What is Screw Post Binding?

One of the most overlooked binding methods is using screw posts. These are metal rods that can be threaded through your documents to produce great-looking books. Screw posts are easy to use, affordable, and you don’t need any special equipment to use them. Here’s a look at these great binding supplies and how to use them.

• Screw posts can be used to bind documents that are short, medium, or long. These supplies can range in length from 1/8” to 5”. You can purchase extenders if your document is thicker than 5” so this is really a perfect method for assembling long documents.
• One of the best things about screw posts is that they’re very durable. Most of the ones you can currently buy are made out of aluminum so you can expect them to hold up for a long time. (And if you need supplies that are almost indestructible, you can get steel screw posts.) If you’re looking for fancier posts for items such as menus, wine lists, and so on, you can find some that are brass or even gold. This really makes using these supplies very versatile.
• All you need to work with these posts is a screwdriver and something that can punch holes in your document. (The screwdriver is used to tighten the posts.) You’ll need to punch holes to thread the posts through so you need to have either a hole punch or paper drill. If you’re working with smaller documents, a three-hole or handheld punch will do the job quite nicely. However, if you’re going to be binding longer books, you might want to consider using a paper drill. These machines can drill through hundreds of sheets of paper at once which will help you finish your work in a snap.
• When you’re binding with screw posts, it’s really important to choose supplies that are just the right size for your documents. If you choose supplies that are either too small or too big you’re going to run into problems. Either all the pages won’t fit or else the binding will be too loose. So make sure you take a ruler and measure the thickness of your book before you select the screws.
• Finally, you can use screw posts to bind just about any type of document. Some possibilities include legal pleadings, financial reports, anthologies, photo albums, art portfolios, and so on. These supplies don’t take up very much room so you can keep some in a box for binding at a moment’s notice. You can even take these items on the road so you can put together documents when you’re not at work.