Just realized that my old mentor's way of folding signatures is still the best method...

I was folding some paper for a project today and it hit me. Back when I learned, my mentor had this specific rhythm, like a dance almost. He would crease each fold with his bone folder in one smooth motion. Now I see people just slapping pages together, with machines or in a hurry. It feels wrong, you know? That careful touch is what gives a book its soul. I tried the fast way once and the pages never sat right. There is a reason the old methods lasted so long.

3 comments

3 Comments

wadeyoung23d ago

You're totally right about that careful touch making a difference. @the_anthony, it really is a lost art for most people, but those who do it know. I read something by a bookbinder who said a machine fold fights the paper's grain, but a hand fold with a bone folder works with it. That's probably why your pages never sat right with the fast method. That kind of focused work is what makes an object feel solid and right.

the_anthony23d ago

Wait what, they used a bone folder for that? Honestly I had no idea people still did that by hand. Tbh I thought all that kind of stuff was done by machine now. It's crazy to think about putting that much care into every single fold. I only ever see those tools in like, one fancy craft store. It really is a lost art.

river1838d ago

That grain thing Wade mentioned is huge. Makes me wonder if that's why cheap notebooks always feel stiff and fight you when you try to lay them flat. Do you think that physical resistance is our brain picking up on something made wrong?