the material library

Every paper, thread, and cloth we use — in plain language.

If a material is in a Spread & Spine book, it's on this page. Read how we source it, what we use it for, and where to buy the same thing if you want to make at home.

• Khadi paper

  Hand-made 100% cotton-rag paper with a soft, fibrous deckle edge.

  Sourcing

  Sourced from a women-run cooperative in Puducherry that pulps post-consumer cotton rag and couches sheets by hand.

  How we use it

  Reserved for premium journals, wedding guestbooks, and the endpapers of our Secret Belgian bindings.

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• Recycled cartridge, 120 gsm

  A medium-weight post-consumer recycled sheet with just enough tooth for fountain pens.

  Sourcing

  From a Sivakasi mill that blends office waste with agri-fibre; every ream arrives with a batch card noting pulp-source.

  How we use it

  Default text block for our everyday Coptic journals and DIY kit signatures.

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• Recycled cartridge, 180 gsm

  Heavier sibling of the 120 gsm — for sketchers who use wet media.

  Sourcing

  Same Sivakasi mill, heavier calendering to handle watercolour wash without buckling.

  How we use it

  Sketchbooks, mixed-media journals, and cover boards on kids’ kits.

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• Recycled cartridge, 250 gsm

  Card-weight recycled stock for covers and dividers.

  Sourcing

  Post-consumer greyboard laminated between two cartridge sheets in our studio press.

  How we use it

  Cover boards for paperback-style books; dividers in origami kits.

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• Upcycled denim & cotton

  Off-cut denim and khadi cotton rescued from Bengaluru tailoring studios.

  Sourcing

  Two neighbourhood tailors set aside their weekly off-cuts for us; we wash, press, and cut to cover size.

  How we use it

  Cloth covers on Coptic and Buttonhole journals; denim pouches on travel kits.

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• Waxed linen thread

  4-ply Irish-spun linen hand-waxed with food-grade beeswax for grip.

  Sourcing

  Imported in 100 m spools, then re-waxed in the studio using beeswax from a Coorg apiary.

  How we use it

  Every stitched spine — Coptic, Secret Belgian, Buttonhole, Japanese Stab.

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• Natural dyes

  Madder root, indigo, pomegranate rind, and onion skin — no synthetic dyes.

  Sourcing

  Madder and indigo from a dye-house in Kutch; pomegranate rind and onion skin saved from our own kitchen and neighbours’.

  How we use it

  Colour for cloth covers and dyed endpapers. Batches are small and lot-specific, so shades drift — that is the feature.

• Bookbinder's glue

  PVA-free, wheat-starch paste cooked in the studio each week.

  Sourcing

  Whole-wheat starch from a local organic store, cooked with distilled water to a specific viscosity.

  How we use it

  Tipping in endpapers, attaching spine linings. Fully reversible with a damp cloth if you ever need to repair the book.

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