Do I Really Need a ProBind Hard Cover Crimper?

Binding hard cover books with a thermal binding machine requires a final step of placing the hard cover into a crimper to finish the process. Standard thermal binding covers, being flexible, do not need this extra step. However, it is a very important step for completing the hard cover binding process and achieving a professional look. Mainly, a hard cover crimper is instrumental in doing two primary tasks.

1. First, crimping your finished book ensures a strong and permanent bind. As soon as your thermal binding machine has finished the binding cycle, remove the book and place it into your crimper. Crimping forces the still-hot adhesive up into the base of your book spine, helping the glue to securely hold your pages into place. Without this step, pages may fall out after extended use.
   


2. Second, hard cover crimpers work to correctly form the spine of your hard cover book. Close inspection of any hard cover book will reveal an indented area near the base of the spine. This works as a hinge, allowing you to open and close your book easily without damaging the cover. The indentation is created by a hard cover crimper while the cover is still hot. Crimping gives your cover a finished look and helps it to work properly.

Some customers have attempted to use an oven mitt to manually form the spine instead springing for the crimper. This method works somewhat, but the results are unprofessional looking and all of them eventually bought a hard cover crimper in the end. The moral of this story is that if you are going to be thermally binding hard cover books, do yourself a favor and purchase the hard cover crimper. Good luck and happy binding!

If you have any other questions or comments about this article please feel free to
email us at sales@mybinding.com or call us at 1-800-944-4573

Written by Jeff McRitchie
©2006 www.MyBinding.com