Thermal binding is one of the most
professional desktop binding systems available on the market. However,
choosing the right thermal binding machine for your office can
sometimes be difficult. This article is designed to help you understand five of the most important features to look for in a thermal binding machine.
Thermal binding is one of the most
professional desktop binding systems available on the market. However,
choosing the right thermal binding machine for your office can
sometimes be difficult. Every machine seems to have its own set of
features and benefits and it can sometimes be difficult to sort through
them all. This article is designed to help you understand five of the
most important features to look for in a thermal binding machine. Here
they are
Timer: Most thermal binding machines have a
built in timer that times the binding cycle and lets you know when it
is finished. However, a few cheaper units do not have an automatic
timer built in. These units require you to time the documents yourself
which makes the binding process much more difficult. The best thermal
binding machines will have both an audible and a visual signal showing
the completion of the binding process.
Throat Size: In
order to choose the right binding machine for your needs you will need
to anticipate the types of documents that you plan on binding. If you
plan on binding documents that are thicker than one inch you will need
to make sure that you buy a thermal binding machine that can handle the
extra thickness. Thermal binding machines are usually available for
documents up to 1 thick and for documents up to 2 thick.
Binding Length: Most thermal binding machines are designed for binding
documents that are 11 in length. However, if you plan on binding
documents that are longer than 11 you will need a larger binding
machine. Thermal binding machines are available in widths up to 14 to
accommodate legal sized documents. However, larger sized machines are
also required for binding 12 x 12 photobook covers and other
oversized thermal binding covers.
Temperature Setting:
Most thermal binding machines do not have adjustable temperature
settings. However, if you plan on binding hard covers with your thermal
binding machine you will want to make sure that it will provide
adequate heat to melt the glue through the chip board used in the hard
cover. Some thermal binding machines provide a higher heat setting for
binding hard covers. If the machine does not have a higher heat setting
and is not specifically designed for binding hard covers you may need
to run the hard cover case through the binding machine a second time to
ensure that the glue is properly activated.
Cooling Rack:
Most thermal binding machines come with a cooling rack to hold your
documents while they cool. After checking to make sure that the machine
you are considering comes with a cooling rack it is important to check
and see how many documents the cooling rack can hold, whether the
cooling rack is attached to the machine and what the cooling rack is
made of. Plastic cooling racks attached to the binding machine can
break off over time while separate metal cooling racks will dissipate
heat faster and can also serve as a document jogger to ensure a higher
quality bind.
These five features are useful in comparing the different thermal
binding machines available on the market. Using these features you
should be able to better decide what thermal binding unit is best
suited for your organization.
Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He has written over 100 articles on binding machines, binding covers, binding supplies,laminators,laminating supplies,paper handling equipments,binders,index tabs, and shredders.
