Techniques / Binding
Custom Binding
When a standard binding isn't what you require, the binding can become a design element. We are pleased to offer many binding options: wire-o and spiral coils, screw posts, exposed and coptic sewing, elastic closures, and one-off structures engineered for your custom project.
Wire-o and spiral lie dead flat and fold back on themselves: the working-document bindings can be elevated with colored coils and heavy covers. Screw posts make swatch books and portfolios that can be re-opened and updated. Exposed sewing shows the craft on the spine. And when a client needs a binding that doesn't have a name yet, we prototype.
Every custom bind pairs with the rest of the shop, foil covers, die-cut pages, specialty stocks. Start with what the object needs to do; we'll find the spine for it.
The menu, so far
- Wire-o & spiral: lies dead flat and folds back on itself; colored coils turn hardware into design.
- Screw posts: Openable and updatable: the swatch-book and portfolio binding.
- Exposed & coptic sewing: thread on display, the craft as the cover story.
- Grommets, rings & elastic: menus, field guides, and pieces built to survive handling.
Prototype first
Custom bindings are prototyped before they are produced en masse. A mock-up is made in the actual stock, so the weight, opening mechanism, and paper are able to be proofed prior to the final run.
Custom binding samples
FAQ
Can you invent a binding that doesn't exist?
That's this page's whole job. Bring the behavior you need (lies flat, updates, hangs on a wall, survives a kitchen) and we'll engineer a spine for it, prototype included.
Which bindings lie completely flat?
Wire-o, spiral, and ring bindings fold dead flat and back on themselves. Sewn structures relax flat: perfect binding doesn't.
Can pages be swapped later?
Screw posts and rings are made for it. Portfolios and swatch books that update instead of reprinting.
Is there a minimum run?
No hard minimum; one-off dummies and short editions are normal here.