Bible Paper
A strong, opaque paper used in many low- to medium-priced Bibles.India Paper
Thinner, lighter weight and made of higher quality than Bible paper. Strong and durable.Indopake
A high-quality paper with improved brightness and higher strength for durability. Chemically treated to prevent yellowing of pages.
Binding Materials
Balacron
Imitation leather.Berkshire Leather
High-quality pigskin, with a smooth, even grain, specially tanned to enhance its appearance and durability.Bonded Leather or Genuine Bonded Leather
High-quality material of genuine leather fibers bonded with latex.Buckram
A rich, natural cloth, often hand-detailed.Buffalo Leather
Tanned leather from domesticated land and water buffalo of the Far East. Highly durable and very handsome.Calfskin
Very supple, luxurious leather made from the skin of young cattle. Characterized by distinctive grain and fiber structure.Cloth
Standard binding material. Cotton fabric often coated with protective plastic. Varnish is applied to hard boards, producing a stiff, durable cover.Cordoban
A high-quality, extremely durable reconstituted material made from 100 percent leather.Cowhide
A very strong, soft, long-wearing leather made from the hide of a cow. Very popular.Flexicover
A tough film-laminated paperback with extended cover. Attractive and durable.French Morocco
A medium-quality leather made from sheepskin. Soft, flexible and attractive, it needs special care to prevent cracking and drying. Can be embossed in various grains.Genuine Leather
Natural leather cut from cowhide or pigskin, especially selected and tanned for bookbinding.Genuine Morocco or Morocco
Comes from the skins of Indian goats. Thicker, less apt to dry and longer wearing than sheepskin (French Morocco). One of the most luxurious and durable of all book leathers.Hyflex
A latex impregnated paper binding material that is more durable than ordinary paper binding.Imitation Leather
A cloth or paper-based material that has been chemically impregnated and grained to look like genuine leather. An economical alternative for the customer who wants the look, but not the price, of leather.Kivar
A durable plastic-coated latex binding material.Leather-Grain Vinyl
A durable synthetic material that is pleasing to the hand. Grained to closely resemble leather.Leatherflex
A latex-impregnated fibrous base coated with tough plastic. Resembles leather but is washable and resists soiling, cracking, scuffing and scratching.Leathertex
Imitation leather.Legostre
A type of grain embossed on leather.Natural Morocco
Genuine Morocco with a natural grain worked up by hand. One of the very best of all Bible binding leathers.Skivertex
A durable latex-based imitation leather.Soft Cover
A flexible synthetic material that combines strength and durability.Split-Grain Cowhide
Leather from a lower level of the hide than top grain and of lesser quality.Top-Grain Cowhide
Leather from the top and outside of a hide.
Binding Terms
Antique Gold
A metallic finish that is applied to page edges by a spraying process called gilding.Board Cover
A binding with stiff covers made by mounting cloth, leather or other material over bookbinder’s board. (Hardcover)Button Flap
The back cover is elongated so that it wraps around the open end of the book. The elongated flap is secured to the front cover by a snap button.Die Cut
A cover style that extends beyond the page edges and is not turned; a cover that is characterized by a cut-out section.Divinity Circuit
A flexible binding in which the cover edges meet when the book is closed. Originally designed to protect the page edges for clergy traveling on horseback.Edge-Lined
Lining that is fitted to the cover prior to the turning of the cover over the lining material. Primarily a hand binding technique used in producing the finest quality styles.Flush Cut
A cover style often used on inexpensive Bibles, with the covers not extending beyond the page edges.Gilding Gold
Gold or silver foil is bonded under heat to the page edges of the Bible after they have been carefully sanded and sized to create the smoothest possible surface.Gold Roll
A gold ornamental border stamped around the edges of the inside cover.Half-Circuit
A flexible binding in which the covers slightly overlap the page edges, but do not meet as in the divinity circuit binding.Hardcover
See Board Cover.Limp Binding
A flexible binding with covers projecting slightly beyond the edge of the pages: approximately 1/8 inch. This does not refer to the flexibility of the cover.Overlap Style
See Half-Circuit and Divinity Circuit.Padded cover
A binding that uses a board and foam to pad the front and back covers.Printed Casebound
A hardcover book in which the cover material is printed before being applied to the binder’s boards.Ribbon Marker
A ribbon bound into the top of the Bible spine and used as a bookmark. More expensive Bibles often include more than one ribbon.Semi-Overlapping
Overlapping cover that extends at least 3/16 inch beyond the page edges.Slide Tab
A tab on one side of the cover that is inserted for closure into a loop on the opposing side.Smyth Sewn
A binding procedure in which each signature (group of pages) is sewn through its center fold to the next signature as well as to the preceding signature. The result is great strength and durability.Snap-Flap Closure
See Button Flap.Stained Page Edging
Page edges tinted to match or contrast with the binding color.Thumb-Indexing
A method of identifying books of the Bible by attaching tabs to the edge of the pages. Most Bibles may be indexed unless they are so small that the margins will not allow room for placement of the labels. This process can be done either by cutting into the pages or self-attached to stick out from the pages.Turned-Edge
The edge of the cover material is turned to the inside and covered with the lining material.Whipstitching
Side sewing from the center of the first and last section of pages in a binding to give added strength to the parts of the Bible that endure the greatest stress.Zipper Closure
An overlapping binding with a zipper closure that covers completely. Not only protects the Bible, but provides safekeeping for notes.