Hand written by a talented scribe.
But that's a pipe dream. Can I do printing on cotton paper? Is it realistic to print a whole book on it?
Discussion
Letter press would be expensive, but at that point, combined with bookmaking, it's the pinnicle of the arts of the old world. Alternatively you lay out your folios in InDesign and have someone offset print on some sort of paper. Lastly, you could layout in InDesign and print on a photo printer, but registration on the verso would be a little off
Maybe I meant recto vs verso 😆
Most budget would have it offset pressed, hp indigo printer would be best, paper options limited. Cotton rag letter pressed with hand set type would be absolutely insane. Imagine typesetting something like the guttenburg bible
You get it. I can read it.
This is how you craft a relic.
Some of these Bibles where printed on vellum. Is that better than cotton?
Real vellum is very expensive. It's made one piece at a time from calf skin. There's a modern version called paper vellum that's still expensive, but not like the real thing.
I've worked with the paper type vellum, I don't find it good for bookmaking. It's extremely smooth, slightly translucent. I did not find that it folded well, or take pva glue well. I know people who do drafting like it
Concisely, what is the best/most expenses way to make a book from scratch?
Really depends what you're trying to do. Blank books are easy, just buy the paper and cut it down to the size you're wanting. I buy precut and prefolded signatures from Hollanders for basic books that I can put together a little more quickly. Printed books can be costly. I'd start with finding a reputable print shop with good customer service. What different papers do they have? What printing process do they use? How large can they print double sided materials? Can you get paper samples before you decide to print? Have they helped book artists print materials in the past? Just a few things I'd consider if I was working on such a project
If I was to do this, I would like to do the printing myself. Letterpress.
I have absolutely no idea how feasable this is. But I would like to.
Perhaps finding a letterpress workshop near you would be a good place to start. I found this page that might be a good place to start?
https://letterpresscommons.com/community-print-shops-and-book-arts-centers/
I wish I took letter press in art school, but I never had the opportunity. I would go by the print shop and chat with some of the students. It's an involved process, but looked really fun. I think typesetting a book would be extraordinary. Most people were doing single page broadsides and things like that.