I finally listened to the old guy at the bindery in Salem who said to press signatures overnight, not for an hour

Pat Hart · 2026-10-08T02:30:04.41263+00:00

I had been pressing my folded signatures for maybe 45 minutes under boards and calling it good for about two years. Then a retired binder named Ray at a supply swap in Salem watched me fold a quire and said to leave it under weight overnight, at least 10 hours, or the spine would fight me at sewing time. I figured he was just set in his ways, so I kept doing my quick press. Last month I sewed a 300 page text block and the center folios bulged so bad the fore edge looked wavy. I re-pressed one signature for 12 hours as a test and it sewed dead flat, night and day difference. So yeah, Ray was right and I wasted a lot of good paper arguing with a guy who has been doing this since 1978. How long do you all press your signatures, and does it change for thin paper?

🐿️Pinecone Attack

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I finally listened to the old guy at the bindery in Salem who said to press signatures overnight, not for an hour | Bookbinders - Pinecone Attack