Book binding system

A book binding system performing book binding process for binding a sheet block together with a cover sheet so as to make a book or a booklet, comprising a transport passage for transporting the sheet block and the cover sheet, and a group of processing units sequentially inserted in the transport passage for performing the book binding process, each of said processing units having laterally movable members, a distance of the lateral movement of said laterally movable members being regulated according to a thickness or size of the sheet block, and a drive unit for movement of said laterally movable members, characterized in that said sheet block and said cover sheet have printing information inclusive of an identifying information thereof printed thereon, respectively, and that said book binding system further comprises an information reader for reading the printing information of the sheet block and the cover sheet, and a controller receiving said printing information from said information reader so as to determine whether the identifying information of the sheet block corresponds to the identifying information of the cover sheet or not, and outputting a stop signal of book binding process in case of no correspondence between both of the identifying information, while outputting to said processing units a start signal of book binding process and to said drive units of said processing units a control signal for movement of the associated laterally movable members by the distance corresponding to the thickness or the size of the sheet block based on the printing information of the sheet block and the cover sheet in case of correspondence between both of the identifying information.