Bookbinding Materials

materials used in making bindings for books. The first bookbindings were made of leather. Subsequently, parchment, cloth, and paper were used. Modern bookbinding materials consist of a base (cloth, paper, nonwoven materials) that is impregnated with or coated with a polymer. Films of polymer compounds may also serve as bindings for books.

Paper and nonwoven materials intended for use as bindings are usually steeped in latex in order to increase their strength. In addition, their outer surface is textured by pressing or embossing. The materials are given an outer covering to strengthen them further and to make them more hygienic. Nitrocellulose and polyvinylchloride are used to bind the outer coverings; polyolefins and polyesters may also be used. The coverings usually imitate various kinds of leather. Such textures are obtained by pressing or embossing. The use of paper and nonwoven materials impregnated with polymers has great future potential.

Calico and leatherine are among the fabrics used in bookbindings. Most of the fabrics are made from a plain-weave cotton cloth. Material with a very distinct texture is obtained by applying two different color grounds to the fabric in such a way that the darker color remains only in the depressions between threads. Fabrics having different weaves constitute a wide assortment of binding materials. Each property of a fabric is an element in the finishing of a cover: the weave, the texture of individual threads (which may differ in a single fabric), and the pile. Such textured fabrics are not coated. Instead, the fabric is pasted onto paper to give it the necessary stiffness, to make it impervious to glue, and to reduce its shrinkage.

Bookbinding materials made from polyvinylchloride compounds are manufactured in varying hardnesses and in thicknesses of 0.2 to 0.7 mm.