Which enclosure to make
Card slipcase. One piece of thin card, folded round the book with the spine left showing. Quick, light protection for paperbacks and small hardbacks.
Clamshell box. A drop-spine box that closes all round the book. Libraries make the one-piece e-flute version for worn and fragile books; the Library Company's corrugated version suits large, heavy books and has no flaps or ties.
Board slipcase. Five pieces of 2 mm board glued into an open-ended box and covered in cloth or paper. Sturdier, and the usual choice for a fine binding.
How to measure a book
- Height: head to tail across the covers, at the tallest point.
- Width: from the spine's shoulder to the fore edge, including the covers.
- Thickness: across the book near the spine. Calipers or a strip of paper you mark and then measure both work.
- Old books are rarely square. Measure two or three times along each side and use the largest.
- A chemise, a clasp or packing inside the case all count in the thickness.
Using the template
Tape the sheets together by their letters, lay them on the card or board and cut through on the solid lines. Score the dashed lines through the paper with a bone folder, lift the template off and fold every dashed line up toward you, so the side you scored ends up inside the box. Every sheet has a check square: if it does not measure 1 in (or 25 mm), print again at 100%.
Example: a book 8 × 5 1/4 × 1 in makes a card slipcase from one piece 21 5/16 × 10 7/32 in: two 5 1/4 in sides, a 1 3/32 in closed edge that covers the fore edge, and two flaps 10 mm narrower than the sides.
Questions
What is the difference between a slipcase and a clamshell box?
A slipcase is open at one edge, so the spine shows and dust and light still reach it. A clamshell, or drop-spine box, closes all round and opens flat like a book, so it suits fragile and valuable books better.
How much bigger than the book should a slipcase be?
Very little. The Canberra card slipcase adds 2 mm to the thickness and 1 mm to the height. The Brighton board slipcase cuts its sides 2 mm wider and 6 mm taller than the book, from 2 mm board, and its walls 2 mm deeper than the book is thick.
What board do I use for a clamshell box?
Acid-free board. The CARLI method uses 1/16 in (1.6 mm) e-flute and every allowance is a multiple of that thickness. The Library Company method uses 3 mm corrugated board, with its allowances written in millimeters.
Why do the methods give different sizes?
They use different materials and joints. Each method's figures come from its own instructions, named under Board and allowances, and you can change any of them for a snugger or looser fit.
Sources: Canberra Craft Bookbinders' Guild, The Ten-Minute Slipcase; Morris Library, SIU Carbondale, Custom E-Flute Clamshell Box (CARLI); Andrea Krupp, The Library Company's Corrugated Clamshell Box; University of Brighton, Slipcase worksheet.