Services & prices
Every job is quoted after we have seen the book. The figures below are starting points, not a menu: a small repair may cost less, and an unusual binding will cost more.
New bindings
from $480
A new binding for a text block you already have, or for a set of loose sections. Sewn on linen tapes, rounded and backed, with headbands worked by hand.
- Cloth binding — from $480
- Quarter leather — from $560
- Full goatskin or calf — from $780
- Title in gold or blind, up to two lines
Restoration
from $160
Cleaning, re-sewing, re-backing and paper repairs. We work as reversibly as the book allows, and give you a written note of everything that was done.
- Written condition report before work
- Re-sew and re-back, original boards kept where possible
- Japanese tissue and wheat starch paste
- New spine lining and cloth or leather reback
Boxes & slipcases
from $120
Measured to the millimetre, covered in cloth or paper, and lined with felt or foam. The right box is often the cheapest way to keep a book out of trouble.
- Slipcase — from $120
- Clamshell box — from $190
- Portfolio — from $140
- Blind or gold lettering on the spine
Edition work
from $95 a copy
Short runs for presses, artists and institutions. Materials stay consistent across the run, and a sample copy is approved before the rest are bound.
- Minimum 25 copies
- Sample copy bound first
- Cloth or paper covers, sewn or adhesive
- Slipcases for the run on request
Workshops
$145 a day
A day at the bench, with a maximum of four people. You will fold, sew and case in a small book of your own, from the first section to the finished cover.
- All materials and tools provided
- No experience needed
- Saturdays, 10 until 4
- Gift vouchers available
How long things take
These are honest averages for a single commission. Edition work and large repairs are scheduled separately, and we will always give you a date in writing.
- New binding 6–10 weeks
- Restoration 2–6 weeks
- Boxes and slipcases 2–3 weeks
- Edition work 8–14 weeks
- Workshops First Saturday monthly
What we don’t do
We do not rebind perfect-bound paperbacks, repair e-readers, re-colour leather, or cover up original material with new. If a repair would do more harm than good, we will tell you before we start — and suggest someone who can help if it is not our work.
What happens after you get in touch
Estimate
Send photographs and measurements, or bring the book in. You get a written estimate and a date.
Approval
Nothing starts until you say yes. A deposit of a third reserves the slot in the schedule.
Work
We keep you posted at the halfway point, particularly if the book turns out to need more than expected.
Collection
Collect from the bindery, or we pack and ship insured. Care notes come with every book.
Tell us about the book
A few photographs, the size, and what you would like it to be. We will reply with an estimate and the next free slot.