Why Lay Flat Binding?

If you aim to give your customers the best possible user experience, Lay-Flat binding is by far the best option.

What is Lay-Flat binding?

Lay-Flat binding is an alternative to perfect binding.

It has three clear advantages over perfect binding:

1. Lay-Flat books open completely flat across the center fold. This means that images can be run across both halves of the spread, interrupted by only a subtle fold line down the middle. This gives some exciting design options, including landscape formats that open to display panoramas.

2. The pages are double thickness, creating a premium product.

3. Lay-Flat books are much easier to use – they lay flat on each page rather than trying to spring back closed as perfect bound books have a tendency to do.

The images below show the difference. The top one is perfect bound, the bottom one is Lay-Flat. See how it opens completely flat.

How does it work?

It starts with single-sided printed pages that are folded in half with the print inside. Then one blank side is glued to the opposing blank side of the next spread in the sequence. And so on until all the spreads are attached to form a block.

Until now, producers have been reluctant to recommend Lay-Flat binding as a finishing option because it is a slower process than standard perfect binding. They've also been wary of the additional complications of gluing pages together throughout a book. And of course, you also need to invest in specialist equipment.

Automatic Lay Flat Binding Machine (chinaprintech.com)

Digital Photo Book Making Machine (chinaprintech.com)

How can you make it accessible?

By having plenty of capacity, using professional children's board book making solutions, such as mounting and pasting production line, board book casing in machine, etc., and by getting very good at it. You will get the perfect board books.

Now, more and more book printing and binding companies are choosing the board book as their new blue sea, seizing new business opportunities, and embracing the valuable children's board book market.