A Paper Primer from Cambridge

BookbindingCambridge
Written By J. MARK BERTRAND

The 2010-2011 Cambridge Bible catalog includes a worthwhile note on paper:

Because of their length, Bibles traditionally have been printed on very thin paper to ensure compact volumes. Nevertheless, paper in a Bible should have sufficient strength to sustain the usage it will receive. The best Bibles are printed on papers that are not only much thinner and finer than ordinary book papers, but are also strong and have good opacity so as to minimize "show-through" of printing on the reverse side. (Paper weighing below 30gsm ("20lb" in the US) is usually described as "India paper," and over 30gsm as "Bible paper.")

Cambridge Bibles are printed on high-quality lightweight paper, chosen to achieve the optimum readability for the minimum bulk. Various factors -- strength, thinness and opacity, and aesthetic qualities -- are considered in sourcing appropriate papers that meet internationally recognized environmental standards.

Some Cambridge reference Bibles have wide margins, so that owners can make notes against the Bible text. The paper used in these Bibles is chosen for its capacity to absorb handwritten notes and its improved resilience. Nevertheless, it is advisable to test pens and pencils on the paper before making extensive notes, to ensure that the ink flow is not so great as to bleed through the paper. Making notes in standard Bibles without wide margins in not recommended.

As basic primers go, I think that pretty much sums it up. The catalog includes entries on design, type, printing, sewing and binding, and much more. 

J. MARK BERTRAND

J. Mark Bertrand is a novelist and pastor whose writing on Bible design has helped spark a publishing revolution. Mark is the author of Rethinking Worldview: Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in This World (Crossway, 2007), as well as the novels Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide—described as a “series worth getting attached to” (Christianity Today) by “a major crime fiction talent” (Weekly Standard) in the vein of Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, and Henning Mankell.

Mark has a BA in English Literature from Union University, an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston, and an M.Div. from Heidelberg Theological Seminary. Through his influential Bible Design Blog, Mark has championed a new generation of readable Bibles. He is a founding member of the steering committee of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship, and chairs the Society’s Award Committee. His work was featured in the November 2021 issue of FaithLife’s Bible Study Magazine.

Mark also serves on the board of Worldview Academy, where he has been a member of the faculty of theology since 2003. Since 2017, he has been an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He and his wife Laurie life in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

http://www.lectio.org
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