What should I know about paper drills?

If you have a lot of paper that needs holes in it, you should consider getting a paper drill. These devices are more heavy-duty than regular three-hole punches and they can typically drill holes in hundreds of pages at once. You can drill just one hole or multiple ones, depending on your machine. If you think you want a paper drill, here are five things to consider when looking for one.

• The number of spindles. Paper drills are pretty similar to drill presses. A single spindle will only be able to drill one hole at a time, so you need a machine with multiple spindles if you want to drill more holes at once. Having a drill with multiple spindles will definitely help you save time during a busy workday.
• Drilling thickness. Drilling thickness refers to how much paper a machine can process at once. Heavy-duty drills can handle a lot of paper so you’ll be able to get things done quickly. Try to get a drill that can handle at least 2” of paper at once.
• Drill control. There are manual, electric, and hydraulic paper drills. Manual drills generally work well but electric and hydraulic machines are much easier to use. Whichever drill you choose, you should use bit wax to keep the bits in good shape. The bits should also be sharpened regularly.
• Drill bit availability. Drill bits come in different sizes but not every drill can handle every bit. When looking for your machine, you should make sure that replacement bits are readily available. This is especially important if you want to use bits that can drill non-standard hole sizes.
• Size. Finally, you should make sure that your drill will be able to fit in your work area. Drills are available as free-standing machines as well as countertop devices. The countertop models tend to be smaller but they might not fit the bill if you need a heavy-duty device. The free-standing drills are bigger and are well-suited for environments such as print shops.