Coil Binding Machines

Coil binding machines are used to quickly bind a book with a spiral coil binding. Typically coil bindings are found in notebooks and books that require that their pages to stay open and lay flat while reading like a repair manual or cook book. Today coil bindings are very common in businesses and are used to make reports, presentations, proposals and other documents look professional.

Coil binding machines insert or twist a plastic coil, wire coil, or plastic comb into the holes of a stack of punched paper sandwiched between two covers. Coil binding machines may even have a manual or electric hole punch feature. Reams of 500 sheets of prepunched coil binding machine paper can be purchased for use in a copy machine, ink jet, or laser printer if a hole punch is not available with the coil binding machine being used.

The 4:1 pitch or 4 holes per inch pattern is the most common hole pattern. Some binders are also using 5:1 pitch or 5 holes per inch so that the coil binding appears neater. The only drawback with using the 5:1 pitch is that smaller sized holes limit the spine size that can be used. 2.5:1 and 3:1 pitch are much less common and sometimes used for wire coil binding.

Plastic Comb Binding

Comb binding is by far the most popular type of coil binding. The plastic comb binding can be unbound and reused instead of thrown away. Recycling the plastic comb bindings appeals to the “green” in all of us now that the go green movement is in full swing. Comb bindings can be bound up to 2 inches thick. Comb binding machines can be purchased with manual or electric hole punching built in. The standard length of a comb binding is typically 19 rings or 11 inches long. One of drawbacks of Plastic comb binding is that it doesn’t stand up to rough treatment. The plastic comb binding comes apart if it is put under any strain. In the picture above I pushed a steel ruler into the comb to show you how the comb binding holds the paper stack together. As you can see pulling hard on the cover would easily pull the plastic comb binding off. 

Wire Coil Binding                Plastic Coil Binding

Plastic Coil Binding and Wire Coil Binding

can survive tougher handing than comb bindings can. Plastic and Wire coils come in many different colors. The advantage of coil binding is that the cover opens 360 degrees. Both Plastic coil binding and wire coil binding can create books that are bound up to 2 inches thick. The wire coil binding is inserted into the holes manually to start the coil on low end coil binding machines. High end coil binding machines can be purchased with an electric coil inserter. Coil crimpers are then used to cut and crimp the ends of the coil binding. Coil crimping pliers are used but electric coil crimpers are also available but are very expensive. Coil binding is typically in 12inch and 36inch lengths. Typical plastic and wire coil bindings are available for 4 holes per inch and 5 holes per inch. One of the disadvantages of wire coil binding is that the wires can bind “see picture of wire coil binding”.

Wire Comb Binding

is another type of coil binding machine  that does a combination of a wire coil binding and a comb binding. I pulled the wire back in the above photo of “Wire Comb Binding” to show you what I mean. The book was bound like a coil binding but is crimped together like a plastic comb binding.