How to cover a book without bubbles, wrinkles or loose corners

Most bubbles on a book cover come from two things: film that is not lying flat when you start, and folds that are not pulled snug against the book. Flatten the film first, cut it straight with a ruler, keep the book slightly closed while you fold, and crease every fold hard. Do that and the cover sits smooth.

With self-adhesive film the rule is different: smooth it from the centre outwards and peel the backing a little at a time.

I am a maker of cover rolls, not a craft teacher. So this guide is mostly about handling the film, which is the part I know well.

Why does a book cover get bubbles?

On a plain fold-over cover, like the rolls we make, there is no glue under the film. So a "bubble" is really one of these:

1. A loose patch, where the folds were not pulled tight enough to hold the film against the book.
2. A wrinkle, where the film still had the curl of the roll and was folded before it lay flat.
3. A ridge at the spine, where the cover was put on with the book shut tight and now pulls when it opens.
4. A speck under the film. A crumb or a grain of dust lifts the film around it, and on a clear cover it shows clearly.

On self-adhesive film, a bubble is trapped air, and the fix is in the way you lay the film down. There is a short section on that below.

What do you need?

Nothing special. You need a clean, flat table, sharp scissors, a 30 cm ruler (or anything with a straight, hard edge), a dry cloth, a small roll of clear tape for the inside of the cover, and one or two heavy books.

The heavy books are the part most people skip, and I think they matter most. You will see why in step 2.

How do I cover a book without bubbles?

1. Wipe the table and the book with a dry cloth. On a clear cover, any dust you leave will stay with the book all year.
2. Take the curl out of the film. Cut a piece a little bigger than you need, lay it flat, and put a heavy book on it for a few minutes. Or roll it gently the other way, against the curl.
3. Measure. Lay the book open, face down, on the film and leave about 3 cm on every side.
4. Cut along the ruler, not by eye. A crooked cut gives one short fold, and a short fold is where a cover starts to slip.
5. Make two small cuts in the film at the top and bottom of the spine, up to the edge of the book. These let the top and bottom folds go in without bunching at the spine.
6. Fold the top edge over the inside of the front cover, then the bottom edge. Pull each one snug before you press it down.
7. Run the edge of the ruler, or your thumbnail, along every fold to crease it hard. A soft fold lifts. A sharp one stays.
8. Close the book a little and fold the side flap over the inside of the front cover. Then do the same for the back.
9. Smooth the film from the spine outwards with the flat of your hand, to push any loose air to the edges.
10. Open and close the book five or six times. The cover should move with the book and not pull at the spine.

If you have one of our Standard rolls, it comes as a two-layer tube. Cut it open along its edge first, so it lies flat as a single sheet, and then start at step 1.

How do I get neat corners?

Corners take the most rubbing in a school bag, so they are worth an extra minute.

If a corner bunches when you fold the side flap, open it and fold the corner of the film in diagonally first, as a small triangle. Then fold the side flap over it, so the triangle is locked inside. If the corner is bulky, cut a small square out of the film at the corner before folding, leaving a little overlap. A thinner corner lies flatter.

If a corner still lifts, put a small piece of tape on the inside, where it will not catch on anything.

How do I stop the spine tearing or bulging?

The spine is the one place where the cover needs a little slack. A cover put on with the book shut tight will pull every time the book opens, and that is how a spine splits.

1. Keep the book slightly open, at an angle, while you fold the side flaps.
2. For a thick textbook, add the spine thickness to your measurement, so the piece is wide enough.
3. Never tape across the outside of the spine. It stops the book opening flat.

What are the common mistakes?

1. Starting with curled film straight off the roll.
2. Cutting by eye instead of along a ruler.
3. Leaving folds of 1 or 2 cm to save film. They do not hold.
4. Covering the book while it is shut tight.
5. Pressing folds down without creasing them.
6. Using a roll that is too narrow for a tall book. Our roll size guide shows which width fits which book.
7. Putting tape on the outside.
8. Covering on a dusty table. Under a clear cover, that dust becomes a bubble.

What about self-adhesive covers?

Self-adhesive covers are a different product, but people ask the same bubble question about them, so here is what works.

Peel back only about 5 cm of the backing paper. Line up that edge on the book and press it down. Then slide the ruler across the film from the centre outwards while you slowly pull the backing away with the other hand. Work a little at a time, never the whole sheet at once.

If a bubble forms, lift the film back to it straight away and lay it again. Once the glue has set, prick the bubble with a fine pin and press the air out towards the hole.

Which cover is easiest to put on neatly?

A solid colour, like our synthetic covers, hides small wrinkles and anything under the film. A clear cover, like our Clear design, shows everything, so it rewards a clean table and slow folding.

Thicker film is stiffer, so take a little more care with each fold. If you are new to covering books, start with an old notebook and a short piece of film. The first cover is always the slowest.

I will be honest about one thing.

A plain fold-over cover will never sit as tight as a laminated one. That is the trade-off for a cover you can take off at the end of the year without damaging the book.

A note for distributors

We are Jagannath Polymers Pvt Ltd (JPPL), and we make notebook cover rolls in printed, clear, fluorescent and synthetic designs, all 50 micron or thicker, for stationery distributors and wholesale dealers. This guide and our step-by-step how to cover a notebook page are written to be shared with the retailers you supply, and through them with parents. You are welcome to use both.

If I were advising a stationery shop, I would tell them to keep one neatly covered sample book on the counter. It answers the "how much film do I need" question better than any chart, and our roll count guide does the rest.