For the past two weeks it feels like every Facebook rant and every school-yard conversation has been on the topic of school books. More specifically, about covering school books in that dreaded sticky stuff called Contact.
Most people hate covering books. I'm not sure whether it's the man-hours involved (sorry - mother hours) or whether it's the sheer frustration of dealing with those large sheets of the sticky plastic stuff you buy from the newsagent that seems to have a mind of its own.
Last year I approached my debut as a school mum with gusto, but even with the best of intentions, my book-covering weekend ended in tears and tantrums.
This year, when it came time to consider which kind of book covering to use, my newsagent gave me two options - clear Contact, or a very limited range of very ugly, very (I can't even think of another word) STUFF.
And so I took matters into my hands.
Searching the internet I came across The Book Cover Co., who are based in Vermont, Victoria. They manufacture a range of book covering supplies that are targeted at libraries and other professionals. Beauty!
And so, I emailed. Tom, the boss-man, was prompt in his reply (by the way, this bloke SEWS. Yep, he can drive a sewing machine!). He recommended the best product for the task at hand. And two days later I had, at my door, a 20m roll of his clear, matt, REPOSITIONABLE adhesive film. It cost me $53.
And this is what I did with it:
YOUR SUPPLIES LIST
- Clear book covering adhesive (I recommend Plascote from The Book Cover Co.)
- Brown paper
- Spray adhesive
- Decorative paper (I printed mine from Mr Printables)
- Cutting mat
- Rotary cutter or art knife
- Scissors
- Ruler
- School book labels
Start by covering your book in brown paper. Spray the outside of your book (one side at a time) with adhesive. This stuff does tend to overspray, so lay down a drop-sheet of some sort that is separate from your book covering work area, otherwise you'll end up in a sticky mess.
Smooth out any bubbles and then trim around the book to get a nice, neat finish. (Thanks to Alice for this photo - it's very hard to photograph this stuff while you're actually doing it!)
Now for the fun part! Using your coloured paper (or wrapping paper, fabric, paper doilies, washi tape or anything really), decorate the front of your book. I used the spray adhesive once again. But take care - too much spray and it will soak through and show on the front of your paper!
Remember to add your book label (I printed ours on some full-page labels and then cut them down to size), and then it's time to get sticky!
Measure out your clear adhesive and cut it to size. You don't need to leave much more than 2-3cm around each edge. Then, carefully peel back the paper backing, make sure the film is laying flat on your work surface, and position your book towards one end. Do this with your book CLOSED. You then need to trim the corners, to give you a neat finish.
I like to fold in the end pieces first. Then I use my scissors to put a slit in the film at the top and bottom spine.
If you're using Contact brand adhesive, by now you're probably cursing. But I found the Plascote matt 80 micron product to be stress-free. I did not get a single bubble! And don't they look great?
I've been chatting to Tom, from The Book Cover Co., and he's keen to solve all of your school book covering woes! So send him an email at tom@bookcoverco.com.au and tell him Little Toot sent you. He'll fix you up (and I hear there's a discount!). Plus, he also sells tape, cutting mats and loads of other handy bits and pieces.
DISCLAIMER: This process worked for me, using the products mentioned. No responsibility is taken for tantrums thrown as a result of using that 'other' brand of book covering.
No comments:
Post a Comment