, cut size and lead time, so compare before you buy. The Canadian paper suppliers comparison sets out stock, minimums and shipping for Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, and the same questions apply to any supplier you use.
