Soft Cover books described:
A soft cover book has a similar construction to a hard cover book for the text block. But the cover and binding are different. Soft covers are generally "perfect" bound. Perfect bound refers to the way the folded signatures are cut and glued together. Unlike the sewn binding of hard cover books, the signatures of a soft cover book are collated and then trimmed at the spine. Then glue under pressure is applied to the spine, usually at the same time the cover is "drawn on". After glue is applied the books are then trimmed on the other three sides. Often this happens on a production line, the glue is applied, the cover is positioned around the spine, the cover and text block are then pushed into a trimmer so that the spine is forced against a back wall under pressure, while the other three sides are trimmed.
For better glue penetration you can order notch binding. The folds at the spine are cut and roughly drilled to give the pages a rough finish so that they will have more area for the glue to adhere to. Sometimes there are shallow notches drilled into the back of the book perpendicular to the spine which will fill up with glue. The exceptions to perfect binding are Smythe sewn, used in mixed runs and also often used when the soft cover has flaps on the cover, and wire "O" or spiral binding. Not too many plants offer spiral binding in Asia, but many do offer wire "O" which is similar to a comb binding in production.
Cover stock:
As with the hard cover, the material for the soft cover must be indicated. You must also indicate whether or not there will be printing on one or both sides of the cover, (4/0 or 4/4) If you want printing on the inside cover you should choose a cover stock that is coated on both sides, unless you want the look of printing on an uncoated paper. A cover that is C1S (coated one side) is stiffer than acover that is coated both sides (C2S) but the C2S cover stock is a classier look. If you want a cover with flaps you should choose 260 gsm C2S in most cases.
You also need to indicate what sort of coating you want on the cover, glossy or matt film lamination. Overseas film lamination is quite affordable, and is preferred over UV or varnish.
Recommendations: For a cover with flaps I recommend 250 - 260 gsm glossy art C2S (C2S folds better than C1S) For a cover without flaps I recommend 300 - 310 gsm C1S or C2S glossy art. My favorite is C2S because it feels better, a little classier in my opinion. Printing 4/0 is the most elegant and economical. Glossy film lamination wears better, matt film lamination is artier but may scratch.
