# Can you make your own Trade paperbacks?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-your-own-trade-paperbacks/149052>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 16, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-your-own-trade-paperbacks/149052 "2003-01-16T20:36:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-your-own-trade-paperbacks/149052/1 "2003-01-16T20:36:27Z")

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I have several comic series in my collection that I’d love to bind into one single volume. Is this possible? Is there a commercially available device that would allow me to remove the covers from say 10 comics and put a hard bound or stock bound cover on them and permanently fuse them into a single volume?

I could care less what it does to the value of them. I just would like to have better storage options than those long white boxes.

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**Author:** ![endswithani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@endswithani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/endswithani)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-your-own-trade-paperbacks/149052/2 "2003-01-16T21:09:57Z")

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If you don’t find a suitable DIY option, you may try calling your local library and asking them if they could suggest a bindery.

Libraries routinely send out softcover books to be rebound as hardcovers, and I remember my college library had many volumes of old magazines bound together in book form.

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**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-your-own-trade-paperbacks/149052/3 "2003-01-16T23:00:31Z")

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DIY?

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**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-your-own-trade-paperbacks/149052/4 "2003-01-16T23:01:50Z")

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Do It Yourself.

Zev Steinhardt

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**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-your-own-trade-paperbacks/149052/5 "2003-01-16T23:14:44Z")

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Ah! I thought it was a publishing term.

(Blushes)

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**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-your-own-trade-paperbacks/149052/6 "2003-01-17T00:38:14Z")

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Binderies do this sort of thing all the time. It can be reasonably pricey so shop around.

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**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-make-your-own-trade-paperbacks/149052/7 "2003-01-17T15:12:10Z")

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I think Chuck Dixon does this – you might want to ask about this on his website. It’s not particularly uncommon, I think, but typically people send their stuff out to the bindery.

–Cliffy