Do you need to bind some documents? If so, then here
are four different bookbinding methods you should know about in order to
get the results you need. Here they are in alphabetical order.
Do you need to bind some documents? If so,
here are four different bookbinding methods you should know about in
order to get the results you need. Here they are in alphabetical order.
Coil binding. This bookbinding method
entails spinning plastic coils through the holes punched near the edge
of a document. Sometimes this method is called "color coil binding"
because the coils are available in dozens of colors ranging from black
to fluorescent green. One of the major advantages to using coils is that
they allow your documents to lie flat which makes them easier to read.
They're available in many sizes as well so you can bind documents that
are up to 440 pages long. (Note: putting together longer documents can
be a bit tricky. So you should keep that in mind if you're planning on
producing thick books.) Coils are perfect for reports, portfolios,
workbooks, and more.
Comb binding.
This is probably the most popular bookbinding method even though it's
been around for almost half a century. Its popularity is based on a few
factors including low cost, which is always a plus. It's very easy to
bind with plastic combs so it's a good choice for a beginner. Combs can
be up to 2" thick and bind books containing as many as 425 pages. This
is another method that will allow your document to lie flat so you can
use it to bind workbooks, cookbooks, and so on.
Thermal binding.
This method has grown in popularity in recent years because it can make
any document look like a professionally bound book. This bookbinding
method entails putting the pages of your book into thermal cover and
then placing the entire thing in a thermal binding machine. The heat the
machine emits will melt the adhesive in the cover's spine. The process
only takes a couple of minutes but it will give your a book that looks
like a hardcover of paperback book you'd see in a bookstore. The
supplies for this bookbinding technique can be a bit pricy but the
results are worth it, especially if you have a client or colleague
you're trying to impress.
Wire binding.
Finally, there's wire binding which is great if you want to make your
documents look sophisticated and professional. Wire spines come in
several different colors (gold and silver are very popular) and they can
be used to bind documents that are up to 300 pages long. This
bookbinding method is used a lot for marketing materials and it can also
be used for presentations, catalogs, and more. Wire spines will let
your book lie flat and you can even wrap the pages around which is
convenient. The only drawback to use wire spines is that they can be
crushed pretty easily, so they're not the best choice if you're going to
be mailing your work.
All four of these binding methods can help you produce
great-looking documents. Choose the one that's right for you and get
ready to start binding!
Jeff McRitchie is the Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com.
He regularly writes articles, reviews, and blog posts on topics related
to bookbinding, 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.
