If you are searching for a binding machine, you may be asking yourself how they work and how easy they are for beginners to operate. Here, we answer those questions and many more. For the most part, all of the different binding machine methods employ two steps. First, there is a place where you punch holes in your sheets, then there is a section where the binding spines will be inserted or closed. The exception to this tried and true method is thermal binding, wherein the finished product is a hard or softcover book, and no holes are punched. Although there are well over a dozen different binding methods, in this article we will explore the four main methods which are as follows:
This method employs a plastic spine with comb-like teeth that hold the pages of your document together. In this method, your sheets are placed into the
machine and using a lever or foot pedal, rectangular holes are punched into the edges of your document. Then, the plastic spine is placed into a row of stakes which, using a lever, opens the comb binding up. Then the holes of the sheets are placed in line with the teeth of the comb, the lever is released and the teeth close around each other, binding your sheets together into a book.
Coil binding machines operate in a similar fashion, as least as far as the punching process is concerned. In this case, the holes are usually round (or oval for larger bindings), and most machines are designated by the pitch at which they do their punching. Pitch is measured by the number of holes per inch, with four holes per inch, or 4:1 pitch ratio being the most common. Once your holes are punched, a plastic wire resembling a spring is wound through the holes using a roller. Depending on the machine you purchase, you will either have a coil inserter attached or will have to buy one separately. Combo or inserting machines usually include a wire crimper to finish the process and ensure the coils do not come out. The larger machines might even include an automatic crimping feature to make production go even faster.
This method usually uses square holes and a double-looped wire spine that closes and clamps together to keep the pages in place. This method provides a more elegant look than the previous two, and you will often find it being used in art and photography books, as well as writer’s journals. Like coil and comb binding, you can get
machines that are considered combo units, which include the hole punching and wire crimping functions in one unit, or you can purchase those functions in two separate machines to increase production for larger jobs. Usually, the combo and wire crimping machines include a place to hook the wire onto to make inserting the pages easier than simply doing it freehand.
As previously mentioned, thermal binding is one of these four styles that doesn’t employ a punching mechanism. In this method, your pages are simply placed inside your cover and placed in the machine. Sometimes referred to as a glue binding system,
thermal binding machines use heat to melt a strip of glue that has been placed in the spine, the glue attaches the spine and the pages together and just like that, you have a hardcover or softcover book. Keep in mind, the book needs to cool completely in order for optimal adhesion and hardcover books might also need to be crimped while being cooled. This is the most elegant and permanent of all the binding methods and is also one of the easiest to complete as it requires the least amount of training/skill.
