Our Projects
Square-Spine Hardcover
The ‘book’ par excellence. Hardcover books represent the noblest part of bookbinding, with a stiff cover that gives the volume substance and elegance, as well as highlighting the charm of important items.
Round-Spine Hardcover
Volumes bound with a round spine are more prestigious with their curves, an element that further enhances the graphical work. Both the spine and fore edge of the block are rounded in the casing phase using dedicated moulds that perfectly shape the entire volume.
Swiss Cover
The unique aspect of this binding is that the book block is glued to the inside of the cover. The block, whose spine is previously pasted or perfect bound, is glued on only one rather than both endpapers, thus letting the book open like a wallet. The resulting product leaves the front cover and spine free. The final result means the book opens flat on a surface. The stitching of the spine may also be visible in some projects.
Soft Hardcovers
This type of binding is marked by a ‘lightweight’ cover, which lacks a binder’s board core, since it is made of soft materials or thick paper. It is frequently used for pocket-sized planners or haute couture catalogues.
Bodoni Binding
This type of binding features a fabric spine and cover made of two binder’s boards cut raw or covered, which are then glued and partially overlap the fabric, in some cases with a visible spine.
Perfect Binding
This type of binding is used for more inexpensive books and booklets that are expected not to last as long as hardcover editions. With perfect binding, a paper or paperboard cover is attached to the spine of the pages or signatures of the book block using various types of glue.
180° Binding
This technique has the unique feature that the pages in the book block open flat, given the use of a vinyl glue on the spine. A 180° angle is created, eliminating stress on the spine and allowing photos to continue seamlessly across the pages.
Daisybind
This method, developed by Gruppo Padovana, features 180° binding, guaranteeing pages that can be opened and read perfectly, as well as being easy to tear out, without leaving bits of torn paper or disfiguring the spine. The block is joined to the cover exclusively with two thick endpapers.
Flexicover™
In books bound with the FlexicoverTM method, the cover is glued to the case cover, which is joined to the front and back endpapers like a hardcover book. This method creates a stronger cover than in normal perfect binding, without the use of rigid binder’s board, while keeping the spine free and avoiding creases. The finished book is then trimmed flush with the cover on all three sides.
Otabind
This differs from simple perfect binding due to the method used to join the cover to the book block. In this case, the cover is only glued to the sides and the spine remains free, thus preventing it from breaking after the book has been opened several times.
Japanese Binding
This style of binding hails from the land of the rising sun, that is, Japan. With this method, the quartos are glued on the open edge and the folded part constitutes the fore edge. This solution is often adopted to increase the bulk of the book when it contains few pages.
Visible Spine
Compared to many binding methods, this one does not hide the twist stitching on the spine with a cover, so the signatures and thread remain visible.
Dutch Binding
In questo caso si tratta di blocchi incassati, come nei volumi di pregio, ma con copertine morbide, creando così il giusto compromesso tra un cartonato e una brossura, risultando più flessibile ed economico. Ampiamente utilizzato in libri come guide di viaggio o libri di cucina, può essere adottato anche per cataloghi di lusso se realizzato in tela accoppiata con il cartonato.
Half Binding
This particular production technique involves the use of two different materials for the cover — one for the spine and one for the boards — hence the name ‘half binding’.
In some cases, the two materials may overlap the cover perpendicular to the spine, creating a unique volume with the fabric visible horizontally.
Singer Sewn Binding
This type of binding bears the name of the historical producer of sewing machines. More specifically, the sheets are held in place by sewing them with a sewing machine. The pages may be stitched either on the folds of the spine or on one of the flat edges.
Spiral Binding
Used above all for calendars, spiral binding (metal Wire-O rather than plastic) is very effective for all products that require mobile sheets used at 360° (for example, planners, cookbooks, maps, price lists, etc.). The various sheets in the product may be made of different types of material (paper, plastic, etc.). These are punched on one end and then joined using binding wire, which comes in various diameters and colours.
Saddle Stitch Binding
This is the simplest and most inexpensive type of binding. It consists in overlapping the pages of a brochure in logical order and then applying metal staples to the spine. Inexpensive magazines and booklets are made using this method.
Indexing
Indexing, which may be applied to all bound products (booklets, perfect binding, spiral binding, hardcover books), is widely used to categorize various sections in a book block. With this method, a cut is made on the fore edge of the pages, allowing the various sections of the book to be accessed quickly, facilitating its use andreading. We use several automatic and semi-automatic machines to apply this production technique in various forms, from step indexes at various angles to thumb indexes.
Other Production Techniques
With the experience we have gained over time and the knowledge of our collaborators, Gruppo Padovana goes beyond common binding techniques to produce something unique, supported by careful design.
We are therefore very happy to study and examine projects developed with you to create unique, refined products.
