GLOSSARY OF TERMS
1.800.941.3735 724.287.2120
1124 Oneida Valley Road, Chicora, PA 16025-3820
© 2009 Mechling Bookbindery
BOOKS...MADE TO ORDER
BIBLE TEXT SIZE - the size of the paper or page of your book (not the cover size), for example 6" x 9".
CALF - also a good quality leather. It comes from young animals and the skin is thin enough to be used without skiving it into thinner layers. Currently the cost of calf is more than goatskin due to short supply of quality skins.
EDGES - Edge gilding is the gold or silver finish on the paper edges. Due to the many complications, we no longer offer this service.
RIBBON MARKERS - Our standard ribbons are double-sided satin. Our deluxe ribbons are double-sided, mostly with different colors embroidered on each side to give a more elegant touch.
COVER MATERIAL - goatskin, calf, cowhide, pigskin, imitation leather or bonded leather. Goatskin is considered the best leather for bookbinding. These skins have a light pigment finish to make color consistent. This finish allows the leather to be soft and pliable and yet it can be easily cleaned with a damp rag. Goatskin has been used for centuries and with proper care should last a lifetime.
In addition to our standard binding, we offer a DELUXE binding package. This special package consists of a goatskin leather cover, in your choice of any of our stock colors, as well as a calf leather lining, which is available in black or tan. Please check for availability of other colors.
COWHIDE AND PIGSKIN - from older animals with larger and thicker skins. The skin is skivered (sliced) into thinner layers and embossed with grain pattern and usually finished with a pigment and gloss coating. These skins have a hard finish and are somewhat stiff. Cowhide is an economical alternative to goatskin or calf but not a good choice where soft feel and appearance is important.
IMITATION LEATHER - thin bookcloth that has been embossed with a grain pattern. This is a good choice for an inexpensive binding where appearance and softness is not important.
BONDED LEATHER - a man-made leather product made from leather scraps and a polyvinyl binder. This is "real leather" like particle board is "real wood". Many companies use this material in large production runs of books to be able to use a leather product without the expense of real leather. We can do bonded leather upon request but prefer not to use it.
ENDPAPERS - The first and last pages (the lining) in your Bible, which connect the cover with the pages of the book. Unless specified, these are replaced with new ones. Endpapers are availablle in black or other colors. We use thick paper endpapers with the STANDARD binding package. The DELUXE binding package includes real leather endpapers. This leather cover/leather lining combination makes the cover very soft and pliable.
DOUBLE LINE BARS - gold stamped lines across the spine at the top and bottom. These are decorative lines that add some extra character to the finished book.
OLD ENDPAPERS - the first and last pages in your book. They are generally colored on one side and plain on the other side. Many people write notes on these pages and wish to save them and have them put into the new binding.
RAISED BANDS - the hubs on the spine (the part of the book you see when shelved) that are raised up. Traditionally, these hubs were caused by the cords used to sew the pages. Today these raised hubs are decorative and serve no purpose.
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