MyBinding Knowledge Base
What should I know about Sand Poly Covers?
There are so many supplies you need when you want to process your documents with a binding machine. In addition to the paper and ink used to print your work, you’ll need the machine itself, various bookbinding elements, and so on. Something else you need is an assortment of covers to protect your documents. There are a lot of these products available and they come in various colors, sizes, and thicknesses, and they’re made out of a number of different materials. Some of the best ones available are sand poly covers. Here are five great things about them.
- They’re really durable. One of the reasons why sand poly covers are so popular is that they’re extremely durable. These supplies are made out of high-quality polyethylene which is one of the toughest plastics around. Since the material is so durable, the covers can’t be torn at all so they’re an excellent choice if your documents need to be well-protected. These items come in different weights all the way up to 55 mil.
- They’re customizable. Another reason why sand poly covers are frequently used is that they can be customized. Although the plaastic is nice and tough, it can still be foil-stamped and silk-screened. You can have your supplies enhanced by having your company name and/or logo printed on them, as well as the title, date, etc.
- Lots of colors are available. It used to be that a lot of the binding supplies on the market came in pretty conservative colors such as black, red, and navy blue. While this was fine for some documents, additional colors are also nice to have. Luckily, sand poly covers come in a variety of hues to please just about everyone. Some of the ones you can choose from include teal, frost, purple, and green.
- They’re versatile. Something that’s really great about sand poly covers is that they can be used with a great majority of the binding machines on the market. They can be used with the following types of devices: plastic combs, color coils, VeloBind, and ProClick and ZipBind. You can even get these supplies pre-punched so you can save some time when you put your documents together. If you choose to punch them yourself, you should only process one or two at the time so you don’t wear out your device.
- Some of them are eco-friendly. Although these supplies are made out of plastic, some of them are eco-friendly. Some of the frosted covers are made from 50% post-consumer waste and can be recycled after you’re done with them. They’re available in a number of different sizes and are ideal for companies that want their documents to look professional while being environmentally friendly at the same time.
< Over the years, a number of customers have asked me whether they can use twin loop wire with their plastic comb binding machine. These customers often don’t want to have to buy a brand new machine but like the look and feel of twin loop wire binding. However, the answer to their question isn’t as simple as it seems. You see, they actually do make twin loop wire that is designed to work with the plastic comb binding hole pattern. With that said, if you want to use these wires you are going to need a way to close the wires. What is Spiral-O Wire? Let me explain a little bit more…There is a product that we carry called Spiral-O Wire. This wire has 19 loops and is designed to work with the hole pattern from a plastic comb binding machine. Spiral-O Wire is sometimes called Wire Combs or Ibico Wire and was originally designed for use with some of the older Ibico binding machines. A number of the older Ibico plastic comb binding machines also included a twin loop wire closer on the front of them to allow users to use both plastic combs and wire. This 19 loop wire was designed for this purpose. What Equipment is Needed? As the Ibico brand has been phased out by GBC and all of the older Ibico plastic binding machines have been replaced with new models, they no longer have the twin loop wire closer on the front of them. This presents a problem in trying to use these spiral-o wires since you can’t use the wires without a way to close them. One of the only options left is to purchase a Twin Loop wire closer. However, since twin loop wire closers are not incredibly cheap this option usually only appeals to users who have larger electric plastic comb binding machines. Otherwise, it is often advisable to simply buy a low end 3:1 pitch twin loop wire binding machine (the supplies are cheaper). This being said, if you have one of the older Ibico binding machines that has a wire closer included you are in luck. The Spiral-O binding supplies that we carry will work perfectly with your machine and you will be able to use both plastic combs and wire depending on your needs. These Spiral-O binding supplies are available in Black, Silver, White, Blue and Red and in sizes up to 1″ in diameter. If you aren’t sure what type of wire binding supplies that you need to work with your machine simply give us a call. Our trained sales representatives will be glad to help you find the correct supplies for use with your machine.(Read More)
