Flush mount albums, sometimes referred to as coffee table books, have become a popular addition to most wedding and portrait photographers product offerings these days.

This guide is geared towards working photographers who would like to make their own flush mount albums as well as bookbinders who are interested in learning the process so that they may offer the albums to photographers in their area.

There is no sewing involved in this style of binding. The style of album we will be making is considered "gutterless", meaning that the page spreads are printed on one side of the paper, folded in half and adhered to the adjacent pages in the book. We will not cover albums with "gutters" in this tutorial. Additionally, information about how to create and print the album page spreads is beyond the scope of this guide. There are many great products available on the market to help you in creating the layouts for your pages.

The instructions presented in this guide represent my processes for making flush mount albums. Other photographers and binders who make them may have different techniques for adhering the pages together, making the cover, etc. I encourage you to learn the techniques as described in this guide then experiment with different materials and processes to see what works best for you and your style.

Part 1: What You Need to Get Started
* Materials
* Tools and basic equipment
* Parts of a book
* A note on paper grain
* A few definitions

Part 2: The Flushmount Album
* Preparing the pages
* Building the page block
* Finishing the block
* Building the cover
* Tips for cutting binders board
* Finishing the album
* Tips, techniques, and troubleshooting

Part 3: Additional Tutorials
* Preparing fabric for binding
* Making your own headbands
* How to make a simple bookpress
* How to make an album jig

Part 4: Additional Resources
* Recommended books on Bookbinding
* DVDs on Bookbinding you might find helpful
* Where to buy supplies
* Additional education