A system for binding books includes a flexible binding material in the form of a stud having top and bottom caps. The stud is inserted into signature staples that protrude from the body of the signature to form stud holes. The binding material can be any material that is extremely flexible, including silicone, metals, etc., as long as it allows the signatures to open in a lay-flat manner either at the signature interfaces or in the body of any signature. The flexible binding material can also be used to temporarily bind pre-punched pages of a book by inserting the flexible binding material into the pre-punched holes to facilitate lay-flat opening of the book.