A guy at the print shop told me my grain direction was off and I felt so silly

I was picking up some cover paper last week and the older guy behind the counter, Mike, took a quick look at my sheet. He bent it slightly along the edge and said, 'You're going to fight this the whole way. The grain runs the wrong way for what you're doing.' I was making a small notebook and had just grabbed paper without checking! He showed me the easy tear test right there, and sure enough, it tore rough and jagged instead of a clean line. I've been binding for about a year now and I guess I got lazy about checking grain on pre-cut sheets, assuming they were all long grain. It made me realize how one small skip can mess up a whole project, making covers warp or pages not sit right. Now I test every single sheet, even the fancy ones. Has anyone else had a moment like that where a basic rule you knew just slipped your mind?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_williams1d ago

That "basic rule you knew" slipping your mind is exactly how we all learn the hard way, isn't it?

milam4821h ago

Ugh, tell me about it! I just did that yesterday with a simple cooking step I've done a hundred times. The lesson definitely sticks better after that kind of mistake.

victor77917h ago

Tell me about it. I once forgot to put water in the instant ramen and just set the dry brick on the stove. The smell of burning noodles and my own shame taught me more than any instructions ever could. My smoke alarm gave me a round of applause. You don't forget a lesson when it comes with its own charred trophy.