Our theme for March is PAPER.

While books can be made from all sorts of materials one of the most prevalent is paper.

Hand made with a deckle edge or a vast ream of smooth machine produced cartridge paper the choices facing the bookbinder are vast. Choices are part aesthetic and part functional.

Will it cut, tear, score, fold, print, stitch, and glue?

Size, strength, grain direction, weight and the material it is made from all influence how the paper will function for a project. Thick opaque boards to thin whispy and transparent – paper comes in all of these forms. Some projects may require strength and durability, others delicate tissues softly held. For some books the finished look and feel will be more important than its longevity, for others the materials archival properties will take point.

Check out our Suppliers section under resources to see who we use and come along to one of the in person meetings this March on the 13th or 27th to look at and discuss paper. We will have swatches and book examples to look at.