My big project last month showed me the clear winner between two binding styles

I had to bind a set of old family recipes for a client, about 80 pages total. I decided to test two methods side by side on the same paper stock. On one, I used a simple saddle stitch with waxed linen thread. On the other, I went with a Coptic stitch using the same thread. After a month of the client using it in their kitchen, the saddle stitch book is holding up fine but the spine is getting a little stiff. The Coptic bound one, though, opens completely flat on any page and the sections still move freely. The extra time on the Coptic stitch, maybe an hour more, made all the difference for a book meant to be used while cooking. It just works better for a project that needs to lie open. Has anyone else found that a more complex stitch is worth the extra effort for certain types of books?

2 comments

2 Comments

bailey.sam20h ago

But what about the extra time spent?

derek_dixon7815h ago

My grandma's old cookbook is falling apart because the spine glue cracked. A flat opening stitch would have saved it from all that flour and sugar getting in the cracks.