MyBinding Knowledge Base
What are the most common methods for binding documents?
Binding your documents is a great way to make them look professional so you can impress your clients and colleagues. Here are the top ten ways to bind your documents:
- Comb Binding: Using plastic combs to bind your documents is very cost-effective and easy. This binding method is extremely popular and can be used with documents of different sizes. Comb binding machines are made by manufacturers such as GBC.
- Wire Binding: Your documents will look professional and sophisticated if you bind them with wire spines. These supplies come in a “C” shape and are closed with the help of a wire closer. Wire spines are available in both 3:1 and 2:1 pitch varieties.
- Color Coil Binding: If you need to add a bit of color to your work, go with color coils. These supplies are available in more than 50 colors and can bind documents containing up to 440 pages.
- VeloBind: If you need a permanent binding solution, VeloBind is the way to go. This method entails using plastic binding strips that are locked into place with a hot knife. VeloBind
- Thermal Binding: This is one of the easiest binding methods. It involves placing your document in a cover that has adhesive in the spine and then placing it into a thermal binding machine. The machine will melt the adhesive, securing the pages and giving your work a professional look.
- Unibind: Unibind binding is very similar to thermal binding. However, the supplies used have steel in the spines which gives your work a very secure binding that will last for a long time. Unibind supplies are ideal for photobooks and they’re easy to use.
- ProClick: ProClick spines are made by GBC and allow you to bind your documents anywhere. The supplies use the same hole pattern needed for wire binding so you can choose to use either ProClick or wire spines if you have a wire binding machine.
- Zipbind: ZipBind spines are also manufactured by GBC and they can be re-opened so you can edit your work at a later date. These supplies use the hole pattern used for comb binding, so they’re nice to have on-hand if you usually bind with combs.
- Three-Ring Binders: If you’d rather not deal with specialized binding equipment and supplies, you can always use three-ring binders. They’re great for both short and long documents, and can be customized thanks to clear overlays.
- Staples: Finally, you can always use the humble staple if you have no other options or want to finish the job in a flash. Just keep in mind that your documents won’t exactly convey a professional image.
< Over the years, a number of customers have asked me whether they can use twin loop wire with their plastic comb binding machine. These customers often don’t want to have to buy a brand new machine but like the look and feel of twin loop wire binding. However, the answer to their question isn’t as simple as it seems. You see, they actually do make twin loop wire that is designed to work with the plastic comb binding hole pattern. With that said, if you want to use these wires you are going to need a way to close the wires. What is Spiral-O Wire? Let me explain a little bit more…There is a product that we carry called Spiral-O Wire. This wire has 19 loops and is designed to work with the hole pattern from a plastic comb binding machine. Spiral-O Wire is sometimes called Wire Combs or Ibico Wire and was originally designed for use with some of the older Ibico binding machines. A number of the older Ibico plastic comb binding machines also included a twin loop wire closer on the front of them to allow users to use both plastic combs and wire. This 19 loop wire was designed for this purpose. What Equipment is Needed? As the Ibico brand has been phased out by GBC and all of the older Ibico plastic binding machines have been replaced with new models, they no longer have the twin loop wire closer on the front of them. This presents a problem in trying to use these spiral-o wires since you can’t use the wires without a way to close them. One of the only options left is to purchase a Twin Loop wire closer. However, since twin loop wire closers are not incredibly cheap this option usually only appeals to users who have larger electric plastic comb binding machines. Otherwise, it is often advisable to simply buy a low end 3:1 pitch twin loop wire binding machine (the supplies are cheaper). This being said, if you have one of the older Ibico binding machines that has a wire closer included you are in luck. The Spiral-O binding supplies that we carry will work perfectly with your machine and you will be able to use both plastic combs and wire depending on your needs. These Spiral-O binding supplies are available in Black, Silver, White, Blue and Red and in sizes up to 1″ in diameter. If you aren’t sure what type of wire binding supplies that you need to work with your machine simply give us a call. Our trained sales representatives will be glad to help you find the correct supplies for use with your machine.(Read More)
