lthough most private press books are conventionally bound, on the whole their bindings feature a wider range of styles and materials than those available to commercial publishers. As edition sizes tend to be small, hand binding may be possible, making use of good-quality materials such as handmade paper, traditionally-tanned leathers and marbled or patterned papers. Private presses often take the opportunity to issue an edition in two or more different styles of binding, sometimes combined with varying qualities of paper for the text. The design of bindings is normally the work of private printers or the artists who have illustrated the book, but their execution is often entrusted to commercial firms. While most bindings complement the printed matter, there are extreme cases in which the binding constitutes a physical barrier between reader and text.
lthough most private press books are conventionally bound, on the whole their bindings feature a wider range of styles and materials than those available to commercial publishers. As edition sizes tend to be small, hand binding may be possible, making use of good-quality materials such as handmade paper, traditionally-tanned leathers and marbled or patterned papers. Private presses often take the opportunity to issue an edition in two or more different styles of binding, sometimes combined with varying qualities of paper for the text. The design of bindings is normally the work of private printers or the artists who have illustrated the book, but their execution is often entrusted to commercial firms. While most bindings complement the printed matter, there are extreme cases in which the binding constitutes a physical barrier between reader and text.
