Over the last 45 years Petam has come a long way from its humble beginnings, but still maintains its traditional ways of working in a modern environment. Our services are flexible enough to complement traditional printing and digital printing alike, and as our binding is based around quality not quantity, the fading art of true rounding and backing is always kept alive. With the flexibility we are able to offer, we can easily look after what are considered often difficult jobs for other binding companies, for example tip-ins of folded maps, throwouts and throwclears, sprinkled edges and slip cases.

Our Binding Services Include

• Short run case binding
• Ultra short run case binding
• Short run perfect binding
• School Year Books
• Library binding
• Fine leather binding
• Weekly periodicals
• Monthly periodicals
• Theses/Dissertations
• Legal journals
• Medical journals
• Handwritten books and poems
• Signature books
• Presentation books
• Hand made slip cases

All binding costs and work schedules will be confirmed prior to commencement of any work.

Short Run Case Binding

We undertake quantities from 1 to 2,000 books. High quality workmanship is maintained through every binding process:

• Cancellations and complicated tipping-in are easily catered for as all forwarding in done by hand.
• Section sewn books are produced via hand fed, semi-automatic and automatic sewing machines, which allow bolted and cut head work to be sewn.
• Book blocks are rounded and backed using a "Crawley" backing machine. The rounding and backing produced by this machine is unsurpassed by any other automated backing machine.
• Cases ranging from 4" x 7" to 14" x 22" (102 x 180mm to 356 x 560mm) are produced using our Kolbus GD casemaker. Case sizes falling outside these ranges are produced by hand.
• We can foil block almost any design or layout required. Artwork and blocking chemacs can be produced if required. Personalised lettering is also an option.
• All books are cased-in by hand and pressed overnight.
• We are happy to produce binders dummies to aid in the production of spine artwork, dust jackets, cartons etc . . .

A list of our comprehensive binding services

Case Binding

Section sewn, singer sewn or hand sewn, Frontispieces, 2pp & 4pp tips, Throwouts and throwclears, Rounded and backed or Square backed, Bookblock round cornering, Foil blocking, Oxford Hollows , Head & Tail bands, Registers or ribbons, Dust jackets

Perfect Binding

Section sewn or notched with drawn on covers

Slip Cases

Made for single volumes and short runs

Equipment and Services
Directions and map