We have all heard the phrase ‘A Binding Contract’, it gives the impression of something finished, something final. Therefore, nobody wants their documents or books to fall apart or to be made up of loose sheets. We all understand the function and primary benefits of binding, but what can sometimes be less clear is the additional benefits of binding and how these benefits differ depending on the type of binding. There are many binding styles, each have their own strengths and benefits but not all are right for every eventuality. This guide should help you choose the binding that best suits your requirements.

Coil Binding

Otherwise known as spiral binding, coil binding uses a helical plastic or metal coil as the spine of a book which allows the book to open flat. Atop of this the 360-degree rotation allows you to fold the booklet back on itself so that you are only presented with one page, without damaging the booklet’s spine. The 360-degree rotation makes it a good option for note taking which has led to its frequent use in schools, seminars, and workplaces where people annotate documents regularly. Remember the A-Z road atlas, they are bound using coils these days.

Comb Binding

Comb binding is pretty basic and consists of plastic rings on a spine which are placed through rectangular holes on the sheets within the document. This simple binding is easy to use and requires minimal setup making it a great option for schools, businesses, and churches where people need to manually bind documents. Comb binding has one distinct advantage over other binding – it can be re-opened to add more pages, a feature many people can make good use of. Comb binding was by far the most popular style of binding more decades. Most other styles have caught up and surpassed it now.

Thermal Binding

Thermal binding works by attaching a cover to a document by heating the spine which contains an adhesive which binds the pages together. The process is quick and there is no hole punching involved. It is not the easiest form of binding to add pages to or remove pages from but people looking for the professional look are likely to be creating finished documents that will not require this level of editing as opposed to the “work folder” type documents that coil or comb binding might be used for.

Wire Binding

Wire binding is commonly used commercially and is made up of a double looped spine. Punched paper is placed over the wire loops before the “c-shaped” arch is squeezed close leaving a book which can lay flat and pages which open 360 degrees. Office or small user of wire binders have a combined punch and closer. Large scale wire binding is carried out by bigger business, such as printers and copy shops, who will often separate the different elements of the process for efficiency and productivity, using separate machines for the different stages of the binding process. Invariably you home calendar, probably on your kitchen wall, will be wire bound. Along with coil, wire is commonly viewed as one of the most aesthetically pleasing styles of binding.

Strip Binding (Surebind & Velobind)

Strip binding is also commonly referred to has Surebind or Velobind. This style of bind uses a plastic strip with prongs. The prongs are placed through punched paper and into a second strip on the reverse of the document. The prongs are melted into the second strip creating a secure bind. This strong binding is used for items such as legal document which are not supposed to be tampered with or changed in anyway such as having pages added or removed. Furthermore, whilst strip bound documents open sufficiently to read, they do not open flat meaning they are not easily photocopied which when combined with the tamper safe design makes Surebind & Velobind one of the safest binding options available.

Perfect Binding

Perfect binding is one of the most common forms of binding and consists of adding a flexible adhesive to a book’s spine and sides and attaching it to the cover. The biggest drawback of this style of binding is that it only works with a book size of at least 30 sheets. Paperback books are one example of perfect binding, which is evidence of how effective this type of binding is. Perfect binding is ideal for publications which are several inches thick. You probably have several items in your home which are perfect bound, many catalogues are finished this way. Perfect binding is the only style which allows printed text to be used on the spine of the document, for commercial purposes, this is a great benefit.

We hope this helped but if you are unsure or need any clarification on the ideal binding style for your needs, get in contact with Glendale Presentation Solutions. One of our friendly team will be able to answer any questions that you have.