What Is a Deckle Edge? — The Untrimmed Edge of Handmade Paper

A deckle edge is the rough, feathered, irregular edge of a sheet of paper — formed during the papermaking process and left untrimmed in the finished book. The term comes from the deckle, the removable wooden frame that sits on top of the papermaking mold and determines the size of the sheet. During hand papermaking, a thin slurry of pulp seeps under the deckle, creating the characteristic irregular edge.

How Deckle Edges Form

Handmade Paper

In traditional hand papermaking:

1. A rectangular mold (a screen of wire or woven material in a wooden frame) is dipped into a vat of paper pulp
2. The deckle — a separate frame — sits on top of the mold to contain the pulp
3. As the mold is lifted from the vat, pulp seeps under the edges of the deckle
4. This seepage produces a thin, irregular edge — the deckle edge

All four edges of a handmade sheet have deckle edges. The two longer edges (parallel to the chain lines) are called the true deckle edges; the two shorter edges (perpendicular to the chain lines) are sometimes called cross-deckle edges.

Mould-Made Paper

Mould-made paper — produced on a cylinder mold machine that mimics handmade paper — has deckle edges on two sides (the two edges parallel to the machine direction). These deckle edges are less pronounced than handmade deckle edges but are genuine products of the papermaking process.

Machine-Made Paper

Standard machine-made paper does not have natural deckle edges. However, some machine-made papers are given artificial deckle edges by tearing or cutting the edges to simulate the handmade appearance. These faux deckle edges lack the gradual thinning and fibrous character of genuine deckle edges.

Deckle Edges in Books

Trimmed vs. Untrimmed

When a book is bound, the edges of the text block may be:

Trimmed — cut smooth with a guillotine or plough, removing any deckle edges and producing a flush, even edge. This is the standard for most commercial bookbinding.

Untrimmed (or uncut) — the edges are left in their original state, preserving the deckle edges. This is common in fine press books and some trade editions intended for collectors.

Rough trimmed — the edges are trimmed but not smoothly; this creates a slightly irregular edge that is not the same as a true deckle edge but gives a similar aesthetic.

Uncut vs. Unopened

A related but distinct concept:

Uncut — the edges have not been trimmed by the binder. The pages may still be connected at the top and fore-edge (because the printed sheet was folded but not cut apart).

Unopened — the folds of the printed sheet have not been slit open; the pages are still connected. An unopened book literally cannot be read without cutting the pages apart.

A book can be uncut (untrimmed edges) but opened (pages have been slit apart for reading).

Collecting Significance

Deckle edges indicate:

• Fine press production — deckle edges on handmade or mould-made paper signal quality papermaking and intentional preservation of the natural paper edge
• Unaltered condition — trimmed edges may indicate rebinding (where the edges were cut down during the rebinding process), while preserved deckle edges suggest the book is in its original binding
• Wide margins — untrimmed books typically have wider margins than trimmed copies, which is aesthetically pleasing and bibliographically desirable

In Catalog Descriptions

Standard terminology:

• “Uncut” or “untrimmed” — edges have not been cut by the binder
• “Deckle edges” — the natural paper edges are preserved
• “Rough-cut” — edges have been roughly trimmed but not smooth-cut
• “Fore-edge uncut” — only the fore-edge (the edge opposite the spine) has been left untrimmed

The Aesthetic Tradition

Arts and Crafts and Private Press

The preservation of deckle edges became an aesthetic statement during the Arts and Crafts movement. William Morris and the Kelmscott Press, the Doves Press, and other private presses deliberately preserved deckle edges as part of their commitment to traditional craftsmanship.

Modern Fine Press

Contemporary fine press publishers continue the tradition, using handmade or mould-made paper with natural deckle edges. The deckle edge signals the use of quality materials and careful production.

Trade Publishing

Some modern trade publishers include artificial deckle edges on selected titles — typically literary fiction or gift editions — to suggest quality and craftsmanship. These are decorative rather than traditional, produced by tearing or rough-cutting machine-made paper.

Deckle edges are a small detail that reveals much about a book’s production: the quality of its paper, the care taken in its binding, and the aesthetic values of its maker. For collectors, they are one of the many physical features that make the handling and examination of books an endlessly rewarding experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I trim deckle edges to make a book easier to read? Never. Trimming deckle edges is an irreversible alteration that reduces a book’s value. If you find deckle edges inconvenient for reading, buy a reading copy and preserve the collectible copy in its original state.