The Crown Binding I had a little detour with widthwise – I did lengthwise the first time so ended up with a spare spine, but it’s all part of the learning by doing thing, right? And then the page size listed in the book didn’t seem quite right so I ended up doubling it, and didn’t actually put covers on since it’s a practice one anyway. But I liked how you could see the backs of the page spreads in between, which would give you another layer, a hint of something, although I do have to wonder if people would try to open it there – which it doesn’t really – and that maybe you’d be better off glueing them together. I also liked how you wouldn’t have to know the page order before hand.
The Slot & Tab Book was designed by the author’s husband because, “glue is messy and I don’t like to sew.” As you might guess, half the pages are given slots, the other half tabs. They are then fitted together in pairs, giving 4-page signatures. The signatures can then be interlocked to form a thicker book. This one would take some planning if you wanted content to be in a particular order. You also need to find a paper that will roll without creasing for when you fit the pages together.