Prefabricated bindable sheet and binding method and apparatus

A continuous method for producing a bound booklet of sheets of paper with printed information on the sheets wherein said sheets are formed from a sheet of paper which is double the size of the ultimate sheet size to be produced and which has a fold line extending across the center of the sheet to designate the ultimate sheet size and which double sheet also has segments of heat-responsive glue along said fold line, said method comprising,

• producing printed information on said double size sheet so that two individual sheets are simultaneously printed,
• folding each double size sheet along said fold line to form a double sheet assembly wherein said fold line forms the hinge connection between said two sheets with said blue segments being positioned on the outside of said folded double sheet assembly,
• assembling said folded sheets with other printed sheets with the glue edges along said fold line being in registration with the edges of adjacent sheets to be bound thereto, pressing said glue edges together, and
• applying heat thereto while said sheets are pressed together to activate the glue and bind sheets to said folded sheet assembly while leaving the inside of the fold line free from glue to produce a substantially unrestricted hinge connection between the individual sheets of said folded double sheet assembly within the bound booklet.

A prefabricated paper sheet readily bindable into a multiple page booklet and comprising,

• a double size sheet,
• a fold line formed across the center of said sheet to divide the same into a pair of sheets,
• heat-responsive glue segments applied to said paper sheet along a binding line which forms the edge of a bound booklet when assembled with other sheets and which is readily bindable by applying heat and pressure to the glue segments of the assembled sheets,
• said glue segments being applied to said sheet adjacent said fold line in a manner to expose said glue segments when the double sheet is folded along said fold line.