GBC VeloBind System Four Binding Machine- 9707027

Staff Review

GBC VeloBind System Four Bind Hot Knife Binding Machine Review

Overview:

• The GBC Velobind System Four is the most advanced piece of hot knife binding equipment that GBC Makes.
• This machine does not include a punch. Instead it is just a finishing unit that is designed for large printers, binderies, copy shops and corporations that already own a high volume modular binding punch.
• Using this machine along with a heavy duty binding punch can help to more than triple your productivity in producing documents with eleven pin Velobind binding strips.
• This machine is the fastest possible way to create documents with hot knife Velobind binding.

Features/ Strengths:

• The Velobind System Four Bind is capable of binding documents with a number of different lengths. It can be used to bind documents that are 8.5" in length for binding landscape or half letter documents, 11" in length for letter sized documents and 14" in length for legal sized documents. It can even be used to bind A4 length documents if you can find the strips (they are only available overseas).
• Like the System Three Pro this machine can be used to bind documents up to three inches thick. GBC Velobind and Surebind are the only desktop binding systems that can bind documents that are this thick.
• The Velobind System 4 bind is extremely fast. In fact, it is even slightly faster than the System 3pro. It can bind a document that is less than one inch in about 8-10 seconds and can bind a document that is between 2-3 inches in 10-12 seconds.
• The bind provided by the Velobind system four is strong, durable, permanent and tamper resistant. It uses GBC's hot knife technology to weld the spine of your document in place. The only way to remove the spine once it is bound is to cut it off. Luckily, the system four bind includes an integrated Debind feature to safely remove the strip from your document so that you can edit its contents.
• This system is designed for use with a heavy duty interchangeable die binding punch. Using this machine in conjunction with a heavy duty punching machine such as the GBC Magnapunch can allow you to more than triple your daily output of Velobound documents. Not only will you get better performance in punching the paper but you will also be able to dedicate an individual to finishing your documents with the system four. This is by far the fastest way to bind documents with Velobind.
• The Velobind System Four is also incredibly easy to use. All you need to do place your document onto the system and lower the pressure bar. The binding cycle will activate itself automatically and will let you know when your book is finished.

Limitations/Weaknesses:

• The biggest limitation of the Velobind System Four Bind is that it doesn't have an integrated binding punch. This is the way that it was designed and for large printers who already own a modular binding punch this isn't a big deal. However, modular interchangeable die binding punches aren't cheap. You will be looking at several thousand dollars for the punch and a few thousand more for this machine. If your volume warrants this type of expense then this is the way to go. However, organizations that don't need the ultimate in productivity can probably live with the Velobind System Three Pro.
• Although this system can handle letter, legal, A4 and 8.5" documents, supplies for thick documents and non standard colors can be difficult to find. If you want to bind your documents with black strips then you will have a pretty good selection of strip choices. However, users who want to use a different color will find that strips are simply not available for binding thicker documents or lengths other than 11".
• Documents bound with this system are permanently riveted in place and are tamper resistant. However, the security that this binding style offers can also be a pain if you end up making a mistake in one of your documents. In order to edit a hot knife bound document you will need to cut the strip off the book and then rebind it using a new strip. This can be fairly expensive if you have to do it very often.

Recommendation:

• For a print shop, bindery or large organization that already owns an interchangeable die binding punch the Velobind System Four is definitely the way to go.
• This machine offers increased productivity and the ability to create a huge variety of professionally bound presentations and proposals.
• However, organizations that do not already own a punch capable of producing an eleven hole pattern will need to determine if their budget and volume really warrant the purchase of both a punch and the System Four.
• Users who need to bind hundreds of documents per week will more than likely find that this system will pay for itself in no time. Smaller users may want to consider an all in one machine such as the V800pro , System Two or System Three Pro.