All

Why should I Use Pre-Punched Paper?One of the more time-consuming parts of the binding process is punching the pages of your document, especially if your punch can only handle a few sheets at a time. However, did you know you can save a lot of time – and a bit of money – by using pre-punched paper? You can and chances are, there’s paper that’s perfect for your particular binding device. Here are five reasons to use this type of binding supply.1.) To save time. Saving time is a priority for most people especially if you have a heavy workload. If your workday is already busy, taking the time to punch a lot of pages for a bound document can be a nuisance. Using pre-punched sheets can solve that problem for you. You can run it through your inkjet or laser printer as well as your photocopier, so your pages will be ready to bind much more quickly. That way you can move on to other projects and not get hung up in the binding process.2.) To save money. It’s totally possible to save some cash by using pre-punched paper. For one thing, if you own a standalone binding device such as a plastic comb opener or a GBC ZipBind spine closer, you won’t need to purchase a hole punch, let alone an entire binding machine. That can save you hundreds of dollars right there. Also, these supplies are perfectly punched so you won’t have to throw out any pages that weren’t punched properly.3.) There’s paper for just about every binding method. There are a lot of pre-punched supplies available, so there’s probably some to use with your machine whether it utilizesplastic combs, twin-loop wire, color coils, or ZipBind spines. If you’re using a wire binding device, there are sheets that can be used with both 2:1 and 3:1 pitch machines. There are also supplies that have been pre-punched for use with VeloBind devices and three-ring binders.4.) Choose the best size and color for your document. Another great thing about pre-punched paper is that it comes in a variety of sizes and colors. Available sizes include standard letter-size (8.5″ x 11″), half-letter (8.5″ x 5.5″), and legal-size (8.5 x 14″), as well as 11 x 17″ and A4. As for colors, just about every shade in the rainbow is represented. Whether you like blue, purple, pink, yellow, green, or gray, you’ll find just the right color for your document.5.) Get the right weight. Finally, this type of paper comes in numerous weights. The most common is 20 lb. bond, which is the weight usually used for everyday printing and copying. Heavier weights such as 28 lb. and 32 lb. are also available, and are great for when you want your pages to be a bit more durable. You could also use the thicker weight sheets as covers for your documents, although there are pre-punched covers you can also purchase. (And, honestly, they’ll make your document look a lot better.)Now that you have five reasons for using pre-punched paper, can you imagine going back to punching your pages yourself? We didn’t think so. Get some pre-punched paper now and get ready to save time and money while also producing beautiful books!

Do you have a glossary of coil binding terms?Coil binding is a popular document finishing method that can be used for reports, proposals, anthologies, and more. In order to bind with coils, it’s usually necessary to use a coil binding machine. There is a lot of terminology associated with these machines, so it’s a good idea to become familiar with it before you try binding your documents. Here are the main terms you should know: Binding capacity. Nearly every type of binding machine has a specific binding capacity. This refers to the maximum number of pages each document can have. So if your coil binding machine has a 200-page capacity, that means your documents can be up to 200 pages long.  Coils. Coils are plastic binding implements that can be used with books containing 440 pages or less. These supplies are sometimes referred to as “color coils” because they are available in dozens of colors. Most coils are 12” long, which makes them suitable for letter-sized documents. Coil inserter. A coil inserter is a machine that’s designed to insert coils into your documents. These machines don’t usually come with a punching mechanism, so you’ll either need a modular binding machine or pre-punched paper. Crimping pliers. Crimping pliers look just like a regular pair of pliers. They’re used at the end of the binding process to trim and curl the coil. This helps secure the binding so the coil won’t spin out of your document. Some coil binding machines come with crimping pliers and they can also be purchased separately. Disengageable dies. Some coil binding machines and punches come with disengageable dies. These dies can be engaged (or disengaged) so you can produce different hole patterns for various sizes of paper. Machines with disengageable dies usually have an open punching throat to accommodate different sizes of paper.

How do I bind a document using spiral coil binding?Spiral coil binding (also known as Color coil or plastic coil binding) is one of the most popular and fastest growing of all coil binding styles. Documents bound with spiral coils lay flat and the pages can turn 360 degrees around the flexible PVC coil spine. Coil binding is fast and easy and offers a wide variety of colors to choose from.1.Select the proper size of color coil binding elementAs with other coil binding styles, your provider of coil bindings should be able to give you suggestions for the appropriate size of coil binding to match your document.It is important to not use a coil binding that is too small for your document as production time, appearance, and the functionality of the document will be greatly affected.Appearance is always a good indicator of the fit of the coil binding.Coil binding is also available in a variety of pitches; make sure to match your coil binding to your punch.Most common pitch for coil binding is 4:1 (or 4 holes per inch)Also available is 5:1 and 6mm, 3:1 is a much less common size2.Starting the Color Coil BindingMany coil binding machines have a spine forming channel, this is a useful feature to help create the contours of the coil binding and aid in the initial insertion of the coil bindingBegin to spin the coil binding onto the punched document by hand. It is a good idea to spin the coil binding on at least an inch.After the coil binding is started, hold the coil binding by the rubber rollers. Apply gentle pressure to the coil binding against the roller.3.Crimping the coil binding elementWhen the coil binding is spun onto the document, the excess coil binding needs to be cut and crimped using coil binding cut and crimp pliers.When using the cut/crimp pliers, always use them in your right hand with your thumb next to the red dot.Make sure that the prongs on the cut/crimp pliers are in contact with the coil binding and squeeze.This will cut of the excess coil binding and fold the coil binding over to keep it from uncoiling.Trouble shooting:Coil binding not inserting into documentMake sure that the pitch of the coil binding matches the pitch of the holes.Coil binding too small for document.Large diameter coil bindings (such as 1 ¼” and above) are difficult to insert in the best of conditions. Try an oval hole punch.Coil binding not folding over when cutMake sure that the coil bindings are in your right hand with the dot facing up. If not, the pliers will cut and crimp the section of coil binding that you want to cut off!Make sure that both of the prongs of the cut/crimp pliers make contact with the coil binding. This can be somewhat difficult on 6mm and 7mm coil bindings due to the small diameter.Notes and suggestions:Auto cutter/crimpers are available in single or double configurations. They can be tedious to set up, but save a lot of time for longer production runs.If possible, do not use coil bindings for documents over 1 ¼” thick. The document does not function the way that coil binding is intended to. The increased thickness of the coil binding and the weight of the book cause the pages not turn as freely.Another common configuration of a coil binding inserter is a wheel. The wheel can be faster for experienced users, but it is more difficult to learn. Smaller volume users typically have more success with the roller style of inserter.Coil binding is sold by the inch, so it is possible to get coil binding in 9” lengths for top spines and eliminate waste, or 18” lengths for 11 x 17 documents. Coil binding is the best method of binding when you have non-standard spine size needs.Coil binding is available in over 60 colors, by far the most of any binding style.

How do I bind large documents with Color Coils?If you have ever attempted to bind a book using a large sized color coil binding (30mm and larger), you will understand just how frustrating the process can be. For smaller sized book binding, you can easily use your coil binding inserter to quickly spin the coil binding onto your document. However, inserting coil binding on large books is a manual process that can be tedious and painful. In order to make the process a little bit easier and to save a lot of time, here are some tips for binding large documents with color coil binding: 1.Make sure to form the spine of your book to match the curve of the coil binding you are inserting – If you simply line up the holes of the book and attempt to insert the coil binding onto the book you will find that the curvature of the coil binding will make it nearly impossible to insert the coil binding. However, by curving the spine of the book you should be able to insert the coil binding more easily. Most coil binding inserters have a small curved section on the top of them to help you get the appropriate curve on your documents. However, if you are planning on doing a lot of larger book bindings with color coil binding, you might consider investing in the Rhin-O-Tuff HD4101 EZ coil book binding former. The HD4101 allows you to form the spine of the book and holds it in place while you insert the coil binding.2.Consider using an oversized oval hole pattern – As the diameter of color coil binding increases, the thickness of the coil filament also increases. Inserting the larger coil binding through standard sized holes often proves difficult. Using an oversized oval punch pattern provides larger holes making coil binding inserting considerably easier.3.Put away your coil binding inserter – After trying to use your electric coil binding inserter to spin larger sizes of coil bindings onto a few documents, you will soon discover that it doesn’t work very well. Inserting large sized coil binding into books is actually faster if you simply insert the coil binding by hand.4.Try using a different pitch of coil binding – Using a different pitch of coil binding with fewer holes is another option that is available to make binding documents with large diameters of coil binding a little bit easier. Many printers who bind a lot of larger documents with coil binding use a 2.5 HPI .400 pitch coil binding. This coil binding can be used with a 2:1 pitch square hole wire die but is much easier to insert since the coil binding in a little bit more rigid. In addition, it has considerably fewer spirals to insert. This type of coil binding is also available in sizes up to 2-1/4” (56mm) where regular 4:1 pitch coil binding is only available in sizes up to 2” (50mm).

What features should I look for when buying a coil binding machine?Spiral coil binding is one of the most popular binding styles available on the market. The flexibility along with the huge number of colors that are offered in coil binding supplies make it a favorite binding style for all types of organizations. Perhaps you have seen coil binding somewhere in the workplace and are considering it for your organization. More than likely, it will be an excellent choice for your needs. However, here are six things that you need to know before you rush out and buy a coil binding machine:1.Although coil binding supplies come in diameters up to 50mm for books that are as thick as 2”, spiral coil binding documents that are larger than 1” can be very difficult. Binding books with large size coil is somewhat like trying to put a slinky on the edge of a book. In addition to the coil being very large and difficult to handle, the spine of the book will also have to be curved so that the path for the coil is rounded to match the diameter of the coil. This can be pretty tricky and time consuming if you don’t have special tools for inserting the coil.2.Almost all spiral coil on the market are designed for a 4:1 pitch coil binding machine. This simply means that the hole pattern used has 4 holes per inch. Coil is also available for 3:1 pitch binding patterns and 5:1 patterns but is not nearly as common. Generally, it is best to stick to the standard 4:1 pitch hole pattern unless you have a compelling reason to use a different pattern. Most coil binding machines punch round holes for the documents. However, some coil binding machines punch oversized oval holes to make inserting larger coils easier.3.Spiral coil is available in almost any length imaginable up to 36” in length. This makes it the ideal choice for binding large size documents. If you are planning on using coil to bind large size documents you will need to make sure that you coil binding machine has an open throat and preferably fully disengageable dies. This will allow you to set your machine up to make sure that you don’t have a half hole hanging off the edge of your paper.4.Standard spiral coil binding supplies come in 12” lengths for 11” documents. The extra length is cut off during the coil crimping process. If you plan on binding documents that are shorter or longer than 11”, you want to give yourself at least a half inch and preferably an inch to make sure that you have enough coil to cut off during the crimping process.5.You will notice that many spiral coil binding machines have a set of rollers on the front or the top of them. These rollers are used to help spin the coil through the holes on the edge of the document. True manual binding machines that do not have these rollers require you to spin the coil onto the book by hand. For short runs, this shouldn’t be a problem. However, for higher volume applications spinning the coil onto the book could become very tedious. For this reason, it is usually best to buy a machine with an integrated coil inserter or buy a standalone inserter to go along with your punch.6.In order to make sure that the coil doesn’t spin back off your documents after they are bound you will need to crimp the ends of the coil. A special pair of coil crimper pliers is usually used to cut off the end of the coil and bend over the end of the coil so that it won’t spin off the book. Using the pliers can be a little bit tricky and take some practice. Keep in mind that the red dot on the crimpers is designed to face up towards the ceiling and you should be able to get the hang of it. If you do it right, the end will be bent over. If you do it wrong, you will simply cut the coil off.

What should I know about Spiral Coil Binding?Choosing the right binding system to fit the needs of your organization can be a very difficult task. There are almost a dozen different binding styles available on the market all with their individual strengths. One of the most popular binding styles available today is spiral coil binding and it is growing in popularity every year. This article provides six reasons why companies choose spiral coil for their reports, presentations and proposals. 1.Flexibility: Spiral coil binding is literally the most flexible binding system available on the market. The flexibility and ability for the spiral coils to remember their shape make it an ideal solution for documents that will be frequently handled or sent through the mail. Twin loop wire elements can become deformed and plastic comb elements can crack or break if bent or crushed. Documents bound with color coil elements do not have either of these problems.2.Rotation: Spiral coil bound documents allow users to lay documents completely flat on a table or rotate pages 360 degrees for easy copying and note taking. This feature makes spiral coil a popular choice for binding notebooks, calendars and training manuals.3.Color Choices: Spiral coil binding spines are sometimes called “color coil” because of the variety of available coil colors. Spiral coil is currently available in more than sixty colors making it possible to match coil to almost any company logo or color scheme. The huge variety of specialty colors makes spiral coil a popular choice for graphic designers, schools and for scrapbooking.4.Length: Spiral coil is one of the only binding options available in custom lengths without incurring significant costs. Both plastic combs and twin loop wire are available in longer or shorter lengths. However, these options have to be custom made and cost significantly more than standard elements. Spiral coil can be ordered in longer or shorter lengths without incurring custom order charges. In fact the cost per inch for custom sizes of coil does not generally change when ordering custom lengths.5.Available Sizes: Spiral coil binding spines are available in sizes ranging from 6mm up to 50mm. This means that coil can be used for documents that are as small as a few pages and for documents up to 450 pages thick. Although all of these sizes are available it is important to note that large size coils are somewhat difficult to work with. Picture trying to put a slinky on the edge of a book. Spiral coil is much easier to use with books that are less than 1 inch thick.6.Cost: Spiral coil binding elements tend to be inexpensive. This is especially true of smaller diameter coils which start at less than five cents per spine. Specialty colors of spiral coil can sometime cost a little bit more than the standard colors. The cost per book for spiral binding is one of the lowest of all available binding styles.

How can I make a spiral notebook without a machine?Who needs an expensive binding machine? If you are doing a small number of documents, you can easily get away with doing the binding by hand. Here are a few tips on how to make a spiral bound book without a machine.1. Why Spiral Coil? The first thing you will have to decide when you are doing your own machineless spiral coil binding is if spiral coil is truly the way you want to go. Spiral coil has a lot of advantages, such as the books you bind in this style can wrap around completely, which is great for functionality. These types of books are also very durable, utilizing as they do (in most cases) four holes per inch of paper, with a spine that winds through all of the pages. This help to ensure that pages won’t tear from your documents, and if you add a laminated cover and or pages, you are looking at a booklet that will stand the test of time and that can be handled by a lot of people and stay together. This is why you often see large and busy restaurants using the spiral coil system for their menus.2. What Type Of Coil? In general, you will have much better luck using plastic coils rather than the metal types that you often see in school notebooks. When you start looking around at different spines, you will notice that there are a few different types out there. For one, there is the standard plastic coil that wither can be inserted by hand or by a machine. If you go this route, make note that you will be a lot more successful if you purchase some crimping pliers to make sure that your spine stays put. Winding the spine by hand is certainly doable, but if you value your sanity, you don’t want to find yourself hand-winding a large number of books. GBC makes what is called the Proclick spine, which can be found in several different colors and sizes, and importantly, can be easily reopened and closed if you need to take pages out and replace them. GBC also provides a system they call ZipBind, which are fairly similar to ProClick in that they are also easily editable. Last but not least, there is a company called Komtrak that makes what they call the Inspiral Info-Bind that easily winds through properly punched paper and features a plastic clip that goes in the end of the coil binding spine and makes sure that the spine stays in place and makes the booklet easily editable as well.3. What Kind of Paper? If you are truly committed to machineless binding, you will have to find paper that has already been punched in the style of binding that you have chosen. If you are using a standard size coil, you will want to order paper that had been punched in a 4:1 pitch ratio. This is what you will find the most readily available, and you may even be able to find reams of this type of paper at your local office supply store. Some of the other styles mentioned above use paper that has been punched in different, sometimes proprietary styles. Just make sure that your hole pattern matches the pine you are using, and the rest is cake.

How do I use my coil crimpers?Coil binding is a great way to bind your documents and make them look professional. Punching holes in your document and inserting the coils is easy. Some people do however have trouble with the final part of the process: crimping the coil. Crimping entails trimming the ends of the coil and turning the ends in so the coil won’t spin out of your book. Doing this can be tricky so here are a few tips that can make it easier: 1.Your crimpers will have a dot on one side(often red). You need to make sure that the dot is always facing up. If you try using them and the dot is facing down, you’ll just end up cutting the coil and not crimping it.2.Hold your book so that it’s parallel to the floor and ensure that the coil is facing you. Begin by crimping the right side of the coil as close to the edge of your document as possible. You should give the crimpers an additional squeeze to ensure that the coil is completely bent over.3.Now you can flip the document over and crimp the other end of the coil. Flippping the book over is necessary because you need to make sure that the end of the coil is turned in, not out.

What Coil Binding Supplies should I have?1.Color coils. Obviously to use your new device you’re going to need some binding elements. Color coils come in many different lengths with the most common ones being 11” long for letter-sized documents. You can choose from a number of different thicknesses ranging from 6 to 50 millimeters. (The thickest ones can bind documents that are more than 400 pages long.) These supplies also come in dozens of colors including some fun hues such as neon green and electric blue.2.Coil crimpers. One item you must have to successfully bind your documents with your new machine is a coil crimper. A crimper can either be handheld or a machine, but you need one to trim and turn up the ends of the coil so your book will stay bound. (It should be said that there are also crimpers that are an integrated part of some machines.) If you choose to get the handheld variety, you might find them difficult to use at first, but you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly.3.A selection of covers. Your documents are going to need covers if you want them to interest readers. (They’ll also help protect your documents.) You’ll find that there are a lot of different types of covers on the market including ones that are holographic, feel like leather, and so on. Some of the most popular are made from clear plastic so you can display a customized title page. And if you’re environmentally conscious, there are recycled covers available. A lot of covers can be punched with your binding machine to make everything easier.4.A binding workstation. Some of the binding machines you can buy these days are pretty large. If you bought one of them, you might discover that you don’t have enough space for it on a counter, table, or desk. Or maybe you want to be able to roll the machine out of the way when you’re not using it. If so, a binding workstation is a great solution. These workstations are often outfitted with casters and they provide space for your device. There’s often storage area for your supplies as well.

Who are the best plastic comb binding machine manufacturers?It can be challenging to select any new office device, but when it comes to comb binding machines, there are so many choices available, it’s almost overwhelming. One thing that can be helpful is knowing what some of the best manufacturers are. What follows is a short list of first-rate comb binding machine makers so you can know what brand names to look for while shopping. 1.) GBC. General Binding Corporation, also known as GBC, is definitely the most well-known company thanks to their longevity and their excellent products. GBC has been in business since the 1940′s and the name is more or less synonymous with comb binding. They have a terrific lineup of machines, such as the CombBind C450, and a lot of them are compatible with the company’s popular ZipBind spines. GBC makes products that are perfect for both large and small offices, and they also produce modular equipment, such as comb openers. 2.) Fellowes. This long-lived company has really made a name for itself due to their high-quality paper shredders, but they also make some very nice comb binding devices. A good entry-level unit is the Starlet, which can bind books containing up to 90 sheets. A more advanced model is the Galaxy E, an electric machine that has an astonishing binding capacity of 500 sheets. Whether you bind a little or a lot, there’s a Fellowes device you’ll probably love. 3.) Renz. Renz is a German company that makes some of the best machines money can buy. Their devices include the Combi Comfort, which has a hole punch operated by a foot pedal. The company’s entry-level device, the Combinette, has an incredible punching capacity of 5,000 sheets per hour. If you need to get the job done quickly, a Renz product would be a good choice. 4.) Akiles. Akiles has only been around since 1993, but they’ve already built up a great reputation thanks to their products such as the Offibind, a device that makes it easy for everyone to punch and bind their own documents. They even make the WireMac, a device that’s capable of working with both wire spines and combs. Akiles clearly manufacturers products that both the novice and experienced binder can use. 5.) Tamerica. Like GBC and Fellowes, Tamerica has been in the game for a pretty long time. The company launched in 1985 and makes some wonderful products, such as the 210PB which has 21 fully disengageable dies. Like GBC, Tamerica makes modular equipment including the 240HB comb opener. This company’s machines are great if you want advanced features such as adjustable depth of punch margin control. 6.) DFG. This relatively new company makes some reliable, heavy-duty devices that are great for high-volume applications. The E Titan has a wealth of advanced features including disengageable dies and it can bind books containing 500 sheets. The Titan is the manual counterpart of the E Titan with great features, including a terrific punching capacity of 28 sheets per lift. 7.) Prima PaperLock. If you like the look of plastic combs, but worry about their impact on the environment, a PaperLock machine will help you have a clear conscience. These devices utilize spines that look like plastic combs but they’re made from paper. The spines are 100% recyclable and easy to use, and they can bind 200-page documents. These products combine environmental awareness, ease of use, and a terrific binding capacity.

Why Should I Choose Plastic Comb Binding?If you’re looking for a document finishing method, there are a lot of options available. However, plastic comb binding is one of the best and should definitely be considered.Price. Comb binding is extremely affordable and costs less than wire, thermal, and color coil binding. The combs themselves often only cost pennies per piece and you can get a decent binding machine for less than $100.00. It’s the way to go if you’re sticking to a budget but still want your documents to look their best.Availability. Comb binding has been around for a long time and it’s very popular. Therefore, it’s really easy to get the supplies you need. You can order them online or pick them up at a big box office supply store. You definitely won’t find thermal, wire, or coil supplies at your nearest store, that’s for sure.Variety. Plastic combs are available in a number of colors such as navy blue, black, maroon, and yellow. There are even clear ones that can make your documents look great. Also, combs range in diameter from 3/16” to 2”. Thus, you can use this binding methods to create books that are up to 425 pages long. And while most combs are designed for use with letter-sized paper (8.5” x 11”) you can get combs for other sizes of paper. That makes this binding method incredibly versatile.Ease of use. If you’re looking for an easy bookbinding method, comb binding is the way to go. All you need to do is punch holes in your document, open the comb with your machine, and inserts the tines into the holes. You then close the comb and remove the document from the machine. It doesn’t get much easier than that.Functionality. Comb binding is perfect for personal and professional documents. You can use it to bind cookbooks, financial reports, sample books, proposals, school assignments, legal documents, and more. Also, the combs make the documents lie flat which makes them easy to read. The combs will also keep their shape if you mail your books. Plus, you can open the combs at a later date in case your document needs to be edited.

What should I know about Comb Binding?Although there are more than a dozen common desktop binding styles available on the market, more users choose comb binding than any other style. This may be due to the fact that comb binding has been around the longest. Or it could be that comb binding is the most accessible binding style (equipment and supplies are available at most office supply stores). Whatever the reason, this article will introduce you to six important facts about comb binding that will help you to determine if this binding style is correct for you.  Sizes: Plastic binding combs are available in a number of sizes for virtually any project. The smallest size of combs available is three sixteenths of an inch. These are ideal for documents that are just a few pages long. The largest size of combs is two inches and can handle documents with as many as 400 sheets of paper. Combs that are 1.25″ or larger are oval in shape while smaller combs are round. Colors: Spines are also available a huge variety of colors to match your company logo or the color of your report cover. The most common colors are black, white, navy blue and clear. However, combs are available in over a dozen colors. If you can’t find the color that you need you can have combs flood printed with a PMS color or you can custom order an extrusion of another color. However, PMS flood printing is expensive and an extrusion of a custom color will require huge quantities (often between 10,000 and 50,000 pieces). Hole Pattern: Plastic binding combs use a nineteen hole pattern that features rectangular holes that measure 9/16″ on center. These holes are used by virtually all plastic binding combs. However, this hole pattern can also be used with Komtrak Inspiral coils and with Spiral-O 19-ring wires. Finishing: Using your comb binding machine you will need to punch your sheets. However, in order to finish your documents, you will need to use a plastic comb opener. Many smaller comb binding systems include an opener on the top of the machine. Or, higher volume users will sometimes choose to use a stand-alone comb opening device. The comb opener will spread the combs so that you can insert the pages onto the fingers of the spine. The opener can also be used to edit bound documents if you ever need to add or remove pages from the book. Printing: It is also possible for you to buy plastic combs that are printed with your name or company logo. They can be foil stamped or can be silk screened. This is a popular option for annual reports, cook books and for financial documents produced by accountants. However, virtually anything can be printed on a comb as long as it will fit. The Finished Product: Documents bound with plastic combs will open flat on a table to allow for note taking or photocopying. The pages turn easily and the binding is secure. However, the spine of the document will not allow the pages to flip from the front of the book to the back (360 degree rotation).

What can I create using Comb Binding?Plastic comb binding machines are very popular office devices because they offer a simple way of creating impressive-looking books. These machines are perfect for creating professional documents such as marketing proposals, brochures, and so on. However, comb binders can also be used for creative purposes and it can be handy to have one around if you’re a crafter, writer, or other creative type. Here are some things you put together with one of these machines….  Self-published works. Have you written a novel or a collection of poems? Are you trying to put together an anthology? If so, a comb binding machine will give you the means to put together a book that will impress your friends and readers. Plastic combs can bind documents containing as few as 10 pages or as many as 425 so they’re perfect for long and short works. A photo album. Whether you’re deeply into photography or just want to put together a collection of family snapshots, you can create your own photo album with one of these document finishing devices. You can print the pages out on your color printer and then put the book together in just a few minutes. It’s quick and easy. Your own customized scrapbook. If you’re into scrapbooking, a comb binder is something you might use frequently. You can pick out your own covers and paper stock and then create your own scrapbook out of these supplies. This will enable you to use your right brain and allow you to create something of which you can be proud. Music books. Are you a songwriter and/or a musician? If you are, you can publish your own books of music and share them with friends, family, and fellow musicians. And if there are a lot of loose pages consisting of lyrics and musical notations around the house, a comb binder can help you put these sheets into a book so they’re better organized and all in one place. Coloring books. If you’re an artist or know some who is, you could create a coloring book for your favorite kid. Just gather up some line drawings and organize, punch, and bind them. It couldn’t be easier. School projects. Students can get a lot of use out of comb binders as they can be used for a variety of items including reports, literary anthologies, etc. Teachers are much more impressed by a bound documents than one that’s merely been stapled. Your own creation. Chances are you can come up with your own creative uses for a comb binding machine. Let your imagination run wild!

What are some tips for using my comb binding machine?Whether you’re new to your comb binding machine or have been doing it for a long time, there’s no doubt about it: it’s one of the easiest binding methods around. However, just because it’s relatively easy, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t things you can do to make the process even easier. That said, here are five things you should keep in mind when using one of these devices. 1.) Emptying the chip tray is essential. It may sound like a no-brainer, but emptying your machine’s chip tray is important. It will make the whole process easier and it will reduce wear and tear on your device. That’s because if there are too many chips in the tray, punching will become more and more difficult, and you could eventually break some (or all) of the punching dies. That could lead to expensive repairs or you may even have to purchase a whole new machine. 2.) Lower the number of sheets you punch. Speaking of punching, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t try to punch too much at once. Your machine has a maximum punching capacity which can be as low as 5 sheets or as high as 25 or more. But just because your machine can theoretically handle that much paper, that doesn’t mean it should. It’s easier on the dies to punch smaller amounts so if you do that, you’ll find that your machine will last much longer. Also, take special care when punching plastic covers and don’t do more than one or two at a time. Plastic covers can really wreak havoc on the dies if there are too many of them. 3.) Use the adjustable margin control if your machine has it. Some comb binding machines have an adjustable margin control feature. What this does is let you control how far away from the edge of the paper your holes will be. This is important because if the holes are too close, the pages can be easily ripped out. However, if they’re too far away, it will be very difficult to turn the pages. So adjust the margins. Your books will be easier to read and the pages will be less likely to fall out. 4.) Be careful when opening the comb. When you go to open your comb, be careful when doing so. If you open it too far it’s just going to go flying off the comb opener and could potentially hit someone in the eye. Not only could that be dangerous, it means you have to open it all over again. 5.) Insert your pages in small groups. When it’s time to actually bind your book, you’ll want to place the pages in the comb in small groups rather than just as one big stack. Trying to insert all the pages at once is difficult and it can be frustrating if it doesn’t work the first time. If you insert the pages in smaller groups, your work will be much easier.