Online Bookbinding Course vs In Person Workshop: Which Is Right for You?

It's one of the most common questions we get asked about our courses.

Should I do the online course, or come in for the full day workshop? 

The honest answer is: both are genuinely good. They just suit different people for different reasons. If you've been sitting on the fence, here's what you need to know to help you answers that question for yourself. 

What you get from the in-person workshop

There's something that happens when you're in a room with other people making things.

In our workshops, you work in a real working bindery with vintage tools, and Simon guiding you through each step. You can ask a question and have someone show you the answer with their hands. You can watch a demonstration, adjust your own work, and feel the difference between right and not so right.

The social side is great too. You leave having made a properly bound book, and having spent a few hours with people who were willing to learn something new alongside you.

Our workshops run in small groups — no more than 5 people. So you get real attention, not just a seat in a room. We have only a few spots left for our final dates in 2026. If you've been thinking about coming in, these are the last opportunities this year.

→ See workshop dates

What our online course offers

Learning a craft online sounds like a compromise. For some skills, it can be. However for bookbinding, we've found it works better than most people expect.

Here's why: you can rewatch every step. You can pause at the tricky part, come back to it tomorrow, and not feel the awkwardness of asking your instructor to show you the same thing twice. You can learn from your kitchen table in Brisbane, or your studio in Melbourne, or anywhere you have a decent space to work.

The Beginner's Bookbinding Blueprint covers everything from collating and folding your first signatures (book sections) to building a hard cover. You'll learn about the materials, the project, and have a community of people learning alongside you. And because the course is now always available, there's no countdown timer or cart closing. You can start when you're ready. Even right now!

→ Explore the Beginner's Bookbinding Blueprint

How to decide

A few questions worth asking yourself:

Do you learn best with someone right beside you? An in person workshop might be the answer. Do you have an irregular schedule, or live outside of Bendigo or Victoria? Online probably suits you better. Do you want to rewatch a technique until it actually clicks? Online wins that one. Do you want the full experience — the bindery bench, the tools, the room? Come in.

Most of our students who go deep into bookbinding end up doing both at some point. The workshop gives them a feel for the craft. The course gives them the structure to keep going and make books over and over without having to 'try and remember' how to do it. 

And if you'd rather go at your own pace entirely

Our PDF Bookbinding Manual is the self-directed option. It's a reference guide rather than a hand-held course, but it covers techniques, tools, and projects in enough depth to take you well beyond a beginner's first book. It's the manual you get in both our in bindery and online courses.

→ Download the Bookbinding Manual

Whether you're drawn to the bench or the screen, the most important thing is to start. Bookbinding is one of those crafts that makes a lot more sense once you've started doing the steps.

Not sure which is right for you? Feel free to reach out, we're happy to help you figure it out.