What are my options for binding a book?

Now that you’ve finished your book, here are a few of the methods you can use to bind it.

Saddle Stitching:

Saddle stitching is a very common form of binding, which you have mostly seen in smaller booklets and magazines.Using the saddle stitching method, the pages are essentially folded in half and stapled in the middle. Usually two staples are used, and they are placed equidistant from the edge of the pages. The machines that do this binding style are called “booklet makers.” No paper punching is required for saddle stitching, and as previously stated it is a great choice for newsletters, programs, and those types of smaller booklets, as sell as magazines.

Plastic Comb Binding

This is also a method of binding that you have likely see quite a bit of over the years. The “plastic comb” in question refers to the spine. The spine is made up of a plastic strip with comb-like teeth that curl around each other and hold the pages in place. With plastic bomb binding you get a book that can open flat, making it a great choice for cookbooks, manuals, and other books where it may be beneficial to be able to read in a hands-free fashion. This type of binding requires that you punch holes in the paper to insert the spine, and there are many machines on the market that are designed to do exactly that. Some of them include what are called “comb openers” that enable you to insert the spine into the book.

Spiral Coil Binding

Also known as Color Coil, this is a method of binding you have seen a lot, too. This method of binding is essentially a wire that is wound up through holes that are punched in the edges of the pages, similar to you average wire-bound notebook. Spiral coils come in lots of different colors and are usually made of plastic, or wire that is coated in plastic. These books also require hole-punched pages, and the wire can either be inserted by hand, or with a special tool. These books lie flat, and the pages can also be flipped completely over for added functionality.

Twin-Loop Binding

Also called double loop, or wire-o. This binding style provides a slightly more elegant look than the previously mentioned methods. Usually featuring thick cardboard covers, books that you would find bound in this method include journals, address books, and art and photography collections. The pages in these books must be punched, and the wire is then inserted and closed using a special tool.

Thermal Binding

Also known as perfect binding, this is the style you are accustomed to seeing on hardcover and soft-cover books. Though it may seem counterintuitive, this most permanent and elegant of binding systems is quite easily done. Usually, your pages are simply placed inside the cover, which is then placed on its spine in a machine that quickly heats a glue strip that is located in the cover. The whole process can take as little as 30 seconds, and you can have a permanently bound, bookshelf-ready book as soon as the glue cools. In this method, no hole-punching is required, though with glossier paper stocks, it can be helpful to staple the edges before binding.