Fastback 11" Narrow Perfectback Lay Flat Strips - N1P1-LF

Welcome to MyBinding video and FastBack 20 Helps. Of the different kinds of books and binding styles the FastBack 20 could do. This video takes a look at the PERFECTBACK Strip family specifically the Lay Flat strip. It's the Lay Flat binding strip that allows you to make a book that you can open completely. Lay it flat on the table and the spine does not crease. It's the constriction of the strip itself with essentially two separate layers that allow this to happen. With adhesive at one side and the extra flap on the other. Once the book is bound, peel away strips allow you to attach it to a cover. The result is a great looking PerfectBack book that allows to be opened lay flat on the table without creasing the spine. Narrow, medium, or wide, you get them in 8

These are Perfectback Lay Flat Strips for the Fastback 20!

Before I jump into creating a book, these are materials you’ll need: Perfectback strips, a Fastback 20, a creaser, wrap around covers, and finally a stack cutter.

There are three types of Perfectback strips for the Fastback 20, each with their own appeals. I’ll talk about each briefly at the end of the video.

First I’ll be using the Fastback Scoring Machine—You can use any other creaser, but this scorer simplifies the process.

You’ll need your own covers, which you can print yourself, but if the print or the cover material is not temperature safe, you’ll run into a lot of issues. The easiest size to purchase that will work for this process is 12” x 18” paper—11” x 17” will be too small for standard paper.

To start, using the scoring machine measure out your document thickness. Simple enough. When done, take your pages and insert them into the Fastback 20 like normal and insert your perfectback strip.

Now take a cover that is folded in half and center it in the middle of the clear scorer. This will be different with other creasers.

With it aligned, move the entire edge guide until the edge of the page lines up with the X in the orange section. I don’t want to use this folded page, so now i’ll take a clean sheet, align the cover in the first and section position and score the cover.

You’ll see it creates four creases in the middle of your cover. Fold along the two center lines. With the pages bound together, it’s time to add the cover. Make sure the front of the cover matches up with the front of the pages.

I’ll be using the edge of the fastback scorer as a flat corner. On the the perfectback binding is two small paper tacking sheet strip. Peel the top one off to reveal the adhesive. With the book pushed against the edge, stick the cover down on the adhesive.

Next flip the book around, peel off the other tacking sheet to reveal the rest of the adhesive. Push the book against the edge, and close the other cover to finish it up.

Now we have a lot of extra cover space, so go to your stack cutter—which mine just happens to be an industrial one—and trim the book for some nice edges. Note that no perfectback book will ever be the exact size of the pages—because they will always need trimming. So plan accordingly.

What you have is a great looking finished product. Here is a close look at the binding edge. The binding strip does cling on to the first and last page, so it is recommended to use some sort of end leaf page on the front and back. I’ll also note that the cover can be peeled off easier using this adhesive approach compared to the thermal activated.

To compare, the lay flat strips use the same process as pressure sensitive, but is designed in a way to allow to pages to better lay flat. Temperature activated is the strongest bind, but it requires a second run through the fastback machine to bind the covers.