Bookbinders take pride in their workmanship. Parts of a bound book. A half-bound volume is at the right. These standards establish criteria for paper to meet requirements including pH and alkaline reserve which, if complied with in printed works, should result in the work lasting several hundred years without significant deterioration under normal use and storage. The standard for coated paper base stock can be as low as pH 7.0 if the paper as a whole meets the alkaline reserve requirement.
Many publishers site the standard on the verso of the title pages of their works.
Manufacturers of albums intended to house philatelic materials, particularly stamps, would provide a considerable service to the philatelic community by complying with these standards. Paste For mending tears in a book, a paste made of cornstarch or rice flour is used. These pastes do not leave stains and do not contain injurious chemicals. Thin transparent Japanese tissue is used to cover a tear. After drying, the tissue is removed, leaving only a few fibers in the tear as reinforcement.