My mentor pointed out my headbands were too tight and it made a huge difference
I was binding a small poetry book for a gift and my teacher, who's been doing this for 40 years, gently said 'you're choking the spine, let it breathe a little.' I started leaving just a 2mm gap when I tie up the book and the opening is so much smoother now. Has anyone else had a simple piece of advice completely change a basic step for them?
Jennifer's totally right about the spine fighting you. But what about the paper itself? Cheap paper swells up more with glue and moisture, so that tight fit today becomes a cracked mess in six months. Ever notice how some books just fall apart faster? That's often why. Maybe the real fix is using better paper from the start, not just more space.