Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books
A Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology

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trimming

1. The operation in which bound books and other printed materials are reduced to their final size before casing or attachment of the hoards. Trimming a book removes the folds at head and fore edge (bolts), thus freeing the leaves for turning; it also smooths the edges, and divides two-up or three-up books or periodical issues into individual units, the latter operation usually being referred to as "splitting" or "cutting apart," even though it may he done as part of trimming. In edition- and library-binding, trimming is done after smashing or nipping, while in hand binding it may come either before or after rounding. See: TRIMMED IN THE ROUND ;TRIMMED IN THE SQUARE .

In the manufacture of cut flush books, the book and covers are trimmed together, and. as most paperback books and periodical issues are within this category, trimming is, in such cases, the final step in binding.

Many devices are used for trimming books, including the GUILLOTINE , PLOW ,THREE-KNIFE TRIMMER , knife, shears, or even a chisel. One of the earliest methods was to cut each leaf separately (in all likelihood before sewing) and probably with shears instead of a knife and straight edge. The Library Binding Institute specifies that when volumes are trimmed, the trimming shall be as slight as possible. and that periodicals shall be trimmed to sample, or recorded size, where possible-otherwise, as slightly as possible. In practice the standard trim in library binding is 1/8 inch at head, tail, and fore edge.

2. In leather manufacture, the process of cutting away unwanted or unsightly parts of hides, skins, or the leather itself. (106 , 161 ,209 , 236 ,320 , 335 )




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