The process of gilding is described in books on binding. It costs usually about two cents a line.
Black ink is very good for lettering on some kinds of cloth, particularly on light-colored duck, canvas, buckram, whether cotton or linen, and art vellum. The ink used should be “bookbinder’s title ink,” made for the purpose. The letters should be large and heavy-faced and not set very closely together. The method of applying the ink is to pour some of it on a piece of marble and then to apply to the type with a rubber pad. As the type is cold, considerable pressure is necessary to make the ink take well. Black lettering costs about the same as gilding, say, two cents per line.
Letters in gold are sometimes applied to books bound in cloth by printing them on a very thin piece of leather and then gluing the latter to the back. This method is also occasionally used on books in leather. These leather labels can be stamped by machinery in quantities, as is done for large editions by commercial binders, though this is not practicable for the ordinary library binder. They usually look very well when first applied; but it is not very easy to make them hold permanently.
The better method in almost all cases is to letter directly on the book, no matter what material it is bound in.
The binder should use brass type letters in most cases; they wear well and give a clear impression. Ordinary printer’s type will do excellent work for a time. Brass type costs from 10 to 20 cents per letter, common type from one to five dollars per font, according to size and number of types. The best style for ordinary use is condensed gothic. A heavy-faced Roman, like Jensen, is sometimes good, and on larger books looks very well in capitals and small letters. Use as large letters as the back of the book will permit. Reduce the number of words in all titles to the lowest possible number.
Samples of type well adapted to lettering in gold on the backs of books:
Sample 1—Gothic condensed, 18 point.
CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Free for the people
Sample 2—Schoeffer, 18 point.
CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Free for the people
Sample 3—Lining condensed title, 12 point.
CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Free for the people
Titles can be printed on paper also and the paper then pasted or glued on. This plan is not at all satisfactory for books which are to have much use, as the paper soon gets soiled and is very apt to peel off.
Many libraries have bound books in light-colored cloth, usually art vellum, and then lettered them by hand with india-ink. The result is not very satisfactory. The time taken in lettering them neatly is considerable; the letters soon get soiled and illegible, and even if very well done they look cheap and homemade. At the ordinary cost of gilding, about two cents per line, hand lettering is almost as expensive as gilding if the cost of the time spent on it is fairly estimated. Then, to make them legible, the cloth chosen must be so light in color that it soon shows the results of handling and becomes dingy and disreputable. A dark cloth of the best quality and gold letters pay best.