Jeff McRitchie

GBC SureBind System Four Bind Hot Knife Binding Machine Review

The GBC SureBind System four is a heavy duty piece of finishing equipment produced for printers, binderies, copy shops and high volume users.Using this machine it is possible to more than double your productivity when binding documents. Plus, your documents will have the highly professional look and feel that is offered by the Surebind binding style.

• The GBC SureBind System four is a heavy duty piece of finishing equipment produced for printers, binderies, copy shops and high volume users.
• This machine is the fastest way to finish documents with the GBC Surebind hot knife binding style and is designed to be paired with an interchangeable die modular binding punch or auto-punch.
• Using this machine it is possible to more than double your productivity when binding documents. Plus, your documents will have the highly professional look and feel that is offered by the Surebind binding style.

Strengths / Features:

• The Surebind binding system it is possible to bind letter sized documents with an eleven inch binding edge or half letter sized documents with an 8.5" binding edge. Technically the system can also bind documents that are as long as fourteen inches and can handle the standard European sized papers as well. However, you have to find strips for these sizes in order to bind them with the Surebind System Four.
• One of the great things about this machine is that it can bind documents up to three inches thick. Other binding systems can bind documents up to two inches thick but can't handle documents that are larger. The Surebind System Four is one of the only systems that can bind large briefs, annual reports and thesis that are up to three inches thick (about 750 sheets of paper).
• The SureBind System 4 Bind is extremely fast. It can bind a one inch document in about eight seconds which is similar to the speed offered by the system three pro. However, it is capable of binding documents between one and three inches thick in 10-12 seconds. The System Three pro takes about eighteen seconds for larger books. That means that the System Four offers a fifty percent performance increase over the system three pro.
• This machine includes a convenient debind feature. Once you have bound a document with Surebind the only way to edit the contents is to cut the spine off the document and then rebind it. Trying to cut the spine off a document using a knife or sharp object can be extremely dangerous. For this reason, the System Four Bind offers a feature that will cut the spine off your document. This is incredibly useful.
• The Surebind System Four bind is really easy to use. All you need to do is insert the pages of your document onto the machine and then bring down the pressure bar. The machine does the rest and will let you know when your document is finished.
• The hole pattern used for Surebind is designed to match up with the hole pattern produced for plastic comb binding. This means that it is possible for organizations that have a high volume plastic comb binding machine to use Surebind without having to buy a new punching die. In fact, you can even use this machine to rebind documents that have been bound with plastic comb binding.

Weaknesses / Limitations:

• This machine is designed to be able to handle document lengths up to fourteen inches and document thicknesses up to three inches. However, the supplies for this machine are somewhat limited and this limits the sizes of documents that this machine can bind. Currently there are no supplies for legal size binding with the Surebind System. There are also no supplies for binding 8.5" documents that are larger than one inch thick. Users who want to bind letter sized documents with black strips will find that this machine is a great fit. Other sizes, colors or lengths may be a problem. Before you decide to buy a Surebind system it is always a good idea to check and see what supplies are currently available for the system.
• The SureBind System Four Bind is designed to be paired with a heavy duty interchangeable die modular binding punch or automated punch. This machine does not use a punch and should not be purchased by organizations that don't have a way to punch their documents. Some organizations choose to use this machine with pre punched binding paper or with a plastic comb binding punch. Both of these options work fine.
• Documents that are bound with this binding system are permanently riveted in place using heat. This is great for document security. However, if you need to edit your documents you will need to cut the spine off the document and you will not be able to reuse it. If you need to do a lot of editing this can get to be somewhat expensive.

Recommendation:

• This machine is a great addition for large printers, binderies and organizations that already own a high speed plastic comb binding punch or interchangeable die punching machine.
• It provides a fast and easy way for users to bind documents that are up to three inches thick using a highly professional binding style.
• It is also a great fit for organizations that are concerned about document security and want to ensure that their sensitive presentations, proposals and reports are not altered or edited.
• However, this machine does require a separate punching machine or the purchase of pre punched binding paper. Additionally, the sizes and colors for binding using this style are somewhat limited. If you can live with these limitations then this machine will probably be a good fit for your organization.

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