MyBinding Knowledge Base
Do you have a glossary of coil binding terms?
Coil binding is a popular document finishing method that can be used for reports, proposals, anthologies, and more. In order to bind with coils, it’s usually necessary to use a coil binding machine. There is a lot of terminology associated with these machines, so it’s a good idea to become familiar with it before you try binding your documents. Here are the main terms you should know:
- Binding capacity. Nearly every type of binding machine has a specific binding capacity. This refers to the maximum number of pages each document can have. So if your coil binding machine has a 200-page capacity, that means your documents can be up to 200 pages long.
- Coils. Coils are plastic binding implements that can be used with books containing 440 pages or less. These supplies are sometimes referred to as “color coils” because they are available in dozens of colors. Most coils are 12” long, which makes them suitable for letter-sized documents.
- Coil inserter. A coil inserter is a machine that’s designed to insert coils into your documents. These machines don’t usually come with a punching mechanism, so you’ll either need a modular binding machine or pre-punched paper.
- Crimping pliers. Crimping pliers look just like a regular pair of pliers. They’re used at the end of the binding process to trim and curl the coil. This helps secure the binding so the coil won’t spin out of your document. Some coil binding machines come with crimping pliers and they can also be purchased separately.
- Disengageable dies. Some coil binding machines and punches come with disengageable dies. These dies can be engaged (or disengaged) so you can produce different hole patterns for various sizes of paper. Machines with disengageable dies usually have an open punching throat to accommodate different sizes of paper.
< 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)
