Hit 50 book rebinds last weekend and honestly I think that's way too many for anyone to claim they're doing quality work

I kept seeing people bragging about cranking out 30 or 40 books a month online but when I finally hit 50 myself I realized half of them had spine cracking issues and loose endpapers that I would never put my name on if I was being honest, has anyone else noticed the numbers people post don't match the condition of their final product?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix_adams602mo ago

Wait isn't it possible that those numbers reflect speed and confidence in a refined process rather than cutting corners? I've seen binders who do 40 books a month and their work looks better than some people who take weeks on a single book because they've got their workflow down to a science and they know exactly where to push and where to hold back. Maybe the issue is more about skill level than volume, like some folks just naturally work faster without sacrificing quality because they've been doing this for years and have muscle memory for every step. Not everyone is claiming perfection either, a lot of people are just proud they finished a big batch even if some books need touch ups later. I feel like we're too quick to assume high numbers equals bad work when really it could mean someone has dialed in their technique and tools to move faster.

kelly96829d ago

@cameron_webb your point about timing yourself is smart, I started doing that with my own bindings after watching a friend crank out 20 books in a weekend and realizing she wasn't even tired by the end. She told me it's like learning to drive stick shift, at first you're jerky and slow but eventually your hands just know what to do without thinking about it. That same friend does batches of 30 books regularly and her corners are sharper than mine on a good day, so volume definitely doesn't mean bad work in her case.

cameron_webb2mo ago

Yeah you hit on something with the "muscle memory" part. I used to think I was just slow at binding but then I started timing myself on each step and realized I was wasting a ton of time second-guessing decisions. Once I got a system down for measuring and cutting, I cut my time in half without messing up the end result. I had a batch of 15 books I did last month and the first one took me like an hour and a half but by the last one I was down to 45 minutes because I knew exactly where to put the glue and how much pressure to use on the spine. Speed comes from doing the same moves over and over until they feel automatic, not from rushing through the steps.