Zine: Right-to-Left or Left-to-Right? Choosing the Right Binding Direction and What to Watch Out For
平田提When creating a ZINE, the first thing to decide is whether it will be a right-bound or left-bound book. If you try to change it later, you will have to re-layout all the pages. This is the most basic aspect of a book's structure, so consider it first.
Difference between Right-bound and Left-bound
When you hold the book with the cover facing you, a "right-bound" (or "right-stitched") book has its binding on the right side.
A "left-bound" (or "left-stitched") book has its binding on the left side.
Right-bound books open to your right, and left-bound books open to your left.
Japanese is written vertically, so books primarily composed of text are typically right-bound, while horizontally written texts are left-bound. This relates to eye movement.
A right-bound, vertically written book follows the natural eye movement of reading from the top right down to the next line. The convention is to place important information in the top right.
In a left-bound, horizontally written book, the eye moves in a Z-pattern from the top left. The main information is typically placed in the top left.
Many Japanese Magazines are Right-bound
Many Japanese magazines are right-bound, even when they include horizontally written pages. When vertical and horizontal writing are mixed, the transition to horizontal pages within a right-bound flow causes less visual discomfort. However, when vertical pages appear within a left-bound flow, some people find it difficult to read as their eye movement is completely reversed.
There isn't a universally "correct" orientation, but if you want to mix vertical and horizontal writing, a right-bound format might be safer.
Points to Note When Submitting
When submitting to a printing company, there are "left-bound" and "right-bound" settings. This refers to which side of the booklet is physically bound.
The general correspondence is as follows:
Left-bound: Binding on the left side of the cover → Left-opening (horizontal writing)
Right-bound: Binding on the right side of the cover → Right-opening (vertical writing)
If the orientation of your data does not match the submission settings, the printed book will be in the wrong orientation. Always confirm before submission.
[Caution!] Pay attention to the position of Cover 1 & Cover 4 when designing the cover
A common mistake is to reverse the positions of Cover 1 (front cover) and Cover 4 (back cover) when designing the cover (I've done this many times...).
Right-bound: (Left) Cover 1 / (Right) Cover 4
Left-bound: (Left) Cover 4 / (Right) Cover 1
You can catch this mistake by creating a dummy book or doing a test print, so please do a test print before submission.
・Related article: What is Imposition? Mastering the "Print as Booklet" Feature
Settings in Design Software
In Adobe InDesign, you can select the binding direction under "File" > "Document Setup." Canva and Adobe Illustrator don't have specific settings screens, so if you're creating a spread, you'll need to manually arrange your pages based on your desired binding direction.
Generally, vertical writing is right-bound, and horizontal writing is left-bound. For photo books without text, left-bound is common, but it depends on the work. First, get an idea of the finished product by looking at your favorite books, magazines, and ZINEs, then decide on the binding direction.
