MyBinding Knowledge Base
What is Screw Post Binding?
One of the most overlooked binding methods is using screw posts. These are metal rods that can be threaded through your documents to produce great-looking books. Screw posts are easy to use, affordable, and you don’t need any special equipment to use them. Here’s a look at these great binding supplies and how to use them.
- Screw posts can be used to bind documents that are short, medium, or long. These supplies can range in length from 1/8” to 5”. You can purchase extenders if your document is thicker than 5” so this is really a perfect method for assembling long documents.
- One of the best things about screw posts is that they’re very durable. Most of the ones you can currently buy are made out of aluminum so you can expect them to hold up for a long time. (And if you need supplies that are almost indestructible, you can get steel screw posts.) If you’re looking for fancier posts for items such as menus, wine lists, and so on, you can find some that are brass or even gold. This really makes using these supplies very versatile.
- All you need to work with these posts is a screwdriver and something that can punch holes in your document. (The screwdriver is used to tighten the posts.) You’ll need to punch holes to thread the posts through so you need to have either a hole punch or paper drill. If you’re working with smaller documents, a three-hole or handheld punch will do the job quite nicely. However, if you’re going to be binding longer books, you might want to consider using a paper drill. These machines can drill through hundreds of sheets of paper at once which will help you finish your work in a snap.
- When you’re binding with screw posts, it’s really important to choose supplies that are just the right size for your documents. If you choose supplies that are either too small or too big you’re going to run into problems. Either all the pages won’t fit or else the binding will be too loose. So make sure you take a ruler and measure the thickness of your book before you select the screws.
- Finally, you can use screw posts to bind just about any type of document. Some possibilities include legal pleadings, financial reports, anthologies, photo albums, art portfolios, and so on. These supplies don’t take up very much room so you can keep some in a box for binding at a moment’s notice. You can even take these items on the road so you can put together documents when you’re not at work.
< 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)
