Mull over margins before you cut them down to zero

Everyone keeps saying to trim margins to fit more on a page and save paper, but after binding a 400 page novel last month in Austin, I found tight margins actually break the spine if you're using a heavier thread. The text gets too close to the fold and the pages pull apart near the center after about 20 opens. I tried a 1 inch outer margin instead of my usual half inch, and the whole book sat flatter and opened easier. It used 6 more sheets total, but the binding felt solid and the reader won't notice the extra bulk. Has anyone else dealt with margin math ruining a project, or do you just stick with standard sizes and adjust the thread tension instead? I'm curious if it's just my press setup or a real trade thing.

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reese_perry69h ago

The 400 page book pulling apart at the spine happened to a friend with a heavier thread too, and yeah, we just bump the margins out like you did. Extra sheets beat wrecking the whole thing.