Welcome To Bookbindesigns

We offer a wide range of high quality handle letters

Handle Letters

Bookbinding Handle letters are often used in place of Brass Type, these tools can also be used on the spines of books and on the front board as well as other areas on a book. They have been around since 16th Century and were used before Brass Type and Type holders were invented.

Handle Letters are the perfect choice if you are new to Bookbinding or your budget is limited. Handle Letters are very versatile for hand finishing as they are used individually and not restricted to printing in a straight line compared to Brass Type.

These tools require heat to make the impression onto leather. Our finishing tools work well using gold leaf, foil or simply blind embossed.

Our Handle Letters are engraved to a very precise and high standard. The tools are deeply engraved and filed high up the shank for perfect sighting.

Our Handle Letters are typically available in sets of 40 consisting of A-Z, 0-8 (6 used for 9) AE, OE & ., Our point sizes are available from 8pt to 72pt.

We supply all of our Handle Letters with hardwood Ash handles these are supplied in a wooden box for the long life and protection of the tools.

If the letters you require are not in the catalogue, Bookbindesigns are able to offer any font from pdf, word, ttf or AI files.

Please contact us to discuss your design and size requirements.

VIEW CATALOGUE / PDF

What People Say …..

My order arrived yesterday as promised. When I opened the box I just thought “Wow” they are absolutely stunning, so beautiful with crisp clean lines. I’ve never used a wheel before and was so excited the first line I did looked as if I’ve been doing this all my life! I love all the finishing touches especially the box to store my set of stamps in with the number of the set mounted on a brass plaque.Your professionalism and skills are very much appreciated and I look forward to expanding my collection of tools hand crafted by you.

Susie Fletcher

The whole process could not be easier. Kevin has done a brilliant job of turning my design for a collector’s stamp into a hand tool. The set of Centaur handle letters look great too. They were all done in less than a week and delivered to California in just a few days, amazing. Thank you, Kevin.

Chris Breyne

We recently needed a set of Greek handle letters engraved to match our existing English font. Normally, bespoke tools are very expensive and take ages to arrive. We contacted Kevin and received a quote within a few hours. The next day the tools arrived cut exactly to our specification. The handle tools are easy to sight and the engraving is deep, providing a good, clean impression. Quality craftsmanship and service. Highly recommended.

Father Thomas