Complete Rebinding Kit

Your invitation to the bindery has arrived.

Beyond the dust-lined shelves and beneath the glow of the reading lamps, the bindery doors have opened for a new apprentice.

Inside this parcel lies everything you need to transform an ordinary paperback into a clothbound hardcover, finished by hand and made worthy of the story it holds.

You will remove the book’s original cover, strengthen its spine, build a new case from board and cloth, set in fresh endpapers and finish it with a pre-cut iron-on design chosen for the story within.

By the end, the volume in your hands will be entirely your own.

No previous bookbinding experience is required. Step-by-step video instructions will guide you from the first careful measurements to the moment your finished book takes its place upon the shelf.

Please note: this kit is designed for rebinding one existing paperback, not constructing a book from loose pages.

At a glance

• Beginner friendly
• Tools and materials for one complete paperback rebind
• Step-by-step video instructions included
• Book cloth included
• Iron-on vinyl cover design included
• Decorative endpapers included
• Catalogue cover design included
• Most catalogue designs can be adapted with your chosen title and author
• Custom cover design available as an upgrade
• Two common Australian paperback sizes available
• Book available as an optional add-on
• Practice cloth and vinyl supplied before you work on the final cover

Within your parcel

Each Complete Rebinding Kit contains:

• High-quality bookbinding glue
• Glue brush
• Durable, paper-backed book cloth
• Spine cloth for strength and flexibility
• Binder’s board for constructing your hardcover case
• Decorative endpapers
• Bone folder for crisp folds and smooth finishes
• Essential bookbinding tools used throughout the tutorial
• Decorative book headbands
• Pre-cut iron-on vinyl cover design
• Fine-point metal weeding tool
• Practice book cloth and vinyl strips
• Step-by-step video instructions

Choose the story your book will wear

Your kit includes your choice of a cover design from the Art & Parcel catalogue.

Most catalogue designs can be adapted with the title and author of your chosen book. This means you can select an existing Art & Parcel design while using it for the particular story you wish to rebind.

Your iron-on vinyl will arrive pre-cut and ready for you to weed and apply.

For something entirely your own, select the Custom Cover Upgrade. Share the title, atmosphere, symbols, characters or details that matter to you, and Art & Parcel will create an original cover design especially for your project.

Choose your volume

Select the size closest to the paperback you plan to transform:

• Standard Paperback: the smaller, commonly used Australian novel format
• Large Trade Paperback: the larger format often used for first releases and trade editions

Each kit allows some flexibility and will generally suit a book approximately 1 cm larger or smaller than the selected standard size.

Please measure your copy before ordering, as dimensions can vary between publishers and editions.

Need the book as well?

Choose the Include the Book option and tell us which title you would like to rebind.

We will source a suitable paperback edition and place it inside your parcel, ready for its transformation.

Availability and additional cost may vary depending on the title and edition requested.

What you must bring to the workbench

You will also need:

• A paperback book, unless selected as an add-on
• Scissors
• A household iron
• A ruler
• A craft knife or box cutter
• A cutting mat

A craft knife, ruler and cutting mat are strongly recommended for accurate trimming and clean edges.

Your path through the bindery

Your video instructions will guide you through:

• Preparing the original paperback
• Removing the existing cover
• Reinforcing and finishing the spine
• Measuring and cutting the binder’s board
• Constructing the new hardcover case
• Wrapping the case in book cloth
• Adding decorative headbands
• Setting in the endpapers
• Casing the text block into its new cover
• Testing heat and pressure on the supplied practice materials
• Weeding and applying the cover design
• Pressing and finishing the completed volume

Materials chosen for a first apprentice

This kit includes reliable, beginner-friendly materials selected to help you complete your first rebind with confidence.

The book cloth is durable, practical and forgiving while you learn. The iron-on vinyl allows you to create a striking finished cover without needing to cut the design yourself.

Before applying vinyl to your finished cover, use the included practice cloth and vinyl strips to test the temperature, pressure and timing of your iron.

Some designs contain finer details and may require a little more patience to weed. Work slowly with the fine-point metal tool and allow the artwork to reveal itself piece by piece.

Bookbinding is a craft learned through the hands.

Your first rebind may carry a few small quirks. A line may not be perfectly straight. A corner may reveal the hand of its maker. A detail may belong only to your copy.

These are not failures. They are the marks of a book made rather than manufactured, and the beginning of mastery.

When the work is complete

Place your newly bound volume upon the shelf.

Give it as a gift. Return an old favourite to a place of honour. Begin a matching collection. Or simply hold it for a moment and admire the fact that you made it with your own hands.

And when the next story calls to you, the tools will already be waiting.

Continue your journey with our Rebinding Materials, digital cover designs and pre-cut HTV services, and slowly build a library unlike any other.