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Warning: my old boss said to press signatures with a bone folder and never a roller, and I ignored him
Back in 2019 I was binding a run of 12 journals for a craft fair in Boise, and my boss at the print shop said to press each signature by hand with a bone folder, no shortcuts. I figured a cold roller would save me about 40 minutes, so I ran all 12 through and felt pretty smart about it. Two days later the grain on 9 of them had cracked along the fold and the pages were already pulling loose. I re-sewed all 9 by hand in one night with a bag of pretzels and a lot of grumbling. He was right, the folder presses the fold without crushing the paper fibers, and the roller just smashes them flat. Now I keep his folder on the bench like a tiny grudge trophy. Has anyone found a faster way to press signatures that does not wreck the fold?
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quinn_foster11h ago
Ouch, that stings just reading it. Nine out of twelve cracking after you thought you'd saved time is the worst kind of lesson, and re-sewing all night with pretzels as your only support sounds rough. Your old boss knew what he was talking about, and keeping the folder on the bench like a grudge trophy is honestly a great touch. Sorry the shortcut bit you like that, but at least the story is a good one now.
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