In the past, users who
needed to buy a twin loop wire binding machine would have to choose
between either 2:1 or a 3:1 pitch machine.The Akiles
DuoMac 321 changes all of this. It offers the ability to bind documents
using both 3:1 pitch and 2:1 pitch double loop wire. This is ideal for
organizations that need to bind both large and small documents.
Overview:
In the past, users who
needed to buy a twin loop wire binding machine would have to choose
between either 2:1 or a 3:1 pitch machine.
Most users prefer
the tight hole pattern and elegant look of 3:1 pitch wire for their
small documents. However, 3:1 pitch wire is only available in sizes up
to 9/16". Organizations that wanted to bind both large and small
documents either had to settle for the more spread out pattern of 2:1
pitch wire or had to buy two binding machines.
The Akiles
DuoMac 321 changes all of this. It offers the ability to bind documents
using both 3:1 pitch and 2:1 pitch double loop wire. This is ideal for
organizations that need to bind both large and small documents.
Strengths / Features:
The
DuoMac 321 is designed to punch two completely different hole patterns.
The 3:1 pitch hole pattern has three square holes per inch and can be
used for binding documents with 3:1 pitch double loop wire, GBC
Proclick and 3:1 pitch spiral coil. The 2:1 pitch hole pattern has 2
rectangular holes per inch and can be used with 2:1 pitch twin loop
wire and with 2.5:1 pitch spiral coil. This means that it is actually
possible to bind documents with five different styles of binding using
this one machine.
Both the 2:1 pitch and 3:1 pitch punching
throats are fourteen inches wide and offer fully disengageable dies.
They also have open throats and continuous punching guides. This means
that it is possible to punch any document that is fourteen inches or
less using a one step punching process. Sheets that are longer than
fourteen inches can be punched using a two step process. All you need
to do is punch one side of the document using the punch and then flip
it over and punch the rest of the holes. The continuous punching guide
will help you line up the holes.
On the right hand side of
the DuoMac 321 there are two small gray knobs. These knobs are designed
to help you adjust the depth of the holes from the edge of your paper.
For smaller sized books it is a good idea to set the holes so that they
are close to the edge of the paper. This will help to ensure that your
pages will turn freely. For larger diameter books the holes should be
further from the binding edge in order to provide added strength to
your bound documents.
The DuoMac 321 includes a high quality
heavy duty wire closer on the front of the machine. This wire closer is
made of heavy duty steel components and should have no problem
maintaining its accuracy over time. There is also a wire holder on the
front of the machine that will help you hang your documents on the
double loop wire in preparation for closing.
Weaknesses / Limitations:
Although
it is possible to use this machine with 3:1 pitch and 2.5:1 pitch
spiral coil, the DuoMac 321 does not include a spiral coil inserter. It
is also important to note that these two pitches of coil can be
somewhat difficult to find and are usually produced on demand. If you
plan on using this machine with coil it is a good idea to order your
supplies with lots of time to spare in order to allow for production
lead times.
Each of the different binding styles offered by the DuoMac 321 have their own limitations.
3:1 pitch wire is only available in sizes between 3/16" and 9/16".
Although
2:1 wire can be used to bind larger documents up to 1-1/2" in diameter,
this machine can only be used with wires up to 1-1/4" in size.
GBC
Proclick binding spines are only available in three sizes (5/16", 1/2"
and 5/8") and in four colors. They are only available in eleven inch
lengths.
Three to one spiral coil is available in sizes
from 6mm up to 50mm. However large diameter coils can be difficult
insert, especially with the smaller square holes that are produced by
this machine.
2.5:1 pitch coil is only designed for binding
large diameter books and is available in sizes ranging from 20mm up to
56mm. However, this coil will need to be inserted by hand because of
the slight pitch difference between the holes and the coil.
With
all of the features that this machine has, it can be a little bit
intimidating to inexperienced users. There are a lot of handles, knobs
and buttons on this machine that can be somewhat confusing if you
aren't sure what you are doing. This machine isn't really that hard to
use. It may just take a little bit of experimenting and reading the
users manual.
Recommendation:
The
DuoMac 321 is available at such a great price point and offers so many
features it hardly makes sense to buy a wire binding machine that can
only produce one hole pattern.
This machine is a little bit
larger and can be more intimidating than a normal wire binding machine
such as the Akiles Wiremac M. However, the flexibility that it offers
in terms of document size and presentation appearance are awesome.
This review was written by Jeff McRitchie who is the director of marketing for Mybinding.com.
Jeff has written more than three hundred articles and more than two
hundred reviews on Binding Machines, Binding Supplies, Report Covers,
3-Ring Binders, Index Tabs, Laminators, Laminating Supplies, Paper
Shredders and Paper Handling Equipment.
