Solutions Showcase: Covering All the Possibilities

For special titles that require a more “exotic” aesthetic, publishers can consider a cover option like BN International’s Balacron Special, which Keith Loeb, U.S. director, marketing and sales, calls “our designer range, with a unique range of cover solutions, including metallics, simulated wood grains and reptile patterns.” This year, BN International introduced two new cover solutions under its Balatex Bookcloths brand: Tsarina Crush, a silky, crushed cloth that changes color when viewed from different perspectives; and Kansas, a vat-dyed canvas.

Under the umbrella of its Rainbow brand, Ecological Fibers Inc. manufactures a range of cover materials to seemingly suit most any aesthetic, including seven textile options and more than a dozen coated-paper and leather-fiber materials. The manufacturer even offers more novel cover materials, like Sports Cover, replicas of basketball and football surfaces; or Safari Prestige, described as “a luxuriously rich, untamed animal texture.”

FiberMark offers more than 50 brands of cover materials, including some “nontraditional” products for those titles that require a unique treatment—for example, Beluga by Skivertex, which FiberMark says is reminiscent of the luxurious, aquatic leathers popular in the 1800s, and Silktouch Thermo by Skivertex, which has a thermo-reactive coating, and looks and feels like Nubuck leather.

Environmental Considerations
To keep up with the evolving environmental conscience of the publishing industry, materials manufacturers have been responding with more environmentally responsible products.

Ecological Fibers has built its mission around manufacturing “environmentally sound” materials for the book and decorative packaging industries. Its Rainbow Coated Cover Materials are solvent-free (coated with water-based acrylics). It also offers Rainbow Book Cloths—paper-backed textiles in rich colors for luxury book and packaging applications.

The new year will likely bring the debut of more environmentally conscious cover materials. One already slated to launch in 2008 is LBS’ “Naturals,” says Kristine Aubrey, LBS sales support and marketing. “This cloth is made from 100-percent natural cotton and flax fibers, and is never bleached, dyed or coated,” she says.