MyBinding Knowledge Base
What should I know about Antimicrobial Sheet Protectors?
Never before have consumers been so aware of the germs that are all around us. With cold and flu season in full swing, people are looking for new ways to protect themselves and their families. New lines of antimicrobial products have been popping up in the last few years. We’ve seen copy paper, three ring binders, staplers, folders, and more treated with antimicrobial additives. Another recent item to contain antimicrobials is sheet protectors. C-Line Sheet Protectors with Antimicrobial Protection are treated to repel bacterial growth. Here is a look at these products.
- C-Line is a leading producer of office supplies with over 60 years experience. They specialize in storage, identification, and organization solutions. Several of their items contain
- C-Line’s Antimicrobial Protected Sheet Protectors are constructed with a heavyweight polypropylene material and feature a top loading design. Pages easily slide into them and are given durable protection. No acid is used in the design process and the protectors are rated at archival quality. These two factors result in a durable product that won’t turn your pages yellow with age. And the clear finish lets you plainly view the pages at all times.
- The three hole punched side allows your documents to stay in their original condition. Whereas many sheet protectors require the actual page to be punched, C-Line page protectors don’t require any alteration to your document for them to work. A reinforced binding edge prevents the item from tearing out of your three ring binder.
- Each of these sheet protectors are treated with Microban, which contains the antibacterial agent Triclosan. Triclosan acts mainly as an antibacterial but still retains some antifungal and antiviral properties. This substance is added to the polypropylene during the construction process, not after, so it is intrinsic in the plastic material; it will never rub off or expire. Microban prevents the growth of bacteria, fungi, yeast, molds, and mildew. As a result, these sheet protectors are also safeguarded against stains, odor, and deterioration.
- Microban acts at the cell level. You won’t see it working, but every bacterium that comes into contact with the sheet protector will be attacked. As a microbe sits on the surface, the Microban molecules enter the cell and inhibit vital functions, such as metabolism and reproduction, so the cell cannot function, grow, or replicate. As a result, the microbe eventually dies without leaving any offspring, instead of forming a colony as is normal behavior.
< 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)
