Collated refers to the gathering together of loose sheets of paper into a single book. In book publishing, collating is the process of putting together a book from individual sheets of paper that have been printed and cut. The sheets are usually gathered into groups of eight, called “signatures,” which are then sewn or glued together. Once the signatures are assembled, the cover is attached.
Collating is usually done by machines, but it can also be done by hand. When done by hand, the sheets are gathered into piles, usually eight at a time, and then the pages are trimmed and glued together. Once the signatures are assembled, the cover is attached.
There are a few reasons why a book might be collated by hand. One reason is that the book is too small to be collated by machine. Another reason is that the book is being rebound, and the pages need to be removed from the old binding and collated into the new binding.
There are a few different ways to bind a book, but the most common is to use a binding machine. A binding machine has a large needle that goes through all of the signatures at once, sewing them together. The binding machine then clamps the signatures together and trims the excess paper.
The other common way to bind a book is to use glue. The pages are collated into signatures and then glued together. Once the glue is dry, the cover is attached.
There are a few different types of glue that can be used, but the most common is PVA glue. PVA glue is a white glue that is inexpensive and dries clear. It is also flexible, so it is less likely to crack the spine of the book as it dries.
Once the book is bound, it is ready to be shipped to the printer. The printer will print the book on large sheets of paper and then cut them into individual pages. The pages are then collated into signatures and the book is ready to be sewn or glued together.