MyBinding Knowledge Base
What are Fastback CP Binding Strips?
In late 2006 Powis Parker Inc. released the new Fastback CP Binding Strip. The CP strip is designed as a solution for binding difficult to bind papers with the Fastback 15xs Binding Machine. The CP strip is designed for use with color copy and laser print papers up to 32# text. These color copy and laser print papers are often used in the workplace for reports, proposals, and other business documents. However, existing Powis Parker Fastback strips sometimes had difficulty binding these glossy paper stocks.
The new Powis Parker Fastback CP strip has a strip of center glue that is formulated for extremely aggressive adhesion. The Fastback CP strip works well with split sheets and coated paper but also creates a strong bind with smooth paper without using the Powis Edge splitter which is part of their high end photobook production cell. However, to obtain this strong bind the CP strip requires extra binding time (approximately 45 seconds).
The center adhesive on the new Fastback CP strips is thicker than the center adhesive on Fastback Super Strips. According to Powis Parker this has two primary benefits: First, pages bound with the Fastback CP Strip are not allowed to completely lay-flat creating a more sophisticated, signature look for the finished presentations. Second, the thicker glue of the Fastback CP Strip helps to protect the binding edge from the flex stress of page turning.
Although these new Fastback CP strips are effective in binding many types of paper that have proven difficult to bind in the past it is important to understand that the CP strip by itself does not solve the problems with binding glossy coated stocks and digital output. Additionally, the extended bind time and extra heat required by the new Fastback CP strips can sometimes cause printing along the binding edge to bleed. Thus, these strips are not recommended for prints with full bleeds that run to the binding edge of the document. Still, the best way to know if these new strips will work for your application is to simply have us bind a sample for you and see the results for yourself.
You can choose from four different colors of CP strips including: Black Fastback CP Strips, White Fastback CP Strips, Dark Blue Fastback CP Strips and Khaki Fastback CP Strips. These strips are packaged 75 strips per box and are available in two different thicknesses (narrow and medium). Khaki colored strips are slightly shorter than standard superstrips and are designed for finishing books using Fastback Hardcovers.
If you are considering these new innovative binding strips from Powis Parker it is essential that you first determine if your machine is compatible. All 15xs Fastback machines manufactured after 3/9/2006 were shipped with the new firmware and required adjustments to adequately run these new CP strips. However, if your Fastback Binding Machine is older you may need to upgrade it in order to run these strips. This new upgrade for the Fastback 15xs will allow you to run CP strips, will provide you with a faster binding cycle when using Super strips, will allow you to produce sharper edges when binding and will fix a firmware bug that prevented user strip wrap settings from being saved properly.
< 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)
