If you’re shopping around for a coil binding machine, you may want to take a look at a coil binding machine. Why? There are a lot of reasons why I consider coil binding to be one of the most superior book binding formats out there. Before I explain why I personally like coil binding, let me go over exactly what makes up a coil binding machine.
Coil binding machines, frequently called spiral binding machines, use a special plastic PVC coil to bind and hold sheets of paper together. This binding format is very similar in appearance to the lined spiral notebooks you can buy at the store for school purposes. The only difference is that PVC coil binding is available in multiple colors and doesn’t easily bend or break.
Coil binding comes in two different hole patterns, commonly referred to as the pitch. These are 4:1 pitch and 5:1 pitch. A 4:1 pitch is 4 holes per inch, which ends up being about 44 holes along an 11″ side of paper. A 5:1 pitch is 5 holes per inch and ends up being about 55 holes along the 11″ side of a sheet of paper. Between these two hole patterns, I find 4:1 pitch to be more popular. This is because it can be used to bind more sheets of paper.
4:1 Pitch Capacity: 2 to 230 sheets of paper (1/4″ to 1 1/4″ of paper)
5:1 Pitch Capacity: 2 to 152 sheets of paper (1/4″ to 13/16″ of paper)
The binding format you use ultimately depends on your own personal preference. I personally like both. A 4:1 pitch has a more spaced look where 5:1 pitch has a tighter look. Both can be used to bind reports, presentations and books. You will find, however, that 4:1 pitch coil supplies are more readily available online and locally.
A few binding machines I personally like include:
- Akiles iCoil 41 Coil Binding Machine
- Intelli-Bind IC310 Coil Binding Machine
- Intelli-Bind IC410 Coil Binding Machine
- Akiles CoilMac ER Coil Binding Machine
- Akiles CoilMac-ECI Coil Binding Machine
These machines are all manual punch machines with an electric coil inserter. I personally think an electric coil inserter is a must-have accessory on a coil binding machine. Some entry-level machines don’t include an inserter, which means you will have to manually spin coils through the punched holes.
I really like coil binding because the spines look nice, the pages turn easily and pages can even be wrapped a full 360 degrees. I have used cookbooks bound in coil and I love the face that the pages wrap around and the books even lay flat for easy reading.
Coil binding is available in a wide variety of colors and diameters. If you need to bind books smaller than 11″, you simply cut off a little more coil when crimping the ends of the coil closed. It is simply a very versatile binding format. Here is a vide demo of a coil binding machine in use:
As you can see from this video, coil binding a book takes just a minute or so. It is easy to do, the machines typically hold up well and they can be used at home, in the office, at a school or in a church. Coil binding is both function and professional.
Did I mention that coil binding is extremely durable? You can drop coil bound books, step on them, stack other books on them and the coil will retain its look. The same can’t be said for comb binding or wire binding.
You can find Office Zone’s entire selection of coil binding machines here, coil binding supplies here and binding covers here.
Happy binding!
Related posts:
- Coil Binding Hole Pitches Explained
- Coil Binding Machines With Coil Crimping Pliers
- Does Your Coil Binding Machine Need an Inserter?
- Cookbook Binding Machines – Comb, Wire or Coil?
- Akiles CoilMac-ER 41 13″ Coil Binding Machine Review
Tags: Book Binding Machines, Coil Binding Machines, Spiral Binding Machines
This entry was posted on Friday, September 16th, 2011 at 10:15 am and is filed under Binding Machines, Tips and Suggestions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.