A soft cover is one made out of thin card – 300gsm is a good weight to aim for.
1. Measure the pages you want to make the cover for – height, width and depth2. Use these measurements to cut your cover card accurately – front, back and spine in one piece.3. Mark up for the two spine folds on the top edge. Use a sharp pencil and be as accurate as you can.4. Line the pencil marks up in the grid of your cutting mat and use a bone folder or the back of a knife to make two scores for the spine folds.5. Fold the cover so that it is the shape of the book and check if it fits around the pages. (This is called a box fold by the way).6. Soft covers often have two more creases near the spine. Have a look at one of your paperback books at home. These two creases are usually about 6mm either side of the spine folds. Mark them up and score as before.
7. Use PVA to glue the cover to the pages – brush the glue into the three spaces defined by the creases.8. Drop the pages into the cover, spine first, then close the cover around the pages. Try to get a snug fit and press well.
If your cover paper is a little on the thin side you can strengthen it at the foredge by creating a fold there. Just cut the cover paper a little longer.
