Binding machines began as hand tools which individual craftsmen would use to bind papers together into books. With industrialisation came large machines to enable books and other paper documents to be bound together on a large scale, but as technology has advanced further the individual is now able to take back control of this process and office binding machines have evolved in many different waysm for use by the individual for large or small projects. In this article I have selected the five most commonly used binder machines to present an overview of what is available for offices and homes, and for large and small projects.
The 5 Main Types of Binder Machine:
1. Wire Binders:
Twin loop wire binding represents a very modern method of binding, and is ideal for anyone who needs open-flat or lay-flat features, and secure binding, as well as a very modern appearance to their book or presentation. A finished twin loop bound document uses flush-cut covers – which means that the covers are the same size as the paper. Dimensions are usually in the region of 11 inches by 8.5 inches. The overall effect is to present a very tidy looking and professional bound presentation. The twin loops encircle the document and crimp together holding it very securely. This technique has been around a long time but up until recently it was expensive and generally had to be done at a finishers, so the presence of these machines in offices in recent times is a testament to the coming of age of binding technology.
2. Plastic Coil Binders:
Colorcoil coil binding is similar in some ways, to wire binding, although it uses plastic coils rather than wire – it also produces an open flat or lay flat finish to its bound documents, and allows good security of binding: the bright colored plastic coils can render a very bright and trendy appearance. The plastic coils, of this form of binding, wind continuously around the punched edge of the document to create an impression of stylishness to the final thing. Also similar to wire binding, a color coil bound document has flush cut covers giving a tidy and professional looking finish to the bound document.
Both wire binding and coil binding are often recommended by graphic designers and advertising agencies, when their clients are looking for a professional and stylish binding style for their documents, and want their documents to open flat, lay flat and able to wrap around. An additional benefit of both these methods is that they are sturdy and secure and documents remain in good condition when sent through the post.
3. Plastic Comb Binders
GBC, or the General Binding Corporation, were the innovators behind desktop binding systems, beginning in 1947 with the introduction of plastic comb binding which they originally trademarked as Cerlox and Sure-Lox. Plastic comb binding is a flexible and simple method of binding documents, allowing the popular features of open flat and lay flat capabilities, with the additional benefit of allowing users to easily reopen the binding and re-edit the pages. This binding method allows documents to be opened and closed countless times, making it ideal for presentations which need to be occassionally updated. The covers are usually slightly oversized to prevent contents becoming dog-eared.
Further, comb binding can be additionally customized by allowing printing on the backbone of the comb binder’s spine. This customization means that documents can be easily picked out when on a bookshelf, in the style of traditional bookbinding methods. This customization is often taken advantage of by advertisers and promoters for the purpose of promotion, making this form of binder unique among binding methods.
4. Strip Binders:
The General Binding Corporation (GBC) was also responsible for the strip binding system, which they released under the trademark names of SureBind and Velobind. This method creates bound documents which present themselves as extremely professional in appearance and have a high level of finish. The system uses a tamper resistant hot knife process that seals and rivets together the binding comb and receiving strip, which allows for a high degree of security in the documents it creates, since no unauthorized copies can be made without irreversibly damaging the binding. Strip binding also uses flush cut covers which provide an additional element of tidiness to the finish.
Another great feature of strip binding, in addition to its appearance and security benefits, is that it only uses three different sized elements for it to cover any sized document in the range of 2 sheets to 750 sheets of no. 20 bond paper. This feature means that the inventory requirements for this kind of binding are relatively small. By way of example, a stack of 750 sheets of no. 20 bond paper would be about 3 inches deep!
5. Thermal Binders:
Thermal binding produces probably the most impressive and professional looking perfect bound documents of all desktop binding methods, and displays no visible evidence of mechanical fasteners. The system is also very fast, and can bind a stack of between 2 and 520 sheets of no. 20 bond paper in a matter of only a few seconds.
Therm-A-Bind features a wrap around cover which incorporates a pre-applied, heat activated adhesive that provides a highly secure and tamper resistant bind each time. Due to the cover wrapping around its document, the spine itself is ideal for printing a message or other identification on, so the document is also easily customized and recognizable when used.
If you are interested in binding, and would like to learn about Book Binder Machines. Stop by Wilbur Harris’s site for reviews and features on the latest Wire & Comb Binder Machines and what their features can do for you.
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