Used cheap endpaper for 3 years before learning my mistake from a torn repair job

I was at a restoration workshop last month in Chicago and this old bookbinder looked at a book I brought in and just sighed. He pointed to the endpapers and said 'you're using printer paper, aren't you?' I felt so dumb. I had been grabbing whatever was cheap and thin from the office supply store for years and wondering why my books never laid flat or lasted more than a couple years. He showed me how proper endpaper has a grain direction that matches the book and is made from longer fibers that don't crack at the hinge. I went home and checked three of my own bindings that I thought were fine and sure enough two of them had the grain running the wrong way and were already starting to split. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize a simple material choice was causing all your problems?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthews211mo agoMost Upvoted

Three years on printer paper? That's dedication to the grift.

simonp471mo ago

My buddy had something similar happen with a car dealership. They kept mailing him fake "final notice" letters for like two years straight. Same thing every time, just different colored paper and a different date circled in red. He finally called them to ask them to stop and they basically said "oh yeah we just pull names from expired registrations, it's automated.