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Right now there is a question about covering a book with contact paper (How can I cover books with contact paper without bubbles?) And I'm curious if this is considered "on topic" I would like to get some opinions because at first glance to me it seems off topic but I'm not sure.

Discuss!

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    I would edit the question to be "Is the How to cover books without bubbles question on topic"? Your current title will be asked a lot in the future.
    – Matt
    Apr 28 '16 at 16:08
  • yes I can change it, I wasn't sure the best title, thank you for pointing that out
    – neongreenfruit
    Apr 28 '16 at 16:09
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I think this comes down to wording, which is important and makes or breaks a question on any site in the StackExchange.

If the question were "How do I properly laminate with contact paper without leaving bubbles?" This would be on topic.

As it stands, the question specifically is asking how to put a cover on a book. This is not an art project. This is not a craft project. This is a book preservation project, just because they happen to use materials that are often used in craft projects does not make this a craft related question.

I would submit that this question is off topic, and any future questions that are not craft related but happen to use crafting supplies would be as well.

Example of proposed off-topic questions

  • How do I make yarn strong enough to hold up a bird feeder?
  • What sewing needles are best for emergency stitches?
  • What kind of fabric is best for filtering cheese curds?
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    This is absolutely how I feel. It may not seem craft-related at first glance, but it has a specific application (something we look for), but can also be generalized. We can edit this question in particular to make it easier to find and more relevant.
    – user24
    Apr 29 '16 at 16:28
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I don't personally see how it's craft related.

While bookmaking/binding would certainly be acceptable, I don't know that "book preservation" is.

I suppose there could be a way to reframe the question such that it is on topic but I'm not familiar enough with uses of contact paper to know what crafts it might apply to.

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  • I'm kinda on the fence but lets just say that the OP of the question did his own binding and now wanted to protect his cover then? Would that be on topic? While that information would be useful you could argue that it might not change the answers.
    – Matt
    Apr 28 '16 at 16:13
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    I don't know that someone who went to the effort to do their own binding would want to use contact paper to protect the book. I don't personally have any positive feelings towards it as a beneficial product.
    – Catija StaffMod
    Apr 28 '16 at 16:17
  • I do actually do my own binding but I use leather so this would be a non issue for me. I was more trying to think of a reason. Just trying to be objective.
    – Matt
    Apr 28 '16 at 17:01
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I look at that question as asking about lamination which can apply to other things other than just books themselves. Like Catija I am not sure specifically what else this applies to.

Currently I cannot think of another SE it would be better for. And no, that is not an excuse for it to remain here.

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    in this case I believe lamination would be on topic, but this question just seems totally out of place.
    – neongreenfruit
    Apr 28 '16 at 16:08

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