Top 3 Ways to Bind Recipe Books

You’ve finally completed your family recipe book files using cookbook-making software, and now you want to make it a nice finished product at the local quick print store. There are many options available to bind recipe books together in either full-page or half-page formats.

I personally prefer a smooth finish to bind recipe books, but other bindery styles are more popular. Here are what many experts say are the top 3 ways to bind recipe books:

Perfect Binding – This method to bind recipes books is used primarily when a heavier weight paper is used for the wraparound soft cover and the recipe book has lot of pages (up to maybe 2 inches thick). A flexible adhesive is used to stick the cover onto the edges of the content pages.  When done properly, this type of binding is, well, perfect. Many thick magazines and paperback books use perfect binding.  See above for sample photo of perfect binding.


Comb Binding – This is the choice used by many fundraising cookbook production companies and publishers. It allows family recipe book pages to lay flat and sometimes to be folded back completely without damage to the recipe book pages. The round spine is made of a one-piece plastic coil with individual spokes that slip through squarish paper holes and curl up into each other.  Comb binding is popular because it is easily updated by opening and closing the prongs of the comb to replace pages.


Coil Binding – Also called spiral binding, this is a very nice looking and popular way to bind recipe books. It also allows recipe book pages to lay flat and fold back onto themselves (which is great for using on a cookbook stand).  The wire used for coil binding can be coated (which offers nice colors) or uncoated plain wire. This durable binding method is most familiar in notepads and college-ruled notebooks.

As we mentioned, there are other binding styles available for recipe books, and you’ll need to consider how your recipe book will be used to determine the best way to bind it. Think about who will be using the recipe book, what size is best, and how many pages will be included. Also think about how much each method will cost, and your satisfaction in the final recipe book’s appearance.

Happy Cookbooking,

Matida

About Erin Miller

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