June 15, 2015 Week 3 - Creating the Signature Block

Hello Everyone,


This week has been very productive for me.  I added the images to the book using bits and pieces of photos that I had taken and I was able to print it out using a standard 8 1/2" x 11" piece of photo paper and I was also able to print it almost 2 inches larger (approximately 10 1/4" x 12 3/4") using a  professional printer a friend of mine has.  The 2 inches does make a difference in terms of the overall readability and handling of the book.

Since I was able to print out two different sizes, I decided to create two different versions of this book form.  For the smaller size, I printed another image on the back and will create a cover without a spine.  So the book may be opened to the original paper size.  For the larger one, I printed only one side (text only), and that one I will make with a more traditional book cover including a spine and it will not be able to open fully.  More on the covers, next week.

Back to this week.  Now that my pages are printed I needed to cut and fold them into the signature block.  To do this you only need a craft knife, bonefolder and a straight edge.

There is no measuring involved just folding.  But do make sure you line your edges up evenly, to ensure an even outcome.  Start by folding the page in half hot dog (vertical) style.

Make sure to use a bonefolder to crease the edges well.  This will make it easier to fold later on.

Then fold each half in half.   You will have something like this when you unfold it slightly.

Unfold it the rest of the way until it is flat.  Now you will need to fold it in half Hamburger style (horizontal).  And then in half again.  You will end up with the folds creating 16 rectangles.

Before you start cutting, you will want to make sure the orientation of your book is correct.  The beginning should be at the top and the end at the bottom.

After it is folded you will need to make the cuts.  In the above photo, the red lines are where you need to make your cuts, on those folds.  So, starting with the first row make a cut along the hot fold for three rectangles, do not cut the fourth.  The second row, you will want to make a cut on the opposite side along the hot fold for three rectangles.  And for the last one, cut the same as you did for the first row.

I do find it easier to see the folds and make the cuts if I angle my light and fold the book up a bit.

Flip the paper back over and you are ready to start folding.

You will want to start by folding the first rectangle in.  Then alternate back and forth.  When you come to the attached corners, you will need to flip and fold the paper over.

(I tried to get a good picture of that process but without video its difficult to show.) The two rectangles are folded together, so they are hinged at either the bottom or the top of the book.

Once you have it all folded it should look like this.

Now all that is left is to create the covers.  If you wanted to you could just leave it like this and not have a traditional cover.  It would be perfect for creating a photo booklet to send out.

Next week, I will be creating the covers for the two different kinds of books and showing the results.

Till then,

Happy Book Binding,

Sheila