Spiral Binding Coil binding Binding Machine Wire Binding Laminating Covers Plastic Coil

General Product Information explaining Spiral Binding / Coil Binding :

Spiral Binding or Coil binding is becoming a very popular book binding style for creating reports, documents, proposals and presentations. Spiral binding is known by a number of names including spiral coil, color coil, colorcoil, ez-coil, plastic coil, coilbind and plastikoil. Documents bound with spiral binding / coil binding have the desired ability to open flat on a desk or table and offer 360 degree rotation for easy note taking- very good for manuals and notebooks. Spiral Binding is very durable and is a wise choice for documents that need to be transported / mailed. Spiral binding / coil binding elements are readily available in more colors and sizes than other binding styles.

Spiral Binding / Coil Binding Hole Patterns

The common hole pattern used with coil binding is a 4:1 pitch hole pattern or referred to as 6mm in some cases they interchange. 4:1 means there are four holes per inch on the edge of the document which each loop of coil binds through. The holes for this style are usually either round or oval shaped and depending on the size and spacing of the hole pattern, there will be 43 or 44 holes on an eleven inch binding edge. Supplies for binding documents with 4:1 pitch spiral coil are available in sizes ranging from 6mm up to 50mm in diameter. This allows for binding documents that are up to two inches thick.
Although not as common as four to one pitch coil, some printers and binderies prefer to use 5:1 pitch coil (5mm overseas). With five holes per inch, 5:1 pitch coil is more tightly wound and provides a neat and tidy appearance. However, the tight spacing of the coil and the smaller size of the holes used by this pattern limit the size of spines that are available. Five to one pitch spiral coil is available in diameters ranging from 6mm up to 25mm. This means that documents larger than one inch thick can not be bound using this hole pattern.
3:1 pitch spiral coil is less common than either 5:1 or 4:1 pitch coils. It is designed for use with the hole pattern used in Wire Binding or with GBC Proclick. Three to one pitch spiral coil is slightly easier to use for large diameter books because there are less holes to insert the coil through. Supplies for this hole pattern are available in sizes ranging from 6mm up to 50mm.
2.5:1 pitch coil is also known a 0.400 pitch coil and is used with a hole pattern that has 2.5 holes per inch. However, many users choose to use this hole pattern with the hole pattern that is produced for 2:1 pitch Wire Binding. This type of spiral coil uses a larger filament diameter and is specifically designed for binding thick documents. Spirals in this pitch pattern are available in diameters ranging from 20mm up to 56mm. This means that 2.5:1 pitch coil can be used to bind documents that are thicker than any of the other pitches of spiral coil.

Spiral Binding / Coil Binding Lengths

One of the strengths of spiral coil binding is that the supplies are available in a variety of lengths. Most users purchase spiral coils in twelve inch lengths. This spine is inserted onto an eleven inch document and the excess length of coil is cut and crimped at each end of the book. However, the extrusion process for creating spiral coil binding elements allows them to be created in virtually any length. Many binderies and print shops choose to purchase coils in 36" lengths in order to have the flexibility to bind custom document sizes and to reduce waste. For binding documents shorter than eleven inches it is also possible to purchase shorter lengths of spiral coil in order to save time and money.

Spiral Binding / Coil Binding Colors

Spiral coil binding supplies are also available in a wide variety of colors. In fact there are more than sixty standard colors available for binding documents with spiral coil. This makes spiral coil binding an excellent choice for marketing agencies and design firms that want to match the spine of the document to a specific color palette. It is even possible to get a PMS color match for organizations that want their spines to match the exact colors used in their printed materials.

Spiral Binding / Coil Binding Diameters

Coil binding spines are normally measured in millimeters and not inches. Supplies are available in sizes as small as 6mm (1/4") and as large as 56mm depending on the pitch of coil that you choose. However it is important to note that binding thick documents using spiral coil can be difficult. When you stack up a large document that is punched for coil binding the path through the holes will be straight. However, the coil binding spines are curved. This means that it is necessary to shape the spine of your document into a curve in order to allow the coil to travel smoothly through the holes. Special tools are generally used for this purpose.

Spiral Binding / Coil Binding Equipment

There are three important pieces of equipment for binding documents with spiral coils. First you need a punch to create the holes along the edge of your document. Second you need a coil inserter to spin the coils through the holes. Third you need a pair of coil crimping pliers or a crimping machine to cut off the excess coil and crimp the end so that it doesn't spin back off the book. Light volume or personal users may choose to buy a single machine that does all of these features or may even choose to spin the coils onto their books by hand. Higher volume users will often choose to separate these three functions to help increase productivity.

General Product Information explaining Wire Binding:

Wire Binding is one of the most popular commercial book binding methods used in North America and is known by a number of different names including twin loop wire, wire-o, double loop wire, double-o, ring wire and wirebind. With this binding method, users insert their punched pages onto a "C" shaped spine and then use a wire closer to squeeze the spine until it is round. Documents that are bound with wire binding will open completely flat on a desk and allow for 360 degree rotation of bound pages.

Hole Patterns / Pitches:

There are three common hole patterns used in Wire binding documents with double loop wire. Each hole pattern has specific sizes and applications where it is best suited. Here is a quick overview of the different options...

3:1 Pitch (3 Holes Per Inch)

The three to one pitch hole pattern is most commonly used for wire binding small sized documents with double loop wire. Spines for wire binding are available in sizes between 3/16" and 9/16" in diameter. Three to one pitch wires are not available in sizes larger than 9/16". The size of the holes used with this wire binding pattern simply does not allow for larger spines to be manufacturered. The hole pattern used for 3:1 pitch wire binding can use either square or round holes.

2:1 Pitch (2 Holes Per Inch)

Although a two to one pitch hole pattern is most commonly used for wire binding larger sized documents it can also be used for binding smaller diameter books. Two to one pitch wire is most commonly found in sizes ranging from 5/8" up to 1-1/4". However, a couple of manufacturers make wire binding special small sized 2:1 pitch wire for binding documents as small as 1/4". The holes for this type of wire binding are normally rectangular but can sometimes be square or round depending on the manufacturer of the paper punching equipment that you use.

19 Loop Wire

In the past, some comb binding machines would come with a wire closer. These machines were designed to be used with 19 loop wire. Nineteen loop wire is designed to be used with a plastic comb binding pattern. This hole pattern will have longer rectangular holes that are 9/16" on center. Today, 19-loop wire is commonly called Spiral-O Wire.

Wire Binding Process

Binding documents using the double loop wire binding involves five basic steps. These steps include ..."

Assemble your document including covers and measure the book to determine the correct size of wire binding element.
Set up your binding machine so that the holes are correctly centered on your paper.
Separate your document into appropriate sections and punch it using your wire binding machine or modular binding punch.
Hang the pages of your document onto the "C" shaped wire binding elements.
After carefully moving the pages of your document over to the wire binding closer, use the machine to squeeze the element together until the "C" shape becomes an "O" shape.

Wire Binding Equipment

In order to bind documents with double loop wire a binding machine and a wire closer are required. Smaller organizations will often choose a small manual wire binding machine that offers a manual hole punch and a built in wire closer. Medium sized users will often choose a wire binding machine with an electric punch and built in wire closer. The highest volume wire binding users such as binderies, print shops and in-plant printers will usually separate the punching and finishing stages of the binding process in order to increase productivity. These users will often use a heavy duty modular interchangeable die punch or an automated punching system along with either a manual or an electric wire closing machine.

Pouch Laminator / Laminating Product Info:

Pouch Laminators use a lamination pouch that is usually sealed on one side. The inside of the lamination pouch is coated with a heat-activated film that adheres to the product being laminated as it runs through the laminator. The substrate side of the board contains a heat-activated adhesive that bonds the print to the substrate. This can be any of a number of board products or another sheet of laminate. The pouch containing the print, laminate, and substrate is passed through a set of heated rollers under pressure, insuring that all adhesive layers bond to one another.

Pouch laminators are designed for moderate use in the office or home. These inexpensive machines are quite effective. However, for continuous, large-volume lamination projects, a roll laminator performs more efficiently.

Pouches can be bought with different thicknesses in micrometres (referred to as MIC). Standard home or office machines normally use 80-250 micrometre pouches, depending on the quality of the machine. The thicker the pouch, the higher the cost.