Although you are probably going to primarily be
binding letter-sized documents (8.5" x 11") during your career, you may
find that you need to bind legal-sized books (8.5" x 14.) at some
point. This is going to be challenging depending on what kind of
binding machine and supplies you have access to. However, this article
will fill you in on which binding methods can be used to put your
documents together. Check them out....
Although you're probably going to primarily
be binding letter-sized documents (8.5" x 11") during your career, you
may find that you need to bind legal-sized books (8.5" x 14.) at some
point. This is going to be challenging depending on what kind of
binding machine and supplies you have access to. However, this article
will fill you in on which binding methods can be used to put your
documents together. Check them out....
Color coil binding. If you want to save
money when putting together your legal-sized books, this is the way to
go. The coils (also known as "spines") are usually about 60" long, so
it's very easy to trim them down to the desired size. You just need to
make sure that your binding machine can accommodate the larger sheets.
(Unless you want to pre-punched paper. This can help you save a lot of
time because you won't be punching the paper yourself.) You have a
couple of options when it comes to inserting the coils. You can do it
by hand (which can be difficult if your documents are pretty thick),
use your binding machine, or take advantage of a coil inserter.
Wire binding.
This is a very popular bookbinding method simply because it can make
any document look extremely professional. A good number of the wire
binding machines available have disengageable dies and long wire
hangers so it won't be hard finding a machine that can handle
legal-sized documents. However, finding the right supplies might be
challenging since so many wire spines are meant for letter-sized books.
You might find that you need to special order the spines which can be
inconvenient especially if you're working under a deadline.
Plastic comb binding.
This bookbinding method has been popular for years and it turns out
it's a good method to use when preparing legal-sized documents. Combs
are available in a variety of lengths (including ones that are 14"
long) so it shouldn't be too difficult to get ones that are right for
your documents. Your bookbinding machine will need to have
disengageable dies so you can get the appropriate hole pattern, but
other than that, plastic comb binding is the way to go when putting a
letter-sized book together.
Screw posts.
Finally, you can use screw posts if the above methods won't fit your
needs. These supplies can be used to bind documents that are up to
about 6" thick and best of all, you don't need a machine to finish your
work. All you need to do is punch or drill holes in your document and
then insert the screw posts. It's incredibly easy.
These are several ways you can bind legal-sized documents.
They're all pretty easy and will make your work look good no matter
when your books contain. Just keep in mind that finding the materials
might be a tiny bit difficult and that they may need to be special
ordered. Nonetheless, no matter what type of machine and/or supplies
you have, you should be able to bind your book. Good luck in your
bookbinding endeavors!
Jeff McRitchie is the Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com.
He regularly writes articles, reviews, and blog posts on topics related
to book binding, laminating, paper shredding, and office equipment.
More than 2,500 of his articles have been published in thousands of
locations on the Internet. If you're looking for information about binding machines his articles are a great place to start.
