MESBG Collectors guide - a PDF to Hardcover Book!

Рет қаралды 35,957

3 жыл бұрын

In this video I share my project of turning the Lord of the Rings Collector Guide from PDF into an awesome hard cover book which I can add to my bookshelf.
Stitching and binding your own books is a wonderful project. Not only is it relatively easy but it allows you to add 'proper' books to your collection instead of spiral-bound PDF's.
You can find the PDF version of the collectors guide (version 8.1 at the time this video was made) over on the One Ring Forum, here - www.one-ring.co.uk/viewtopic.p...
I learnt a lot from Jennifer over at Sea Lemon, a wonderful channel well worth subscribing to if you have any interest in making books or journals - / sealemondiy
These two videos specifically have been what I have used to learn to make my own case bound books ...
Making a kettle stitched text block - • How to Stitch a Text B...
Adding hardcovers to text blocks - • DIY Hardcover Book | C...
You can download Book Binder 3.0 here - quantumelephant.co.uk/bookbind...
It's a small JAVA program that allows you to 'reconfigure' a PDF into the proper page sequence for printing out 'signatures'.
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Join us on Facebook: / knightsofdice
Visit us online: www.knightsofdice.com
Send us email: contact@knightsofdice.com

Пікірлер: 111

@barnyoh 3 жыл бұрын

My only regret is that I have but one Like to give this video. Such an awesome idea and one that looks worth exploring

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

Hahah, you're a legend! That's such a nice comment, thanks!

@bc4198 Жыл бұрын

Right?!

@NoName-uh3lp 3 жыл бұрын

I have stitched & bound my own books for years. It is an art unto itself.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

Indeed, and one that has plenty of room for me to improve at! :D

@outlawz3068 7 ай бұрын

Can I pay someone to my make a PDF into 1 book for me only?

@scribblingjoe Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. Bookbinder 3.0 is exactly what I needed.

@Lucy-ng7cw 3 жыл бұрын

I’ve done this with a bunch of maps I made to make an atlas (vid on my channel if you are interested). Didn’t know about book binder 3.0... I did it all manually lol. Editing the maps in half then putting them together so it read like a book. Yours turned out really well - love the cover. There is something just satisfying about having a book you made on your shelf.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

It's such an enjoyable process. I couldn't imagine reorganizing the pages manually, we'll done!!!

@fabioaraujo8379 Жыл бұрын

This is so inspiring! Thank you 🙏🏽

@MSM5500 27 күн бұрын

The early days I like to make physical books of electronic copies. I purchased printers especially for that purpose. The books I made looked a bit amateurish though. But a block bonded with PVA glue was impossible to break. Probably I'll get back to making books again at a new level.

@pbeccas 3 жыл бұрын

I never even knew you could even do this? Thanks for sharing.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

Give it a go man ... it's a fun project that only takes an evening or two

@SunDancerGE 3 жыл бұрын

Books are best!

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

So good! I have shelves and shelves of rulebooks, novels, etc ... love them!

@SkallagrimGrimkjells 3 жыл бұрын

saw your spines. Rather than spending ages punching holes to sew through, you can just drop the page block into your press, and then use a razor saw to cut across the spine, creating all the holes across all the signatures in one go. It will create slightly larger holes than awl punching, but its soooooo much faster, and much more accurate (as long as you use a t-square to draw lines across the spine to make sure your saw cuts are perpendicular). Plus the larger holes arent a bad thing if you want to sew cords into the spine.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

Hrmmm, very interesting. I'm making a new journal for my daughter shortly, I might have to try that! Cheers

@fabioaraujo8379 Жыл бұрын

Sounds lkke a Nice ideia 💡

@outlawz3068 7 ай бұрын

Can I pay someone to my make a PDF into 1 book for me only?

@slauek 3 ай бұрын

WOW. amazing job!

@newtpondskipper 3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant! Love it! Well done!

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot!

@x.davidwilliams83 Жыл бұрын

Huzzah,, I always find out about stuff once it's over. I was once a subscriber a long time ago but somehow stopped. But now I'm finding all these videos in my feed that I missed. Big fan though.

@Emanemoston Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Thanks for the video.

@mastershooter64 8 ай бұрын

Now I'm gonna bind my own functional analysis and differential geometry books

@Ian_KH 3 жыл бұрын

Great stuff Viv. This is something I had never ever considered. I might have to try tis some time.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

You should, it's a fun project!

@hakimmiladi171 9 ай бұрын

It's nothing better than a book

@Tristan-bp2yy 3 жыл бұрын

Hell yeah, nice one, I’ve got tones of out of print D&D books in PDF, will be good to see them in a hard cover.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

That would be cool!

@outlawz3068 7 ай бұрын

Can I pay someone to my make a PDF into 1 book for me only?

@user-bz6hd9bw5s 10 ай бұрын

Love this 💕

@DaveMakes 3 жыл бұрын

I'm going to have to give this a shot sometime. Also, a tip about gluing paper to wood without wrinkles. Soak the paper in water for a minute or two to let the fibres expand. Then attach it to the surface with PVA (you could even try dissolving some PVA in the water itself). Works well even on very large surfaces.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

Soak that paper in water?! Wow, interesting. I'll have to give it a try, it sounds super crazy. :D

@outlawz3068 7 ай бұрын

Can I pay someone to my make a PDF into 1 book for me only?

@gorillaguerillaDK Жыл бұрын

8:06 Just like me attempting to bind a book! Anyway, bonus of doing this is, you can delete pages you don’t need, or include extra material as need be…

@shotou 3 жыл бұрын

You're just lucky to be able to keep that many books, I've had to get used to reading off my tablet at home, as I just don't have room for all the bookshelves I used to keep.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, they take up a lot of space! My wife isn't a big fan of book shelves so I only have one at home, the rest are at the studio.

@Zorpazorp 3 жыл бұрын

Well now I want one.....................

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

All the links to the videos I used to learn are in the description ;)

@12600Grey 2 ай бұрын

Hi and thanks for your work showing us your experience. Question (sorry if you mentioned it), Could I use 3 ring binders for printed larger RPG books? I understand that is not nearly as good as a book binding. But was not sure what the draw backs are of a 3 ring binder before I try it. I am totally new at this and happily overwhelmed by all the PDF options which would make being able to experience more games for less.

@ConquestCreations 3 жыл бұрын

This is awesome mate! Now you just have to collect everything!

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

Hahaha, I would very much like to!! This kind of book is very dangerous for someone like me. My daughter asked what it was for and I joking said "This is the guide to divorce", which my wife heard as she was walking past and said "Your an idiot" :)

@marcusaurelius1477 10 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@michaelwellner1333 3 жыл бұрын

Viv, give artist spray adhesive a try, this is what works to attach photographic paperstock to mounting board, a rubber roller might also help press out air bubbles.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

I was thinking about a spray adhesive, I thought I had some at home but couldn't find it.

@outlawz3068 7 ай бұрын

Can I pay someone to my make a PDF into 1 book for me only?

@tuvaaq 3 жыл бұрын

That looks so cathartic, I downloaded that PDF a while back, hope the original creator is still updating it, he doesn't seem to be active in that community for over a year and it's missing some of the latest models.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

He did reply to a post I popped up on Facebook so hopefully he does get time to update it at some stage!

@simmonslucas Жыл бұрын

Dude I have so many PDFs. Thanks

@pingASS_ 3 жыл бұрын

Using pva. Use a paint roller and be very quick. A thin even layer. You should be able to see through it. Then press it for 30 minutes. Should be even.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

A paint roller is a cracking idea!! I will certainly give that a shot, thanks!

@pingASS_ 3 жыл бұрын

@@KnightsOfDice i use it when glueing wood veneer. Then i press it in a hydraulic press but pressing it between two mdf pieces that have been covered in packing tape or other material that the glue wont stick to work just as well. Use clamps to apply pressure. (or whatever they are called in english.) work fast when applying glue thinly with the paint roller.

@shadowwraith7560 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome!

@KnightsOfDice 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, it was a fun project!

@binodsarkarIN 9 ай бұрын

wow made it so simple, i was thinking of downloading indesign, setting up each page there then print it at an offset printer lol. great work thanks

@outlawz3068 7 ай бұрын

Can I pay someone to my make a PDF into 1 book for me only?

@modelsfromscratch 3 жыл бұрын

Well, that has inspired me to have a go. As I mentioned on IG, my dad was a bookbinder - I decided not to take on the family business as the digital era was looming large (shame though, I would have been the third generation). He was always going to teach me to bind books, but we lacked a nipping press. Your simple solution looks like a good hack for that!

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

I can understand your reluctance to follow in the trade, technology has changed so many age old professions! :( What is a 'nipping press'? Is that the technical name for my ghetto pieces of plywood with the bolts and wingnuts?

@modelsfromscratch 3 жыл бұрын

@@KnightsOfDice Yeah, was in 1980 too - so computers were on the horizon - I decided to go into another trade (shopfitter). I'm pretty sure a nipping press is the same as the book press you mention. Dad was adamant you couldn't bind books without one - but that was probably the old school bookbinder in action there ;) - you have proved there are work-arounds!

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

@@modelsfromscratch I wouldn't want to be a shopfitter these days! Rough industry what with online shopping not to mention COVID shutting down stores all over the place!

@modelsfromscratch 3 жыл бұрын

@@KnightsOfDice yes, it would be a very tough industry now. It only lasted ten years for me - the recession in 1989 forced me to move on. I’m currently looking at my fourth career change as COVID nudged me out of the tertiary sector last year - all good fun! Chance to reinvent myself and do something I enjoy👍👍👍

@totally_not_a_bot Жыл бұрын

@@KnightsOfDiceA nipping press would be a press used to trim the pages. It comes fitted with a large shear that slices through in one shot. You need to hold the pages flat so the edge comes out straight throughout the whole block. Cutting a straight, square and even block by hand is nearly impossible. Having such a cut edge makes flipping through books so much nicer though.

@AdrianKramarzyk 3 жыл бұрын

cool. I bind rulebooks too myself. this is only way to get some of cool Indi or discontinued games.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

Indeed! It's certainly a little bit of effort but it's very much worth it!

@SjaakV Жыл бұрын

Clip at the ending got me laughing big time :D

@MrBizteck Жыл бұрын

Watched this video several times .... One day I'll get my finger out and do this.

@TheHobbyGrotto 3 жыл бұрын

Very cool project, I always prefer to have a physical copy of books when gaming, having to look at that pdf on the phone is kind of jarring and the usual printouts get ratty fast!

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

I much prefer a physical book .. though, I attending a MESBG event recently and can see the advantage in having something digital as well!

@outlawz3068 7 ай бұрын

Can I pay someone to my make a PDF into 1 book for me only?

@FLUROBIKE 3 жыл бұрын

what a great idea

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

It's a wonderfully enjoyable project too ... it does take some time, but I think it is well worth it!

@zephyrstrife4668 Жыл бұрын

I wanted to make a hard copy of the Ryuutama RPG so that I could use it without needing the pdf, since the RPG is only available in an english PDF on Drivethrurpg rather than POD One of the things I noticed is that the bookbinder is a .jar file, since I'm not familiar with running those kinds of files, how do you properly use them?

@artistpoet5253 Жыл бұрын

I worked in a print shop doing perfect bindings, comb and spiral. But case binding is a true art. I make my own journals and sketch books and I've been thinking of doing this for a few pdfs that have seen more use in recent days. wink, wink, nudge nudge.

@outlawz3068 7 ай бұрын

Can I pay someone to my make a PDF into 1 book for me only?

@alfredpotts6136 3 жыл бұрын

Interesting to watch you going through the process, I’ve only done small staples pamphlets so far but might give this a try. One thought on your video, the background music has a very pronounced beat which is most distracting, something less obtrusive might be better.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

It's such a fun activity, very rewarding!

@FEBRIZIOtv Ай бұрын

this is exactly what i came here for. rpg book binding

@DanielJAudette 11 ай бұрын

I have done 2 books now. I want to do more. I just used Adobe reader to print in booklet mode and you just need to print for example a 3 page signature works out to 12 pages. 4 page signature would be 16 pages

@KnightsOfDice 11 ай бұрын

It's such a fun, chill thing to do ... a little tedious and frustrating at times but the end result is always a joy!

@outlawz3068 7 ай бұрын

Can I pay someone to my make a PDF into 1 book for me only?

@DanielJAudette 7 ай бұрын

I am now up to 10 books. The biggest being Dracula by Bram stoker. Just have to put the cover on. 509 pages

@saranara1466 2 ай бұрын

But how do you get the pages to print like that?

@DziaduzLasu 3 жыл бұрын

This is amazing. physical books are so much better.

@KnightsOfDice 3 жыл бұрын

It's a really enjoyable process!

@outlawz3068 7 ай бұрын

Can I pay someone to my make a PDF into 1 book for me only?

@EricHockridge 7 ай бұрын

What paper do you use?

@user-it1cp3ux5r Жыл бұрын

What paper size do you use for a 6x9 book? I want to try this but im too confused at everything to start😅

@KnightsOfDice Жыл бұрын

If you want your book to be 6x9 (I'm assuming that is inches) then your paper needs to be twice the size. I used regular A4 paper, which when folded it becomes and A5 book.

@user-it1cp3ux5r Жыл бұрын

@@KnightsOfDice thank youu

@zanakheiron 8 ай бұрын

What is the name of the paper you used for the cover, please? Sorry, English is not my first language and I guess my listening is not very good, hahaha!

@KnightsOfDice 8 ай бұрын

It's just regular printer paper, probably 80gsm weight.

@zanakheiron 8 ай бұрын

@@KnightsOfDice Thank you very much!

@swallowedupinvictory1801 2 жыл бұрын

Great Idea! "Nothing better than a book". Can you provide a link to your cover file? That would be awesome

@KnightsOfDice 2 жыл бұрын

Hrmmm, my file management is pretty bad but I will have a look around for it ... it's gotta be somewhere!

@swallowedupinvictory1801 2 жыл бұрын

Did you find it?

@thefvguy5648 6 ай бұрын

What paper did you use for printing the cover?

@KnightsOfDice 6 ай бұрын

Just regular 80gsm A3 printer paper

@ADITYA02008 Жыл бұрын

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHICH KIND OF FOLDER IS THIS AND WHAT DO WE CALL IT 0:15

@KnightsOfDice Жыл бұрын

They are called 'spiral bound'. Thanks for watching!

@CoCChuckles 11 ай бұрын

Where do I find book covers?

@KnightsOfDice 11 ай бұрын

I used some bits of MDF for the hard back and a custom image to print the actual cover. You'll need to make your own cover (we used Photoshop), or perhaps try Fivver to find someone to make one for you