Fastback Perfectback Pressure Sensitive Strips

These are Perfectback Pressure Sensitive 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 a small paper strip. Peel this off to reveal the adhesive. With the book pushed against the edge and aligned in the corner, stick the cover down on the adhesive.

Next flip the book around, peel off the larger tacking sheet to reveal the rest of the adhesive. Push the book against the edge, then 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 need trimming. So plan accordingly.

What you have is a great looking finished product. I’ll also note that the cover can be peeled off easier using the pressure sensitive approach compared to the thermal activated. Here is a close look at the binding edge. The binding strip does cling on to the first 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 the pressure sensitive 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.