Size Consideration, Binding & Stock

Due to its handbook nature, the publication needs to be easy to hold and transportable (fit in a bag/pocket). To inform the size of the handbook, I have taken the measurements of various sizes of books that were researched and analysed. 

The Skinny: 21cm x 15cm

The Independent: 29.8cm x 21cm 


1. This first experiment was produced using A4 sized paper which was then folded in half making each page A5. This is an easy to hold size as well as being easy to transport. One of the binding methods that was outlined from the research was perfect binding. To experiment with whether this would work for the handout I experimented with this method, making an estimate with the number of pages that the handout will include from the content that will be in the publication. The stock used in this experiment was a matte/gloss double sided paper. This paper will give an indication of the varnish that is most appropriate to the content as well as giving an idea of whether the gsm of the stock is appropriate or not. For each experiment a different paper size was used. 

2. The second experiment was produced using A3 sized stock which was then pamphlet folded making each individual page A4. Although this size allows for a larger area to display the photographic content, it is not an accessible size due to it being a harder booklet to handle. Th pagers are binded using a low production cost method; the saddle stitch. This requires two staples placed on the spine of the pamphlet fold. This is a quick and simple process to complete and can be done on a large scale in a much more efficient time than perfect binding. The gsm of the stock is also not an issue with this type of binding.