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Preparation of all your materials will usually take you as much time if not more time than putting it all together. Preparation involves cutting the paper and chip board, and preparing the covers.The first and most time consuming step is cutting the paper, and the chip board. Always cut your inside pages first, so that you can then cut covers that will be large enough.
For this book the inside pages are 8 1/2" wide by 5 1/2" tall. This is a convenient size, because you can use 8 1/2" by 11" paper and cut it in half. Cut your 8 sheets of card stock in half along the 11" edge, so that you have 16 pieces of 8 1/2" by 5 1/2".I always add a piece of rice paper or vellum as the first and last page of a book, primarily for cosmetic reasons (I like the way it looks!) There are some really ornate rice papers that you can find that will add a very special touch to your book, some examples can be found in the idea gallery. Cut 2 pieces of your rice paper or vellum to match the inside pages' size: 8 1/2" by 5 1/2".
Every book has a front and back cover, so don't forget that you need to cut two covers. The cover of a book should have at least a 1/4" overhang (called head trim) around all 4 sides of the inside pages. Therefore the cover will need to be at least 1/2" wider and 1/2" taller than your inside paper. Chipboard can be cut by industrial paper cutter's or with an exacto-knife and ruler. On your chipboard, using your ruler and pencil, outline your two covers: 9" wide by 6" tall. Do your best to make sure that both covers are the same size, so that they will line up evenly around your pages.
The front cover of the book will be broken down into 3 separate pieces, as shown in Figure 1 below.
The spine for these types of books should always be at least 1 1/4", for this book the spine is 1 5/8", the hinge is 1/8", and the flap is 7 1/4". The hinge is necessary so that the book will open and allow easy access to the interior pages.Using your ruler and pencil draw lines on your front cover to make (A) the spine, (B) the hinge, and (C) the flap. Use an exacto-knife knife and your ruler to cut the front cover into the three pieces, being careful to cut precisely since all pieces will be used and edges can be seen in finished book. After you have cut the front cover into the three pieces, make sure you keep all the pieces together.
Lay out the decorative paper you are have selected, and lay out the three pieces of the front cover. Cut your decorative paper so there is approximately 1" of overhang on all sides of the cover (roughly 11" by 8"), illustrated in Figures 2-3 below.
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| Figure 2 (not drawn to scale) | Figure 3 (not drawn to scale) |
Spread a thin even coat of glue on the wrong side of the paper, and then lay the back and front cover pieces down (making sure all three front pieces are snug together). After a few seconds pull the 'hinge' out of the front cover making sure not to let the other two pieces move at all, Figure 4.
Figure 4 (not drawn to scale)
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Fold in each corner, forming a perfect
or nearly perfect little square on each corner. Make sure that the
paper's edge is tight against the board's corner, but not tight enough
to tear. (Figure 5)
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| Figure 5 (not drawn to scale) |
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Apply more paste to each of these new corners, and now fold in one of the short sides. Be careful to pull the paper tightly, forming a sharp, clean edge but don't pull so tightly that you tear or distort the paper. (Figure 6) |
| Figure 6 (not drawn to scale) |
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Repeat firmly folding in each side until all sides are glued down. (Figure 7) |
| Figure 7 (not drawn to scale) | |
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Now cut a piece of the decorative paper to cover the inside of the front cover and glue this down finishing the cover. (Figure 8) |
| Figure 8 (not drawn to scale) |
After you have cut the pages, rice paper or vellum, chipboard and finished covering/preparing the covers you are ready to put your book together!
Introduction Project Materials Preparation Putting it Together Glossary Knowledge Review Sources and Resources Idea Gallery
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