Welcome to the Bookbinding Tutorials Page
Here you will find a selection of links to bookbinding tutorials, that I have gathered from around the internet. The tutorials and films were made by the authors quoted, not by me.
Bookbinding video tutorials playlist
Tutorials on Tools
These tutorials feature information about how to use various tools for bookbinding.
- Glue and Roller Basics Film shows how to use a roller to apply glue to bookbinding projects by Ceropegia
- How to Use a Paper Knife by Kiley
- Turning Edges with a Jig Film showing a jig used to speed up turning edges for covering by Ceropegia
Bookbinding Techniques
These tutorials feature preparation techniques for bookbinding. Preparing covers, making tools etc.
- Embossed Inset How to emboss a panel into the cover of a book by Ceropegia
- Insetting A Ribbon Tie How to attach a ribbon to a board. Suitable for books, boxes and portfolio’s by Ceropegia
- Making an Inset How to create an inset cover board by Ceropegia
- Multiple Insets How to make a jig for cutting multiplle insets by Ceropegia
- Notes on Accordian Binding Part 1. Making and using jigs to speed up folding pages for accordian books, by Ceropegia
- Notes on Accordian Binding Part 2. by Ceropegia
- Paper Backing Silk How to add a paper backing to fabric for bookbinding by Ceropegia
- Paper Marbling A free manual to download from Eden Workshops. Includes edge marbling for books.
- Preparing and Guarding a Photo Album by Ceropegia
- String Filled Case How to reinforce the edges of the head and tail of the spine, for large books by Ceropegia
Making A Case by Ceropegia
The case is the hard backed cover you see on hard backed books.
- Making A Case Part 1 Creating the case
- Making A Case Part 2 Casing In
Sewing Printed Signatures by Ceropegia
A collection of folded pages is known as a signature, these films show you how to prepair them and later to sew them together to create a book. Watch the Making a Case tutorial series next to cover your book.
- Sewing Printed Signatures; Part 1
- Sewing Printed Signatures; Part 2 This film also features a close up detail of a weavers/binders knot, used if you run out of thread before you finish your bind.
Making A Slip Case by Ceropegia
A slip case is the box where you can gather a single book or a collection or series of books together. These excellent films show you how to measure your book and how to create a perfectly fitting slip case for it.
- Part One: Cutting & Lining
- Part Two: Fitting & Lining
- Part Three: Covering
- Part Four: Finishing the Covering Process
Binding Styles
These tutorials show you how to bind books in a variety of different styles.
Case Bound Books
In layman’s terms, you are most likely to recognize a case bound book as a hard cover book, as opposed to a paperback.
Case Bound Book
- Book Binding with a Photo Album Insert by Paper Studio How to case in a pre made book block.
- Casing in a journal
These tutorials are sometimes available on You Tube or as a paid film from the authors website. I’ve left them listed as if they come back, they are amazing.
Bookbinding Part 1 by BuchbinderbaumgartneBookbinding Part 2 by BuchbinderbaumgartneBookbinding Part 3 by BuchbinderbaumgartneBookbinding Part 4 by BuchbinderbaumgartneBookbinding Part 5 by BuchbinderbaumgartneBookbinding Part 6 by Buchbinderbaumgartne
Coptic Stitched Books
I admit it, these and the Japanese stab bound books are my all time favorites. Like the long stitch book these books open flat and are very user-friendly. The Coptic stitched books feature decorative stitches on the spines and the covers of the book do not cover the spine area, so the stitching remains visible. These are just a few, there are many different styles within the Coptic stitching range.
- Coptic Stitch Binding, Hard Cover by Jim Escalante
- Coptic Stitch Binding, Soft Cover; Part 1 by Jim Escalante
- Coptic Stitch Binding, Soft Cover; Part 2 by Jim Escalante
Buchbinderbaumgartne’s Coptic Stitch Tutorials
Many of these videos are under a minute long, best viewed in slideshow/shuffle on You Tube as they then stream in order and make it easier to watch. I have listed them individually so you can find a particular ‘episode’ easily if you are stuck on any particular aspect.
- Coptic Binding 01: Vorstechen
- Coptic Binding 02: Vorbohren (Piercing the cover board)
- Coptic Binding 03: Heften (Applying the first signature to the cover board)
- Coptic Binding 04: Heften (applying the first signature to the cover board)
- Coptic Binding 05: Heften (Tying the knot to attatch the first station of the first signature to the cover)
- Coptic Binding 06: Heften (Sewing the remaining stations to attatch the cover board to the first signature)
- Coptic Binding 07: Heften Final station of the first signature attatching to the front cover)
- Coptic Binding 08: Heften (Applying the second signature to the book)
- Coptic Binding 09: Heften (Sewing the second signature)
- Coptic Binding 10: Heften (Applying the third signature)
- Coptic Binding 11 Heften (Applying the third signature)
- Coptic Binding 12: Heften
- Coptic Binding 13: Heften
- Coptic Binding 14; Heften (Attatching the back cover to the book)
- Coptic Binding 15: Heften. (Final knot (kettle stitch) to secure the back cover to the book)
Folded Books
These books feature pages that are joined by folding rather than stitching.
Magic Briefcase / Zaubermappe Fold book by Buchbinderbaumgartne
Update Please note the videos marked Club Scrap were previously TV Weekly episodes. These are online communities that you need to join before you can view the videos/content. The links to Club Scrap Videos below will take you to the TV Weekly Design Guides page and this will help you find the downloadable PDF content from the videos where applicable and also links to their list of videos.
- Flag Book Tutorial Part One by Kristen @ Club Scrap
- Flag Book Tutorial Part Two by Kristen @ Club Scrap
- Flippin’ Folio Part One by Kristen @ Club Scrap
- Flippin’ Folio Part Two by Kristen @ Club Scrap
- Flippin’ Folio Part Three by Kristen @ Club Scrap
- Flippin’ Folio Part Four by Kristen @ Club Scrap
- Magician’s Box. Exploding box meets bookbinding by Tricia Morris Club Scrap
- You Are A Star How to make a star book by Tricia Morris, Club Scrap
Japanese Stab Bound Books
Keith Smith lists four styles of Japanese stab binding in his book; Volume I Non Adhesive Binding. Japanese 4-hole Binding (Yotsume Toji), Tortoise-shell (Kikko Toji), Hemp Leaf Binding (Asa-No-Ha Toji), Noble Binding (Koki Toji). I highly recommend you get his book for detailed instructions on these binding styles, but here are the some video tutorials by other people, that I’ve found so far, on-line. These are all sewn bindings.
Japanese 4 hole binding; also called Yotsume Toji
- Japanese Bookbinding by Buchbinderbaumgartne
- Japanese Stab Binding Tutorial Pt 1 by Vanillajoy1
- Japanese Stab Binding Tutorial Pt 2
Noble Binding; Koki Toji. This binding is also called the Kangxi Binding
- Japanese Binding Part One by Buchbinderbaumgartne
- Japanese Binding Part Two by Buchbinderbaumgartne
- Japanese Binding Part Three by Buchbinderbaumgartne
Long stitch
This is a superb bind, that would be great for Art Journals as the pages open flat. If you use the slit across the spine version of the bind, it allows plenty of space if you like to add a lot of collage to your journal pages. As the extra gap between the pages, allows the pages to expand with the content of the book.
- Part 1 Long stitch by Katinsuebart
- Part 2 Long stitch by Katinsuebart
- Part 3 Long stitch by Katinsuebart
Perfect bound
A glued spine rather than stitched
Post Bound
Album binding with post and nut is often seen on Scrapbooks. Especially useful in that situation as if extra allowance is added to the spine, you can get extender posts to make your album larger over time.
- Post Bound Album Classic scrapbook album style by Tricia Morris
Supported Spines
Supported spines are those created using a sewing frame.Bookbinding Hand Sewn by DjRPS
The films show sewing onto cords using a sewing frame. I don’t speak Italian but the demonstration is so clear, even without understanding the language it is still a superb tutorial series.
Wire Bound
These films feature a tool called the Bind It All. Made by a company called Zutter. The tool punches holes in the pages, you then use O Wires to secure the pages together.
Miscellaneous Bindings
Sewn bindings
- Ancient Scroll Book by Tricia Morris
- Autograph Book by Tricia Morris
- Venetian Blind Book by Tricia Morris
- Stitched Bound Book Tutorial Part One by Kristen @ Club Scrap
- Stitched Bound Book Tutorial Part Two by Kristen @ Club Scrap
- Nook Book by Kay
Box Making
- Stationer’s Box by Tricia Morris
Making A Prototype Box by Ceropegia
Pencil Box
- Stifteetui / Pencil Box Part 1 by Buchbinderbaumgartne
- Stifteetui / Pencil Box Part 2 by Buchbinderbaumgartne
- An Easy way to make beautiful Boxes by Buchbinderbaumgartne
Miscellaneous Techniques
- Traditional paper making in Bhutan
- Waterfall fold An interesting folding technique, by Tricia Morris
Links to Authors
Here are links to the authors of the tutorials listed. I’ve added their You Tube Channels or websites.
- Buchbinderbaumgartne Peter Baumgartne’s You Tube Channel
- Ceropegia Sage Reynolds You Tube Channel
- DjRPS You Tube channel
- Karin’s Karinsuebart’s You Tube Channel
- Paper Studio You Tube Channel
- Tricia Morris, Kristen & Kay video’s can be found at Club Scrap in the Club Scrap Cinema.
Looking for a tutor?
This is the link for Society Of Bookbinders a UK site where you can find a whole host of useful information relating to bookbinding.
Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon
Billie :)
**Dead Links**
We all hate dead links, but from time to time sites do change their address. If you do find a dead link on this page, please leave me a comment , with details of which link failed to let me know. I will attempt to repair the link or remove it.
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I am looking for a tutorial on how to use a sewing frame for bookbinding….not having much luck.
You are on the right page, check out the heading titled; ‘Supported Spines’.
In the description I mentioned that these are created using a sewing frame. I realise the tutorial I link to isn’t in English, but it is still an excellent demonstration and you can see whats going on.
If you are after written information about binding using a sewing frame, check out Keith Smith’s Non Adhesive binding; Volume III. It’s called ‘Exposed Spine Sewings’ and is avaiable from Amazon (from time to time) or from his own website: http://www.keithsmithbooks.com This book describes a number of different binding designs possible when using a sewing frame.
Hope that helps :)
I’m looking for a way to put a book title and author on the cover of a book that already has a complete cloth binding. It has no markings at all under the dust jacket.
I’d rather do it myself if possible.
The best place for me to point you for further advice would be to try the Book Arts Forum, a link can be found at the side of this blog under Blogs and also on the drop down menu on the bookbinding tab.
I haven’t personally tried the guilded lettering and know it involves metal hand tools but there are more professional bookbinders on the forum who I’m sure could point you in the right direction for where you can find tools and instruction on the subject.
Although I am very keen on bookbinding I have had no formal training and have learnt from good old You Tube so my knowledge of the finer points of the subject are very limited.
If you look on You Tube Sage Reynolds is a good person to start with as he is a professional bookbinder and has put tutorials up on various binding topics in the past.
Hope that helps
Best wishes and thanks for stopping by, hope to see you on here again
Billie
Whoa! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a totally different subject
but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Excellent choice of colors!
Thanks, it was a template from WordPress, I have thought about changing it now and then, but its clean lines and soothing colours are easy on the eye so although I look now and then at the options, I stick with this one.
half your links dont work or take you to something else. please update.
If you could let me know which ones aren’t working, it would help! Then I can try to fix them, but I’m just one person with limited internet access and limited dexterity so please be more specific to help resolve the issue.