Journal / Signature Count
Companion App
Signature Count
A small tool for tracking signature order and collation while a book is disbound on the bench — built for the part of a repair that has nothing to do with sewing and everything to do with not losing track.
Six things it keeps track of
1Signature order
A running list of each signature as it comes off the text block, in the order it was collated, so nothing gets reshuffled by accident.
2Fold condition notes
A short note per signature — sound, weak at the centerfold, needs a guard — attached to the number, not scattered across loose paper.
3Page counts
Expected page count per signature versus what is actually there, which catches a missing or misbound leaf early.
4Thread and station plan
Where sewing stations fall on each signature, kept consistent across the whole text block before the needle starts.
5Project history
A running note per project rather than per session, so picking a rebind back up after a week doesn't mean re-reading your own memory.
6A simple total
A plain count of verified signatures against the expected total, visible at a glance from across the bench.
Four steps, in the order you'd already do them
Signature Count follows the sequence most binders already use when disbinding and collating — it just keeps the notes in one place instead of on scrap paper next to the awl.
Name the book and note the expected signature count if you have one from the original binding.
As the text block is disbound, add a line — number, page count, fold condition.
Weak folds or unexpected page counts get marked, not fixed in the moment.
Verified count against expected count, so re-sewing starts from a text block you can trust.
A few things people ask
Does it replace a proper collation pass?
No. It is a place to record what a collation pass finds, not a substitute for doing the pass carefully by hand.
Is it built for a specific binding style?
It is neutral to structure — the same signature-and-fold logic applies whether the eventual sew is a kettle stitch or a longer link stitch.
Who is it for?
Mostly for people rebinding or repairing a text block with more than a handful of signatures, where memory alone starts to slip.
More on the reasoning behind it
Read the journal entry on why counting comes first, before any tool.
Read the entry