MyBinding Knowledge Base
What should I know about Antimicrobial Binders?
It is winter, and that means it’s cold and flu season. Chances are you’ve already been sick this winter or know someone who has been. There’s no doubt about it–there are a lot of germs floating around even when it’s not the dead of winter and when you work with other people, the chances of spreading and contracting an illness grow exponentially. For example, did you know that your desk surface likely contains more germs than certain fixtures in the company restroom? No wonder it’s so easy to get sick! Luckily, you can help stop the spread of germs by using antimicrobial binders. You might be wondering what an antimicrobial binder is and why you should use one. Here are some commonly asked question about this type of office supply.
- What exactly is an antimicrobial binder? An antimicrobial binder is simply a product that’s been treated with Agion, a natural, environmentally-friendly additive that’s extremely effective in the fight against bacteria and other unpleasant entities such as viruses, mold, and fungus. Agion works for the whole life of your supplies so you’ll always be protected from illness.
- Where should these supplies be used? They should be used in any environment that demands healthy workers. Some obvious examples would be hospitals and other medical establishments in which cleanliness is of the utmost importance. They could also be used by teachers and students in schools, including colleges and universities, since illnesses are very common in those institutions. Finally, these notebooks would be perfect for just about any workplace. They’ll help cut down on the amount of colds and such your employees catch, which means less sick days will be taken. That can save your company money and keep your level of productivity up.
- What kinds of antimicrobial binders are available? One of the leading manufacturers of these supplies is Samsill and they have a wonderful variety of antimicrobial binders available. They offer presentation notebooks with clear overlays and you can choose between round-ring and D-ring varieties. These products are available in a lot of thicknesses, from a half-inch to 5 inches, and they come in a variety of colors such as white, black, blue, purple, and red. Many of these notebooks have two pockets inside for additional storage, as well as a label holder on the spine so you can easily identify your documents. Some Samsill notebooks are even made from some post-consumer content which is great if you’re concerned about the environment. With such a great selection, you are likely to find the binder that’s perfect for your document storage or presentation needs while also being a weapon in the fight against germs.
< 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)
