Softbound + Lays Flat?

[Scribble]

Most of the new softbound stuff announced for 4e so far indicates it will "lay flat."

So what do you all think?

Coil bound?

I'm at a loss as to how they could manage that with any other binding? (But I am very very very far from any type of expert on book binding.)

 

[Joshua Randall]

If it's thin enough, a stapled binding will work. Cf. the Dragonborn and Tieflings books. (They'll lay flat if you don't mind, er, bending the binding the wrong way a bit.)

However, I'd expect the rules compendium to be too fat for that to work. Hmm.

 

[Festivus]

Does perfect bound with signatures lay flat? I want to say my Red Hand of Doom lays pretty flat and I think that's how it's bound.

 

[occam]

Lay-flat soft binding has been around since the '90s. Here's one description:

Lay-Flat Adhesive Binding

And I believe this is the patent for it, which includes images in the PDF:

Lay-flat book binding - Patent 5456496

 

[shamsael]

Lay-flat soft binding has been around since the '90s. Here's one description:

Lay-Flat Adhesive Binding

And I believe this is the patent for it, which includes images in the PDF:

Lay-flat book binding - Patent 5456496

It's a specifc type of binding that isn't quite like perfect binding. I have a few of these types of books. A softcover omnibus edition of the Hitchhikers Guide novels, a softcover edition of Guns, Germs & Steel, and some japanese language books. Anyways, they do what they advertise. They lay flat. You might have a little trouble with the first and last few pages, but it even that is possible.

 

[Riley]

Lay-flat soft binding has been around since the '90s. Here's one description:

Lay-Flat Adhesive Binding

And I believe this is the patent for it, which includes images in the PDF:

Lay-flat book binding - Patent 5456496

If that works as billed, and holds up with use, I might stop hating softcover D&D books. Thanks for the explanation/links!