By Jeff McRitchie
Spiral coil binding is one of the most simple, effective and useful of all the binding methods. A spiral-coil bound document opens flat, which is very handy for use in the copy machine, and the pages flip all the way around, for easy reading and handling. Many colors of coil are available, increasing the diversity of this popular binding style. Here is a guide to get you started with the world of spiral binding.
1. First of all, it's important to select the proper size of coil binding for the thickness of your document. If you choose an element that is too small the pages will not turn freely. If you choose an element that is too large, the binding may look sloppy or awkward. You want to choose your supplies so that there is approximately 1/8" - 1/4" of room in the element for the pages to turn.
2. Start the spiral coil binding. Most spiral coil machines have a channel in which you can put the spine to get the coil started. You will need to get the coil started in the holes by hand, before you let the machine take over. You will want to hand-spin the element into the holes at least an inch. After the machine has gotten started, you will want to hold the binding by the rollers, and apply a gentle pressure against the roller as it goes through.
3. Once the wire has spun through the length of the document you will want to crimp the edges so there will not be any slippage. To do this, you will want to use cut-and-crimp pliers. For your safety, and in order for the pliers to work correctly, it is important that you always use the pliers with your right hand, making sure that the red dot faces the ceiling. Align the pliers and squeeze. This will both cut the plastic coil and crimp it, preventing the wire from uncoiling. It is important to make sure that you crimp the coil close to the last hole. However, crimping it too close can make it difficult to turn the pages. You may need to try a few documents out before you get the hang of things.
If you want to save some time, you may want to set up your auto-crimpers in either a single or double configuration. The setup can be a little tedious, but you may find that the process runs a little more efficiently, especially for longer production runs. Here are a few other quick tips to help you get started with coil binding.
* It is not recommended to use the spiral coil method on documents that are over an inch and a quarter thick. The reason is that the binding simply does not function as well as it is supposed to at those thicknesses. If you do need to bind larger documents with coil you may want to consider an oval hole pattern.
* Some spiral coil inserters come in a wheel configuration. While more difficult to learn, it can be faster once the user has gained the proper experience. Typically smaller-volume users will have a better time with roller-type coil inserters. These wheel type coil inserters are typically used with 36 inch coil lengths.
* Because it is sold by the inch, spiral binding is a very popular choice for those who need to bind documents of irregular sizes on a regular basis. You can get coil in virtually any length up to 36". This makes it a great choice for 17 inch documents, legal sized documents and even half letter sized training materials.
* Spiral binding comes in over sixty colors, making it a great choice for design houses or advertising agencies looking to match a favored client's logo colors.
If you are looking to purchase a Coil Binding Machine, you should really visit MyBinding.com. They have great prices on coil binding machines from Akiles, Tamerica, Renz, Rhin-O-Tuff, GBC and DFG. They also carry Coil Binding Supplies in more than 50 colors and 27 different sizes.
Source:www.isnare.com |
