MyBinding Knowledge Base
How do I choose a booklet making machine?
If you create a lot of booklets by hand, you know just how time-consuming it can be. That’s why you should consider getting a booklet maker. A good booklet maker will fold and staple your booklets so you can save time during your busy workday. That said, you will need to look for certain things to ensure you’re getting the right machine for your needs. Here is what you need to consider:
- Paper size. It’s important to get a booklet maker that can handle your chosen size(s) of paper. The good news is that most booklet makers can handle letter- and tabloid-sized paper without any problem. However, you may have to hunt a little bit to find a machine that can handle paper that’s larger or smaller than 11” x 17” or 8.5” x 11”.
- Booklet thickness. You will definitely want to consider the thickness of your booklets and choose a machine that can easily handle your documents. As you might expect, some machines can only handle very short booklets while others can process 60-page documents. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding a machine that will be able to accommodate your booklets.
- Speed. Speed is another important factor to consider. You can gauge a machine’s speed by how many documents it can crank out per hour. Make sure you think about how many documents you want to prepare every hour and select a unit that can keep up with you.
- Stapling locations. You should check out how many stapling heads the machine has and where they are located. Booklet makers usually have at least two stapling heads and sometimes they are even repositionable so you can adjust their locations as necessary. Think about the design of your booklets and where you want them to be stapled so you can pick a machine that will do the job properly.
- Other capabilities. Finally, it’s a good idea to select a booklet maker that can also be used as a paper folder and stapler. These features will help you get more out of your machine and it will save you a lot of time during busy workdays. Also, if you have a machine with multiple functions, you won’t need any extra equipment and you’ll be able to save space in your office.
< 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)
