MyBinding Knowledge Base
How do I use Coil Binding Sleeves?
Coil binding is an excellent way to make your documents look more professional. However, working with coils can be tricky since you’re using a flexible piece of plastic to bind a stack of paper. That’s where coil binding sleeves come in. These are plastic sleeves that look very much like a three-ring binder except they lack the rings. These sleeves keep your pages flush and secure for easier binding. Here are a few tips on how to use coil binding sleeves:
- Proofread your document and print it on good quality paper. Punch holes in it with either a coil binding machine or modular punch.
- Select a binding sleeve that can easily secure all of your pages. Binding sleeves range in thickness from 1/4” to 2”.
- Place your document in the binding sleeve. The holes in the paper need to be facing out, as demonstrated in the picture.
- Spin the coil through the few few holes in your document. Then, you can either insert the rest of the coil manually or with an electric coil inserter.
- Once the coil has been inserted, you will need to crimp the ends of it. Leave the document in the binding sleeve and hold it so the coil is facing you. Hold your crimping pliers so that the red dot on them is facing up. Crimp one end, flip the document over, and crimp the other end. Don’t skip this step. If you do, the coil will come out of your document.
- After the coil ends have been crimped, you can slide your document out of the binding sleeve. That’s all there is to 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)
