Bookbinding Backing Material

Linings are layers of specialized cloth and paper used for reinforcing and stiffening the text-block spine. One of two layers of material is frequently glued to the text-block spine after it has been rounded and backed. Cloth lining is usually the first spine lining, and the second lining is a strip of lightweight paper, called a paper lining.

This mull is a specialized cloth lining - smooth on the one side and rough on the other - and has a 10 cm width. The rough side is glued on the signatures of the book and the smooth on the book covers. It helps both to reinforce the spine of the book and to attach smoothly the book block to the covers.