Luminaire cloth is now available for comic book binds! Click here for more Information.

Graphic Covers:

We have worked to continually improve our printing and laminating capacity to provide our customers with excellent graphic cover quality, and we can print color impressions large enough to cover the front cover, spine, and back cover.  If you design a graphic cover, you can send it in pdf format, either on a CD or flash drive, or by ftp upload.  Click here to view a template for designing your own graphic covers.  More tips can be found here.

 

 

   

Cloth Covers:

We have 15 colors of buckram cloth available standard for you to choose from.  Other cloth materials such as imitation leather, bonded leather, and vellum are available upon request.  We have System 2 and System 3 stamping capabilities, and can work with most dies.  If you have volumes in your collection you would like us to match, please send a sample in with your order. 

 

       

Die Stamps:

We have a library of logo dies on hand to use in making your collection stand out.  Don’t see what you’re looking for? We can have new dies cast!  If you would like us to create a new die to use on your project, contact us for a quote.

 

 

 

Binding Methods:

Ultrabinding:

Ultrabinding is a state-of-the-art double fan adhesive binding (DFAB) method.  Ultrabinding meets LBI standards, is archivally sound, and stands up over time.  Books bound by this method have  excellent open-ability, as well as durability.  This method uses a non-acedic polyvinyl acetate adhesive. DFAB is the method of choice in the ANSI/NISO/Library Binding Institute Standard, and is our most-requested method for comic binding.

 

 

    

Oversewing:

Oversewing is an extremely durable, old-fashioned method of page attachment.  This method is still popular and is preferable for certain paper stocks.  Oversewing takes up more of the inner margin than Ultrabinding and Smythe sewing.

 

    

Smyth Sewing:

In Smyth sewing, threads are sewn through the folds of individual issues to attach them all together.  This method has no impact on the inner margin of the individual issues, and lays flat when opened. Please note that Smyth sewing can only be done if every individual issue is folded, and no pages have been removed.  If any of the issues are "flat back," (such as a Trade Paperback), another method will need to be used.

 

    

 

 

Compliments:

"Tom: You guys are very impressive! I've noticed little improvements with each set of books you've done for me...now this last one was fantastic.  Marked improvement in cover image placement, spine solidity, and cropping.  I had some very uneven and some very large sets this time and they were handled wonderfully. Whoever is in charge of setting the books made some great choices and some skilled aligning. They all look fantastic but I'm most impressed with how you folks handled the odd cases. Great job and thanks very much. I've 60 books through you now and they will keep coming!"  -Toby Mays

 

"I've received nothing but outstanding service and high quality finished products since I started using your services... I've got at least another years worth of materials to be binding and know I have the right place to send my orders.  You might be surprised how much of a relief that is."  -Randy D.

 

"I was wary of potentially damaging or losing my comic collection.  However, Houchen was excellent at answering my questions and emails.  They took the time to explain the process to me and what to expect as a finished product.  Any requests I made were respected and I was included in any decision made to the books.  The bound comics were finished within a month and they looked exactly as I hoped they would.  I would recommend this company to anyone." -Kevin Melody

 

"Just wanted you to know I got my product back today and it is AWESOME! Great job to you and you're company.  Look forward to continued business.  Thanks."

-Sam M.

 

"Angel, My book arrived today and I just wanted to say thank you.  These comics hold a great deal of importance for me and I was very apprehensive to send them off.  The book looks great, just like I imagined it.  Thank you very much." - Matt

 

"Hi Tom, I just want to thank you and everyone at the bindery for the excellent work done on my recent order.  Everything came back exactly as I hoped.  It was my first binds, and I was a little leary, but I couldn't be happier with the results.  I will certainly be doing business with you again very soon.  Thanks!"  -Brian

 

"Houchen Bindery did a superb job archiving my comic collection! Ultrabinding these valuable prestige editions under buckram covers ensures that the artwork will survive longer than I will. The personalized attention from the staff and precision preparation work resulted in a product superior to what I envisioned. Tom asked questions every step of the way to make certain I got the finished books that met my specific needs. I was amazed that such a comparatively small project received such care and craftsmanship, a mark of real professionalism. But the cost was far below what I would have expected for such a custom job."
-Dr. Adam Moles

 

Return Shipping:

UPS is the default carrier for Houchen Bindery LTD.  But no matter the carrier (UPS, USPS, FedEx, SpeeDee), we are very concerned about security, and that every order should arrive in good condition.  Shipping materials always involves some risk, and the owners of the materials assume that risk.

 

UPS protects every shipment against loss or damage up to $100. However, many materials sent for binding are worth considerably more than that. Like our customers, we do not wish to pay extra for transportation and handling, so we do not increase the coverage over the $100 UPS limit per box coverage due to cost.  Upon request, we can increase this insurance amount for your order, and add the additional expense to your invoice. 

 

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For more information, please contact Tom Salistean at tsalistean@houchenbindery.com; or call toll free 1-800-869-0420.