May 2006 - Otabind: Behind the Bind

When the decision is made to use adhesive binding for a book project, perfect binding is typically considered. However, many printers and their customers are less familiar with another durable binding alternative: Otabind. This patented binding style offers the classic look of perfect binding, but with the added capability of allowing books to lay flat.

Otabind books differ from other adhesive-bound books in that the cover is attached to the first and last pages of the book block. This allows books to lay flat and minimizes stress on the spine for longer usage.

A Patented Process
The Otabind process was created and patented in Europe in the early 1980s. The original purpose of this binding style was to prevent the spines of children’s school books from cracking and breaking in the bitter European winters. Publishers quickly discovered that the layflat capabilities of Otabind had much broader potential.

Muscle Bound Bindery was one of the first two binderies in North America to license the process, which involves applying a cold-setting glue and crepe cloth to the spine to hold pages together. The cover is then attached to the first and last pages of the book block, rather than to the glued spine as it is in perfect binding. The result is a book with a free-floating cover and flexible spine, which allows it to lay flat and be opened fully without compromising spine strength.

Planning Tips
Knock out inks and coatings – Because the covers of Otabind books are adhered to the book block differently than they are with other adhesive binding methods, Otabind books require slightly different knockout margins. Inks and coatings should be stopped at least 7/16” short of the spine on the both the first and last pages of the book block. This will also need to be done on the inside covers if they contain inks and coatings.

Insist on cold-set adhesives – The patented Otabind process calls for cold-set glues to be applied to the spine of the text block. Many binderies substitute hot melt binding adhesives for this process, which can result in a tighter, less-flexible spine. Also, cold-set adhesives are less susceptible to cracking under extreme temperatures, an important consideration for some heavy-use applications.

The Muscle Bound Advantage
© 2010 Muscle Bound Bindery is one of the country’s foremost producers of Otabind books. We offer a wide variety of trim size and book thickness possibilities, and can dedicate two binding machines to the process to handle high-volume projects. Our range of binding solutions also includes high-quality perfect binding, case binding, library binding, folding, shrink wrapping, laminating and more. Give us a call today to begin planning your next successful project.