MyBinding Knowledge Base
How do I bind documents using VeloBinding?
For years, Velobind has been the binding style of choice for organizations that wanted both a professional look and a secure bind. However, understanding your Velobind system can sometimes be a little bit difficult. This article is designed to provide you with some simple tips and tricks for binding documents with a Velobind system. Here are five things to keep in mind when velobinding:
- There are actually several different types of Velobind strips available on the market. It is essential to choose the right supplies for your machine since most of them are not cross compatible. The easiest way to determine the type of Velobind supplies that you need is to punch a sheet of paper and count the holes. If there are eleven holes, you will need either 11 pin hotknife strips or GBC One Eleven compression binding strips. If you have ten holes, you will need GBC Surebind binding strips. If you have six holes, then you will need six pin reclosable binding spines. And if you have four holes, you will need four pin reclosable spines.
- With all the different types of Velobind systems available, there is always a finished side of the spine attached to the comb and an unfinished side that is part of the receiving strip. The finished side is designed to go on the front of the book while the receiving strip is designed to go on the back of the book. This helps to provide a more professional look for your velobound documents.
- Inserting the comb portion of the strip (the one with the pins) through the pages of your document can be made easier by using the edge of a countertop or table. You can simply hang the binding edge of your book over the edge of the table so that you can see a clear path through the holes on the edge of your document. Hold the document firmly in place with one hand and use your other hand to thread the pins through the holes. This is significantly easier than trying to hold the document in the air when trying to insert the velo comb.
- Velobind binding strips are available in sizes up to three inches thick. This means that these systems offer the ability to bind documents that are thicker than any other type of desktop binding system. However, if you are going to want to bind documents using three inch spines you are going to need a Velobind System Three hot knife binding system. Smaller systems will not bind documents with the larger sized spines.
- You can actually use your Velobind system to bind hard cover books. You simply need to order custom hard cover cases to use along with your system. These hard cover cases will include a binding case and two adhesive fly leaves. Bind the fly leaves into your document, then peel off the adhesive backing and adhere the fly leaf into the book.
< 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)
