The whole process, which demands considerable dexterity, is only to be thoroughly learned by example and imitation; but study the illustrations, which are correctly drawn from life.

This is the way sheets are folded when they come direct from the press; but if they had already been folded in quires, as is usually the case with school and hymn books, the sheets would simply be folded in the middle for convenience of storage and dispatch.

In this case the quires must first be opened, the crease taken out, and the sheets laid open. This work is called "breaking the backs." The unfolded sheets are folded in exactly the same manner, but before the last crease the sheet is turned, creased from bottom to top, and put aside in such a way that the sheet is turned over, that is face downwards. If this precaution is not observed, the folded sheets would afterwards be found in wrong order.
At this point we might remark that the top, both of the book and the single page, is called the head, the bottom the tail. These commonly used terms will very frequently crop up.

The folding of a 4to sheet is exactly the same, excepting that the last fold is omitted; the second signature lies face upwards at top on the right, the first signature lies downwards at top left hand.

Folios are made up but rarely nowadays, except in artistic editions de luxe, Bibles, and missals; they are simply folded in the middle; the signatures appear as in 8vo format.

Duodecimo format, that is, a sheet printed to make 12 pages on each side, is so printed that the third part of the sheet has to be cut off with a knife or machine. This work is done in various ways: the sheet may be folded without regard to the one sided elongation; after folding the part is cut off with a knife or machine at the proper place and the detached portion inserted in the middle of the main section; the small section is therefore called" the inset." On the other hand, the inset may be cut off before folding and then separately folded and inserted. This is the more usual method.

The cutting off of the inset prior to folding can be done in such a way with the modern quick printing presses that the sheets are adjusted and cut off in the machine, or they may be folded in sections of six eight sheets and cut open in the fold. For cutting open such sections a very sharp knife is required, either the usual bookbinder's knife or, better still, a somewhat longer two edged paper knife rounded at the end.

Formerly, when printing was not done with such accuracy as now, the sheets were folded into sections by means of points. The compositor made a point on both sides between main sheet and inset in the furniture where the division had to be made; if pins were stuck into the table through these points each of the sheets following could be placed on the pins.

Thus all sheets are brought to perfect register and may be cut with knife and rule or machine exactly through the points. This work is called" working to points."
The detached portion appears as a long printed slip upon which are four pages or columns side by side. They are folded in a very simple manner.

The page on the right is brought over to lie on the page to the left, registered, and creased in the middle, and the double sheet is now folded once more in exactly the same way.

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