Bookbinders have been around for a long time, and though in our modern offices, we've generally gone the way of easy three-ring or spiral binding for throwaway manuals and other "books," the traditional volumes we still use every day are bound in a more sturdy way. But how is this done? Only professional bookbinding shops (or skilled amateurs with experience) really know the challenges of "marrying" pages together.

For learning how to deal with bookbinding supplies and tools such as a bookbinding machine to craft durable books, businesses in the print media field can look to the web for figuring out where to go for bookbinding services education and training when a shop has to know how the pros do work on putting manuscript-length print products together. For renovating antique volumes, or creating proprietary products, a small business can get resources like these over the web:

1. Links to specific programs from national schools on professional bookbinding that stand out in the industry for teaching the skills needed for quality work.

2. Menus of options for using bookbinding tools and machines from search sites that businesses can use to be selective.

3. Seminars and other bookbinding training opportunities from universities or independent sources.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find bookbinders schools online

Specific training centers offer comprehensive courses on how bookbinders perform these skilled tasks for getting old or new books into good shape for the market. Browse sites for details in how various processes work for leather bound or paper bound books.

I recommend: Look to sites like this one from the North Bennett Street School for in-depth bookbinding programs with attention to all of the craft that goes into getting solvent page binding solutions for traditional volumes. For another premier book binding option, try the Center for Book Arts online site to find more info about courses in this ancient art.

Find more bookbinders training options through handy search sites

Some online directory type sites will get seekers closer to a selection of bookbinding venues for learning how the job gets done for marketable print materials that will stand the test of time.

I recommend: At Master Artisan, users can click their way to a selection of book binding training options from online to on-site learning. For more, try Kelly Search online.

Get more on professional bookbinding services from seminars and workshops

Other choice for learning about the practice of paper or leather bookbinding include short-term seminars and similar events. Find out more with web info pages on machine bookbinding, book creation and handmade bookbinding methods.

I recommend: Find out about events and seminars at the Society of Bookbinders for learning more about this practice. Or get further education on bookbinding tools and methods from seminars out of universities, like these from Stanford.

When you need bookbinding services for materials to send to your customers or in-house manuals for employees or contractors, there are many options at your disposal. Full-service shops can address many things, but for projects that are fairly small and simple (like bookbinding a book) you might be able to meet all or part of your needs in-house.

Get professional-looking materials whether you go the professional bookbinding route or if you purchase your own bookbinding supplies and try bookbinding by hand. Based on your business, the latter is more flexible and you should:

1. Assess the frequency of your bookbinding needs. Find professional bookbinding services locally or online based on your assessment.

2. Locate the best bookbinding machine for your business if you decide to do it in-house.

3. Select bookbinding supplies to go along with your bookbinding machine.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find professional bookbinding services locally or online

Both local businesses and online bookbinding services offer timely and efficient solutions. However, time is always on your side to get the job done when you opt for in-house production on smaller projects. When bookbinders need to schedule you for full-service work, simple printing and document services are available to pull your in-house project together. Nearly any locale you find locally or online can offer you one-stop shopping.

I recommend: OMX, Inc. and The United Parcel Service of America, Inc. are great places both online and locally. Mimeo, Inc. is a smart new online service offering an online storage library for your files.

Locate an in-house bookbinding machine

Investing in a bookbinding machine to meet your business needs pays off for many recurring and ad-hoc projects. Machines are available in many price ranges to perform different types of binding. Evaluate the look you want to have for your business and select from any number of spiral binds, including twin loop, wire, plastic coil and others.

I recommend: Choosing a binding machine may seem overwhelming but a number of resources break it down for you into an easy-to-understand format. Laminator.com, Inc. and Binding Systems of Texas, Inc. both offer a complete line of binding machine types and supplies.

Select your bookbinding supplies

Your supply needs for in-house binding are minimal. At best you'll need paper, covers and the appropriate binding coils based on the machine you've selected. You can have custom covers printed or create them in-house, depending on your business needs.

I recommend: Find supplies such as covers, plastic coils or wires, punched paper, etc. to support your binding machine at Office Zone, LLC If you're looking for custom plastic coils with your business name, new designs are available at Custom Tabs Inc.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When doing handmade bookbinding in-house, you can save time by sending out the print portion of your package to your local print shop and save wear and tear on your business printer.
• •  If you have a document that changes regularly, it's good to leave your extra stock of the document unbound. When changes are made, your administrative staff can replace only the pages affected and reduce waste.

There are many scenarios in which a business may seek out bookbinding services. Having a firm grasp on the key terms is the first step in the search for bookbinding services that fulfill your business needs. Whether producing an inter-company manual, a customer product catalog or your business's book publication, knowing the key terms will help you determine the best bookbinding options, depending on price, volume and quality desired.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hard binding

Hard binding, or creating hardbound books, is the most durable, permanent and finest quality solution for binding books, especially of novel length, and the finished product will be a beautiful hard-cover, professional-looking book.

I recommend: Find out everything you need to know about hard binding from the Gregath Publishing Company.

Soft binding

Creating a soft-cover book, or soft binding, is a fast and inexpensive way to bind books with paper covers. It does not require glue or permanent damage of the pages of the document and is perfect for documents of less than 100 pages.

I recommend: Read more about soft binding from P.J. Wellman.

Bookbinding machine

A bookbinding machine is a small desktop machine that binds books using one of several processes. They range from small, inexpensive, basic models to heavy-duty, high-tech machines for large projects.

I recommend: Binding Machine has a wide selection of machines with large photo samples of many different types.

Spiral bookbinding

Spiral bookbinding uses a spiral coil made of metal or plastic to hold the pages together notebook-style. It is inexpensive, yet durable and lasts a very long time, and can work with many pages or only a few and is ideal for projects like cookbooks or instruction manuals.

I recommend: Read more about spiral bookbinding at Book Binding Biz.

Thermal bookbinding

Thermal bookbinding is used most commonly for paperbacks, as it uses a one-piece cover with glue down the spine to secure the pages to the cover using heat, creating an inexpensive yet professional-looking bound publication.

I recommend: Find a detailed explanation of the thermal bookbinding process and tips for doing it successfully at My Binding.

Tape bookbinding

Tape bookbinding is an inexpensive technique for binding publications, usually with fewer pages, by wrapping tape around the edge of a document then stitching or gluing the tape.

I recommend: Watch the demonstration of bookbinding with tape at Expert Village.