How to Cover a Book With Mylar

Obtain your mylar for the coverings. Mylar (actually a trademarked name of manufacturer Dupont) is a thin sheet of plastic made from the resin polyethylene terephthalate. Since its invention in the 1950s, its name has been used generically to refer to any type of clear polyester film. For covering books, the standard thickness used is .002-.004 ml (milliliters, or thousandths of an inch). Companies like Brodart (1-888-820-4377) and Gaylord (1-88-962-9580) are among the best and most respected in the book business for their mylar book coverings: they are acid-free, will not yellow or become brittle over time, and have an electrostatic charge that makes them cling to the book surface. Mylar for covering books without jackets comes in large rolls (typically 50 to 300 feet) from which you cut the size you need to cover a single book.

Use mylar in a width that is the same height as your book (e.g., a 9-inch book should use 9-inch mylar). Place your book on the mylar, and cut it about three times the length of your book's front board (cover); this will be enough to cover the front board, wrap around the spine, cover the back board, & have enough left at both front & back to fold inside the book.

Lay your cut sheet of mylar down on a flat surface. Position your book in the middle of it. Fold down the book's front board to the left (as if you were opening the book) and leave about 2 to 3 inches of mylar extending beyond the edge to the left. This will be used to make the front flap of the cover.

Fold the extra flap of mylar that extends to the left over the edge of the front board to the inside of the book. Lightly mark your fold, creasing it with your ruler or folding tool.

Unfold what you just folded. Now make a heavy crease along the fold you marked using your folding tool or ruler. You want to do this on your flat surface rather than while the mylar cover is on the book itself to prevent damage to the book. Refold along your crease line & position this flap inside the book. You can use archival tape to adhere the cover to the inside of the book's front board (purists reject this step, however, as any tape may damage a book).

Keeping the front flap of mylar in place, slowly turn the book over on its front board, wrapping the mylar around the spine and back board as you go.

Open the back board and fold the remaining mylar over to the inside. If you measured correctly, you should have about 2 to 3 inches left to create a back flap that is the same as the front one. Lightly mark the back edge position on the mylar with your ruler or folding tool. Take it off the book and solidify your crease like you did for the front flap. Replace the fold into the back of the book and tape if desired.