MyBinding Knowledge Base
What features should I look for in a corner rounder?
If you’re like most other professionals, you care deeply about making sure your company’simage in the best light possible. You no doubt have a fair amount of document finishing equipment such as a binding machine, paper cutter, or even a roll laminator. But do you have a corner rounder? This is a device that can provide your documents with rounded corners which can make all of your documents look more professional. If you don’t have one of these machine, here’s what you should look for when buying one.
- A good rounding capacity. This feature is essential because it will determine how many materials you’ll be able to process in a certain amount of time. Capacities can vary greatly. Some machines can only process a couple of sheets at a time while others can work with about an inch of material at once. You should choose a device that can handle as many sheets are possible so you’ll be able to get your work done more quickly.
- A large enough table size. One thing you’ll want to think about before buying a corner rounder is how large your materials are. If you’re going to be working with smaller items such as business cards and name tags, a rounder with a smaller table (i.e. base) will work just fine. However, if your documents are larger (i.e. letter- or legal-size, some laminated documents), you really need to choose a machine with a large table. This will make it easier to get the results you need.
- Available radius dies. One of the most important features of a corner rounder is its radius die. This is the part of the machine that actually rounds the corners of your documents to give you your desired end result. The availability of these dies can vary quite a bit so you’ll want to choose a machine that uses dies that can be readily found. You’ll also want to look into the cost of these dies so you won’t end up spending a lot of money on their replacements.
- Electric versus manual devices. Another thing to think about when buying a corner rounder is whether you want one that’s electric or manual. A lot of the smaller devices are manual so they’re good for occasional use. You might also find them difficult to use because you need to hold the rounder in one hand and the paper in the other. (This is a bit easier if your ambidextrous.) Oh the other hand, there are electric rounders that allow you to hold your materials in both hands while processing them. They’re also a bit more expensive so choose one that will fit into your budget.
< 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)
