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Just finished my first full leather binding and had to pick between two spines
I was binding a small poetry book for a gift and got stuck on the spine design. The choice was between a tight back or a hollow back. I picked the hollow back because the book was only 80 pages and I wanted it to open flat for reading. It took me about four hours to get the linen lining and the leather to sit right without any bumps. The end result feels really smooth and the pages lay open perfectly on a table. Has anyone else gone with a hollow back for a project under 100 pages? I'm curious if that's the usual move or if I should have tried the tight back instead.
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phoenix_bailey3mo ago
Hollow back was the right call for a book that size. It's way more practical for something meant to be read and handled. Your four hours of fussing with the lining totally paid off.
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jessej233mo ago
Man I used to be all about tight backs for everything. But seeing how that book lays flat now? Totally changed my mind.
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jamief671mo ago
Yeah, "practical for something meant to be read and handled" is EXACTLY it. My buddy spent ages on a hollow back for a big cookbook he made and the thing lays perfectly flat on the counter. I watched him try to use a tight back on his first try and it was a disaster, the book kept snapping shut while he was trying to read a recipe. That four hour lining work is what keeps the whole thing from falling apart in six months.
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