Trimming and slipcover

Trimming the book

We are lucky enough to have access to a well-maintained printer's papercutter to trim the three edges of the book (not the spine...). In the photo, Megan has just brought the blade down for her first cut.

If you are not so lucky, it is possible to trim a book with a sharp Exacto or linoleum knife, scribing over and over against a firmly-held steel edge, keeping the blade a consistent 90° to the book. Trimming is key to making the book look "real" -- although hand-made chapbooks are often not trimmed, we have found the students are much happier with a book that looks like one from a mass-market publisher.

Trimming slipcover

Our covers are output on color laser printers, using tabloid-size paper. We have found this method of producing full-color slipcovers to be economical (under $1.50 each), and very durable.

Because the dimensions of each book are a little different, each slipcover must be cut to fit. The photo shows a student "eyeballing" the width of the spine before folding the slipcover. As with the coverboard, getting the spine-width correct is important -- too wide or narrow and the book will look sloppy.

We generally to do not glue the slipcover to the book, but if desired, use a non-waterbased adhesive, like rubber cement, so the slipcover doesn't wrinkle.

Have fun!