A binding method where the book block is attached to a rigid cover. Used for hardback books. The Case is the cover of the book and can be composed of cloth, paper or synthetic material (or a combination of these) stretched over and adhered to a board. Case-binding is a task for a specialist, is relatively slow and much more expensive than perfect binding especially if printing in Australia. Used for coffee-table books and cookbooks, case bound books often employ section-sewn interior pages which allows them to remain open with a high degree of ‘flatness’.
PUBLISHING TIP Designing a case-bound book cover is more complex than designing a cover for a perfect bound book. The cover is often printed on thin paper and then wrapped around a thick board e.g. a 2mm board – then a endpaper is applied. The artwork must extend well beyond the usual 3mm bleed required for a softcover book.
« Back to Glossary Index