Periodicals, commonly referred to as magazines, are published on a regular basis during the year and are bound into volumes. Magazines are broken down into two main categories: Standard Binding and Custom Binding. In Standard binding, the periodicals are bound as they are received from the library with all the covers and ads left in. Periodicals sent in for Custom Binding are bound according to the libraries specifications. The instructions for binding are written on a binding slip that is sent in with each volume to be bound. There are many ways to bind a particular title. Cover can be removed, ads removed, Table of Contents moved to the front and Indexes moved to the back of the magazine. Many technical and medical publications are printed so that when the ads and covers are removed, the Table of Contents moved to the front of the volume and the index placed in the back, the final bound magazine becomes a textbook.

Most magazines for school and library use are Standard bound with all the covers and ads left in place. We check the magazines for completeness and return unbound volumes with missing issues unless we have special instruction to bind with missing issues. Periodicals bound for universities, technical, and medical libraries are normally bound as Custom and we follow the instructions of the librarians. Removing the ads helps in shelf space in the library as removing the ads reduces the thickness of the final bound periodical.

It is our policy to over sew as many magazines as possible depending on the inner margins of the printed page. If there is at least one half inch, the periodical are then over sewn for the greatest life of the bound periodical. Pages with less than one half inch are double fan adhesive bound. We use a special formulated adhesive that remains flexible when dry to prevent cracking or allowing pages to fall out. Binding slips are required with all magazines to be bound. We supply pre printed or blank binding slips for our customers.We have several ways we can supply binding slips to our customers. We can send blank slips that can be filled out by hand, send out preprinted binding slips, or the customer can use the LARS software.

For our regular customers who have bound with us in the past, we supply a preprinted binding slip. These binding slips are printed with the library name, the title, and the past binding information. The library then fills out the volume, month, and year information for each title to be sent to the library. The customer then sends in two of the three slips with the magazine to be bound. We need the top two slips. The third slip is retained by the library as a record of what was sent to the bindery.

This is an example of how magazines are bound to match
from one year to the next.

Before

After

Textbooks can be rebound to add years of life to worn out textbooks at a fraction of the original cost. All rebound textbooks are over sewn to ensure the books will stand up to hard student use. The covers are washable Buckram lettered with the title on the spine. As an added service, the bindery will photocopy pages from a complete textbook to replace missing pages in other books sent for rebinding making a complete textbook. There is no charge for this service unless over ten pages need to be replaced. The best times to rebind textbooks are the summer or winter breaks.

Oversewing

A book is published as a single unit and it is bound without making a record of the spine stamping. Most books are over sewn to withstand repeated circulation in the library. Any books with an inner margin less than one half inch are double fan adhesive bound. Books include all types of printed matter such as reference, art, and technical. We retain the old sewing in books with fragile paper or older books with good sewing that can not withstand re-sewing. Any books with brittle paper normally can not be rebound. A simple test for brittle paper is to gently fold over a page corner. If it breaks off, the paper can not withstand binding. In some special cases a brittle book can be rebound for very limited use. Our policy is to bind every book as a single item to insure it is rebound for the longest life possible. All books with stiff paper are always sewn, such as the over size art books, books with slick paper, books with a combination of soft text paper and a mixture of glossy photos, and books with cross grain paper. We do this so the rebound books do not fall apart with repeated library circulation. Books are "Class A" rebound according to the Library Binding Institute specifications, using the best materials available for book binding. Today, the cloth, end papers, and cover board are acid free.

Binding slips are not normally required for the rebinding of books unless the librarian has a special title needed on the rebound book. Foreign titles need to have an English translation, books with an author other than listed on the title page, and any special title information need on the cover of the rebound book.

We pick up the title, author, and call numbers off the title page so that binding slips are not needed as making our binding slips by the librarian takes up a lot of valuable time.

For more information on Library books please see For Librarians

Your Thesis or Dissertation can be bound according to the university standards or in a color of your choice with complete lettering on the spine and front cover.

All thesis or dissertations are sewn and bound in a color of your choice with lettering in gold, white, black or silver.

Thesis/Dissertation Design form slip

When a family history is completed and is ready for binding it is then time to consider the choice of paper, the printing, and the binding. Paper choice is important in making a professional looking bound book. All paper has grain causing the paper to be stiff in one direction and limp in the other direction. Paper is normally purchased with cross grain making the finished page feel stiff with pages that do not lay flat when the book is opened. To avoid this, the grain of the paper must run parallel to the spine of the book. In this age of desktop printing, there is a tendency to want to print our own books. If your family history contains 100 pages printing will turn into a nightmare. It is best to let a printer experienced in printing books do this for you. The choice of the paper is also important. Use a white or off white paper and do not use the heavy computer papers as they make very poor pages for a book. Use paper that is no heavier than 50 pound. The stiff papers make a very poor choice for any book. We encourage you to contact the bindery for help in every aspect of preparation of your valuable work. Once the pages are printed and assembled into books, we then bind the family history into a hard bound book that will last for generations in your family. All our books are over sewn to provide a bound book where the pages will never fall out like books that are glued. The books are bound in a color of your choice with lettering on the spine and the front cover.

For more information on genealogies please see the FAQ

Genealogy Design form slip

Comic book collectors can have comic books bound into volumes to preserve their collection, keeping track of the issues and proudly display their collection. By keeping the bound volumes to two inches or less they are easier to hold while they are being read. Comic books are all over sewn and bound in a buckram cover with lettering on the spine to library standards. We also have a number of comic book logo dies that can be stamped on the spine and/or the front cover.

For more information please see our Comic Books area.

Is your precious Bible falling apart?
We rebind Bibles so they will last many, many more years.

Prices are $45 for hardcover imitation leather; $55 for flexible imitation leather, and $75 for leather. Prices for large family Bibles start at $150. Note all prices will have 8.25% sales tax (Texas residents only) and shipping added.

We have some Hebrew Fonts and decorations to rebind the Holy Scriptures in Hebrew or in English. We use all natural products such as cotton made covers, genuine cowhide, and use no animal glues or pig products.

Church Hymnals can be rebound so your church can get many more years of use out of them.

Additionally, church bulletins can be put into permanent binders to keep indefinitely.

Plastic Binding is a specialized binding designed for hard binding any size paperback books. We remove the cover in one piece and laminate the cover. This laminated cover is then used to produce a hard bound paperback. The old glue on the paperback is then removed and double fan adhesive bound with a special glue that when dry remains flexible and does not crack with age. The bound paperback retains the original cover of the book in a hard back binding.

Any size paperback can be plastic bound up to 18 inches in height and two inches in thickness.

Picture binding was developed by Library Binding, to provide picture covers for books without a dust jacket . We use a computer to generate a custom picture cover for books without any picture on the original cover. The printed cover is then laminated and used for a hard cover bound book. The inside pages of the book are sewn for long life in the library. Any size book up to 15 inches in height can be Picture Bound.

A jacket bind is a specialized product designed to retain the colorful dust jacket. The dust jacket is then laminated and then used to produce a hard bound book. The text pages of the book are then bound according to class A specifications. This includes over sewing, double fan adhesive or sew through the fold to produce a bound library book. Books are sent to our bindery with the dust jackets on the book.

Once the pages of your school annual have been printed, it is time to design the cover and have the annual bound into a hard bound book.

Your school annual can be bound in a hard cover in a color of your choice with lettering on the spine and front cover, or you can design a colorful color, using paper we supply, to create a custom cover.

Your school annual is bound to the same high standards as library books and magazines that are designed to last for years. The annual is sewn for long lasting to preserve the memories of your students.

The design form below shows how to lay out a custom cover for the annual. We will send you the paper to be used for printing the cover. We then laminate the printed cover and use it for the cover of the hard bound annual.

Let us help you design and produce your school annual.

Please send your questions to James@librarybinding.com.

The sample below shows how to design the cover for your annual.

Your valuable cookbook can be repaired or rebound to put new life into your treasured cookbook. Books without a cover will need to have a new cover made with the color and lettering of your choice. We repair all the inside pages mending those that need help. We can add extra pages as well as ribbon markers. If your cookbook still has the original cover, no matter how worn, it can be used for restoration.

Newspapers can be bound into volumes for future reference according to your needs.

As they are printed or received in the mail, the papers need to be stored flat, not folded. Folded papers present a problem of a fold in the center of the paper that cannot be removed. We do press the papers and we are able to remove most of the fold, but the paper is creased and will tear as the pages are turned with use.

As the newspaper get older, the paper yellows, and becomes very soft. The folded crease will cause the paper to easily tear when the pages are turned. There is no way to prevent this on a folded page.

Rare books present many problems for rebinding or repair depending on what the customer needs for each rare book.

To retain the value of the book, we can repair the book and the cover depending mostly on the condition of the cover. If the book is missing the cover, then a new cover will need be made using all acid free materials.

A rare book with the old cover, can in most cases be repaired and reused. Once a rare book has been repaired, it will look like it is still an old book. Repair using the original covers does not harm the value of the book.

The inside pages are repaired where necessary and the old sewing is
repaired, and strengthened. The outside edges are not trimmed.

Send me, James Jasek, a description of the books you want to repair
and I will give you some idea of the cost.

We can also bind collectibles and unusual things such as bricks.

This is a photograph of a collectible brick etched with "Texas" on the front. Please call us for a quote on your collectible.

We also bind corporate minutes, medical reports, medical journals, technical journals, atlases, and dictionaries. In addition we provide binding for rare books and restoration services.