| MACHINE SEWING VS. HAND SEWING | The National Machine depicted in this photograph is a sewing machine that is specifically designed to sew a text block together by sewing through the center of the signature. Whereas hand sewn signatures are sewing through the fold onto cords or bands, signatures sewn together using the National Machine are not afforded the added strength of bands. Nevertheless, this method of sewing is far superior to oversewing for most materials and, at the same time, much faster and less expensive than hand sewing. While the National Machine is appropriate for signatures with sturdy, good quality paper, it is not suitable for weak paper. Fragile paper should always be hand sewn. |
