MyBinding Knowledge Base
Are there easier ways to bind a document with coil binding?
If you regularly bind your documents with coils, you are probably wondering if there is anything you could be doing to create an easier coil binding experience. It turns out that there are ways to speed up your productivity and make the process a lot smoother. Here are three tips for easier coil binding:
- Consider using pre-punched paper. Punching holes in your document is definitely the most time-consuming part of the binding process. Using pre-punched paper will help you save a lot of time and you can use it in whatever printer or copier you have. Just make sure that it has the correct hole pattern. Coil binding uses a 44-hole pattern if you’re using letter-sized paper.
- Curve the spine of the document. Binding thick documents with coils can be tricky. After all, your document is essentially a giant block of paper while the coil is a plastic spiral. You should consider curving the spine of the document to make coil insertion easier. If your binding machine has a spine forming channel, take advantage of it. You could also use a plastic binding sleeve. A sleeve looks like a binder and you can just slide your document into one and it will automatically curve the spine for you.
- Watch how you hold your coil crimpers. Finally, you need to crimp both ends of the coil every time you bind a book. You can do this with crimping pliers. They look very similar to a regular pair of pliers and they’re used to trim and fold in the ends of the coil. When using your crimpers, make sure you hold them so that the red dot on them is facing up. If you don’t see the red dot, you could end up simply clipping the coil instead of crimping it. This can cause the coil to spin out of the document and you will then need to re-bind it.
< 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)
