MyBinding Knowledge Base
What should I know about Ring Binders?
When it comes to three ring binders most people think the choices are pretty straight forward. You go to the office supply store and there are cheap ones and there are expensive ones. However, there is a lot more to choosing a three ring binder than just the price. In fact, it is important to understand a number of different factors when choosing a ring binder. This article is designed to identify the major things to look for when choosing a ring binder. Here they are: 
- Ring style: There are two primary ring styles used with three ring binders. The most common style is round ring. For smaller documents and smaller binders these are ideal. For larger documents companies often prefer to use D-ring binders. The rings on these binders are shaped like the letter D and they are designed to make it easier to open and reference pages in thicker documents. In addition to these two styles there are a number of variations on these styles. EZload binders are a type of d-ring and some manufacturers claim to have easy open features that make it simple to add and remove pages. These two ring shapes are the most common and are used in most 3-ring binders.
- Thickness: Binders are available in sizes as small as 1/2″ and can be found as large as four inches in thickness. Generally thinner binders use round ring mechanisms and thicker binders use D ring binders. Sizes between 1” and 3” are usually available in both of the different ring styles.
- Covers: Some three ring binders come with a plain vinyl wrap on the front, back and spine. Others have a clear vinyl overlay that allows for printed sheets to be added for customization. These are sometimes called clear overlay or clearview binders. Both of these types of binders have a piece of chipboard inside the front back and spine. However, not all binders utilize chipboard. Some have a front, back and spine made of a poly or plastic material that is flexible.
- Size: Most ring binders are designed for binding letter sized documents. Some specialty binders are available for binding half letter sized sheets (sometimes called baby books), legal sized paper, 11” x 17 sheets and landscape documents. These ring-binders can be more difficult to find and are usually available with less options than standard letter ring-binders.
- Color: The most common colors for ring-binders are black and white. Depending on the style that you are looking for it is possible to find other colors.
< 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)
