Is gluing the spine enough or do you still need to sew?

I skipped sewing on a text block last week and just used PVA glue on the spine like I saw in a YouTube video. The book opened flat and seemed fine, but now I'm worried it'll fall apart in a year. Has anyone else tried this and had it last long term?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_fisher10d ago

Honestly, PVA glue alone probably won't hold up for much longer than a year even on thin books. Jamesc79's experience is pretty common where the glue line just cracks from all the page flexing. Sewing adds that needed flexibility so the spine can move without breaking apart.

luna26110d ago

Read in a bookbinding forum that glue-only spines can crack over time, especially with thicker books.

jamesc7910d ago

Yeah luna261 is right about that cracking problem. I tried the same thing on a notebook I made a couple years back. It was a thin book, about 80 pages, and it held up fine for maybe six months. Then the spine started cracking right along the glue line where the pages flex. Ended up having to rip the whole thing apart and redo it with stitching. My advice is sew it. It takes a little longer but you won't be kicking yourself later. Even with PVA you really need the stitches to hold everything together over time.