Spiral binding - also known as color coil
binding - is a great way put together important documents for work,
school, and so on. This method is popular because the supplies are
available in a whole rainbow of colors and it is a good way to assemble
long books. Here are some tips you can check out and use to make it easy
to bind your documents with coils....
Spiral binding - also known as color coil
binding - is a great way put together important documents for work,
school, and so on. This method is popular because the supplies are
available in a whole rainbow of colors and it's a good way to assemble
long books. Here are some tips you can check out and use to make it easy
to bind your documents with coils....
One of the best tips you can use is this one:
before insert the coil into your document, make sure that the book's
spine matches the shape of the coil. This will make any binding job a
lot easier. If you try to insert the spine when the book's pages are all
flush, you'll find that it's just about impossible to do so. (This is
especially true when you're working with extremely thick documents.) You
can try to curve the book's spine manually or else you can use a
special tool to do so. Some spiral binding machines even have a spine
former built in which is very convenient.
If
you can, try punching oversized holes into your document. It will make
coil insertion a lot easier especially when you're working with thicker
supplies. (That's because the filament is thicker.) You may want to play
around with different hole sizes before you find the one that works
best for you.
When you're ready to actually
bind your documents, try doing so by hand. You'll find that doing it
manually is actually a lot easier than using an electric coil inserter.
Doing this step manually gives you more control over everything.
Besides, it's pretty easy to do, even with thick books.
If
you're feeling adventurous, it's always good to experiment with
different pitches. "Pitch" refers to how many holes are punched per inch
of paper. The typical spiral binding machine will produce a 4:1 pattern
(4 holes per inch) which is fine for short and medium-length documents.
However, there are machines available that can punch a 2:1 pitch hole
pattern. This pitch is well-suited for long books and the associated
coils come in sizes up to 2.25". (The thickest 4:1 spine is 2" thick.)
As a bonus, the spines are pretty easy to insert. They're also nice and
rigid so you can get your work done much more quickly.
Finally,
you need to make sure you crimp both of the ends of the coil. Doing
this ensures that your document will stay bound. You'll need a special
pair of crimping pliers for this task which entails trimming the ends
and then folding them in. Crimping pliers can be bought on their own
although they're sometimes included with a binding machine. If you don't
have a pair, make sure you get one so you can properly finish the
binding process.
Spiral binding doesn't need to be difficult and you'll find that
it's much easier if you follow the tips listed in this article. Give
them a try today to make your workday easier.
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 coil binding machines his articles are a great place to start.
