28
Talked to an old bookbinder at the flea market who said I was pressing my books too hard
He showed me his own press marks from the 80s and said a lighter touch gives the spine room to breathe, and now I'm wondering if I've been squishing all my work for the past 5 years.
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
taylor_miller108d ago
Man, is it really that deep? Books have been getting pressed for centuries and most of them turn out fine. Unless you're crushing the spine into dust, a little pressure probably isn't ruining your work.
5
john6508d ago
@taylor_miller10 you're right that books have been pressed for ages, but the old guy's point about "room to breathe" actually makes sense from a materials standpoint. The issue isn't the pressing itself, it's the consistency of the pressure over time (like how different leathers need different tensions). A little squish won't kill a book, but if you're cranking down the same way every time, the spine paper can get permanent tiny wrinkles that show up years later. I tried pressing lighter on my last batch and the endpapers sat flatter, so maybe he was onto something.
3