Why does nobody talk about cord vs. tape for sewing signatures?

I sewed my first 200 page book last month using linen tape and it held great. Then I tried waxed cord on the next one and the spine felt stiff and the pages didn't open flat. The cord was cheaper by about $8 a spool but I spent two hours fixing a cracked hinge. Tape gave me a smoother, more flexible spine with way less cussing. Am I missing something, or is cord just not worth it for everyday bindings?

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wendy8201mo ago

Tape vs cord is one of those things people get weird about for no good reason. Cord has its place, but it's mostly for old style bindings or when you want that raised band look on the spine. For a regular book you actually want to read and open flat, tape wins almost every time. The stiffness you got is normal with cord because it doesn't flex the same way, so the pages fight you at the hinge. Spending two hours fixing a cracked hinge over eight bucks saved doesn't add up at all. This isn't some big secret the community is hiding, it's just that most folks doing everyday bindings already landed on tape and moved on.

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