What binding options are available for editing documents at a later time?

Have you ever had this happen to you? You finally finished that important document that took you weeks to prepare. Then you bound it for your big presentation…only to find out that there’s an error. Maybe some pages are missing or are in the wrong order. Maybe you noticed a glaring typo. Whatever it is, there’s no doubt about it: you need to edit your document. If so, hopefully you picked a binding method that will allow you to make the necessary changes. There are a few methods that allow you to edit your documents. Here they are…

1. Plastic comb binding. This is a very popular method because it’s easy, inexpensive, and looks great. You can also re-open the combs after binding in case you need to make any changes. It’s easy to do and won’t take very long, so this is a great method to choose if you want professional-looking documents that can be edited quickly if the need arises.
2. ZipBind. GBC ZipBind spines look similar to twin-loop wire spines and they’ll give your documents an upscale look. But while they may look like wire spines, you can actually re-open them, something you definitely cannot do with wire binding supplies. Each box of ZipBind spines has a special tool that you can use to pop the spine open so you can add and/or remove pages.
3. ProClick. These spines are another great innovation from GBC. They’re similar to the ZipBind spines in that they can be re-opened, but they resemble plastic combs more than anything else. The really great thing about ProClick spines is that you don’t need a machine to open them up. Like their ZipBind counterparts, they can be re-opened with a certain tool. This can be a much more convenient method than plastic comb binding because of the lack of need for a big, heavy machine.
4. Thermal binding. If you use a thermal machine, such as a Unibind device, it’s possible to make changes to your work so long as you’re not totally overhauling the entire book. If you place the document back on the machine, the glue will heat up enough so that you can remove several pages and replace them without damaging the book. This can be a bit tricky, so be careful. You should only edit a thermally bound document once or maybe twice. If you do it any more than that, the glue in the spine won’t be able to hold on to any more pages, leaving you with a ruined document.
5. Fastback. If you have a Powis Parker Fastback machine, such the #11 model, it’s also possible to edit your work after the fact. The trick is you can only add and/or remove 2 sheets at a time. So this isn’t the method to use if you think you’ll need to do more edits than that.