When it comes to bookbinding and rebinding there are certain materials that binders like me recommend above others, this is a list of those materials, ones I personally use, and ones I know are avaliable internationally that are of brilliant quality. 

Bookcloth | Buckram

When it comes to bookcloth there are many different types of bookcloth, most of them you will find are called buckram as the technical and librarian term. 

Cloth Buckram

Traditional or Classic Buckram 

Silk Bookcloth/buckram

Linen Bookcloth/Buckram

To name a few.

What suppliers do I recommend? These are both Australian small businesses and can ship internationally if you contact them)

Melbourne Etching Supplies - M.E.S has amazing coated and uncoated Linen Bookcloths and I've used them alot in recent projects. They have so many colours and stock continuously.

Traditional Bookbinding -  TBB has Silk, Library Buckram, Linen, Cloth feel and many more types of bookcloth in their stock. They continuously get in more stock and have a range of colours and textures to explore.

TBB also offers a bookcloth sample pack to help you see the colours in person and feel the textures. 

Glues

For bookbinding, binders and archivists typically always use PH neutral PVA glue. 

Why though? This type of glue prevents yellowing, sun damage, is non toxic, non acidic and wont damage the paper in time.

My Glue - Traditional Bookbinding Glue

Amazon alternative - Amazon 

Endpapers

This is where you can be creative. The rule I personally follow is anything about 170GSM is going to be a good and sturdy endpaper for your book. You can use a normal colour card, a scrap book paper or a fancy Italian decor paper like the one in the picture above. If you are going to print your own, then I suggest picking a matte 220GSM photo paper so your image doesn't fade or the ink doesn't leak through or damage the rest of the book. 

Foiling | Vinyls

CRICUT! - I really only use cricut foils because they are just so ✨shiny✨ and thats what I want, there are other brands and personally I think they are fine especially if your store doesn't stock alot of products or if you are on a budget but I sometimes find the adhesive layer to take a while to adhere and I need to step away from the book before I peek back the film. So keep that in mind if you are using a non cricut foil HTV.

Other Materials & Tools

Bone folder - To get them crispy 🫦 folds and edges you may want a high quality bone folder, do your research, get a good one. This is my one that I personally have had since I started and it hans't needed replacement yet. 

Hinge Ruler - To make sure you book stands up straight you need even hinges between your spine and your front and back cover, I sell my own hinge rulers here on my website, I personally use the 1cm one. Or the 8mm one for smaller books. 

Corner cutter - You can read my previous blog/tutorial about the corner cutter for more info on how to use them, or you can purchase one here

Ruler - I recommend using a metal ruler when measuring and cutting all your materials, using a wooden or plastic ruler can lead to you cutting into the ruler or to safety issues. 

Book Board - You can find book board under different names, some people call it 'chip board' I use a 2.4mm thick book board from TBB. But you can find many different thicknesses and kinds of board across the internet and in certain craft and office supply stores. 

Leave a comment if you want more material suggestions added to the list 🥰

Happy Binding!