We are seeing more odd shaped books. Often odd shaped books are not much expensive than regular straight edged books. In the bindery process, most of the operations are common. With some exceptions (for mechanically bound books), the steps are
- Fold
- Collate
- Perfect bind and three-knife trim in one pass
- Cut off the spine
- Punch
- Bind
The only additional operation, at least in our bindery, is the “shaping” operation after punching called “high die-cutting” or PMC die-cutting. The additional cost for most “shaped” books is only a few percentage points above a regular book! Shaped books are perceived as being special, memorable and it is assumed that they are much more expensive than standard books.
