MyBinding Knowledge Base
What should I consider when choosing a booklet making machine?
If your company creates a lot of saddle stitched booklets or manuals you could probably use a bookletmaker. These machines are designed to take your printed documents, fold them in half and staple them in the center creating a book. Without this type of machine, creating manuals would require using a long reach stapler and then hand folding the pages of your document. However, choosing the right machine for your needs can be somewhat difficult. Here are five things to look for when choosing a booklet maker.
- Paper Size Compatibility: One of the first things to look for when choosing a bookletmaking machine is the size of paper that it can handle. Most of these machines will accept letter size paper and 11″ x 17″ sized paper for making half letter sized books and letter sized books. However, some booklet makers are also capable of handling legal sized paper or custom sizes of paper.
- Maximum Booklet Thickness: A second thing to look for when choosing a bookletmaker is the maximum thickness of book that the machine can produce. Some booklet makers can only handle a few sheets while others can staple up to thirty sheets at a time to create a finished book that is over 100 pages.
- Speed: One of the biggest differences between these machines is the speed at which they operate. Every manufacturer will publish a maximum number of booklets that the machine can create per hour. Unfortunately, there is no universal standard for measuring the productivity of these machines and most manufacturers exaggerate the numbers. Still the numbers provided by the manufacturers can be used as a general guideline to compare the machines.
- Capabilities: The best bookletmakers that are available on the market are capable of not only creating books but can also just fold or just staple documents. This versatility is great for times where you might simply need a paper folder or a saddle stitch stapler. Many larger organizations or print shops may have separate equipment to handle these tasks. However, smaller companies can use this extra functionality to reduce costs.
- Stapling locations: When looking for a machine it is important to note the number of stapling locations that are offered. Some machines offer just two staplers while others offer three or even four stapling heads. With some pieces of equipment these stapling heads are fully adjustable and with others they fixed.
These are five simple things that you can look for when purchasing a booklet maker. As you look at the options that are available on the market you will find that some have the features that you want and others do not. Ultimately, you will need to find a balance between the features that you want and the budget that you have. Good luck and happy bookletmaking.
< 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)
