Fixing the Outside
of a Book

1. Place a corner reinforcement diagonally across the corner of the book (notch side out), leaving about 1/4 inch between the corner of the book and the notch in the reinforcement.

2. Pull one side tight along the edge of the book, and then pull the other side tight across the other edge.

1. Clean up the spine. Carefully cut off pieces that are peeling, expose strings, etc., so that the tape can properly stick to the book.

2. Reinforce the spine. Cut a piece of cardboard at the mending desk to the size you need. If the whole cover is jeopardized, you'll need a piece that goes all the way through the spine; if the top and/or bottom only need(s) reinforcement, just cover that/those area(s). If necessary, attach the cardboard to the cover of the book.

3. Select a roll of spine repair tape that is wide enough to cover the entire width of the book's spine plus a little overlap onto the front and back covers. If you have options, choose the tape that best matches the color of the book's cover.

4. Cut the spine repair tape to the length of the spine plus two extra inches (one at the top, one at the bottom).

5. Lay the tape on the desk sticky side up, center the book vertically and horizontally over the tape, and gently press the book's spine into the tape. 

6. Fold the edges of the tape up onto the front and back covers. Get rid of any air bubbles using your fingers or a scraper.

7. Make vertical slits in the excess top and bottom tape to align with the corners of the book spine.

8. Fold the outside sections of the tape up onto the inside front and back covers of the book.

9. Using a bone folder (or your finger if the space is big enough), tuck the center section of the tape into the space between the spine cover and the bound pages.

10. Cut a piece of paper hinge tape to just larger than the height of the book.

11. Press the hinge tape into the inside hinge of the cover, using the scraper to get the tape all the way into the crack and to eliminate any air bubbles.

12. Using an X-Acto knife, trim the excess hinge tape following the page/cover line.