MyBinding Knowledge Base
Can I write on my laminated document?
If you’ve ever wanted to make your documents last longer, the best thing to do is laminate them. This is easy to do with a pouch laminator. These machines encapsulate your document in plastic pouches so they’ll be protected from over-handling. Many of the pouches available are glossy, so they’re difficult to write on. Luckily, there are now matte laminating pouches available.
Matte laminating pouches give your documents the protection they need while also allowing you to write on them. They’re perfect for sign-up sheets, maps, calendars, sales/marketing materials, and so on. You can use ballpoint, permanent, or dry-erase pens with these supplies. However, dry-erase pens are not erasable, they will permanently mark your pouches.
Matte laminating pouches come in a couple of varieties. Some pouches are matte on both sides while others are clear on one side and matte on the other. You might want to experiment with both types of pouches to see which one you prefer. Both types are available in a number of sizes so you can laminate small items like business cards and larger ones such as menus. Matte laminating pouches are available in 5 and 10 mil thicknesses so your materials will be protected. If you want to use the 10 mil pouches, make sure your laminator can handle them.
< 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)
