If you’re considering purchasing the Akiles WireMac, you may want to see how it works. Having used this machine myself, I can vouch for the fact that it is a solid machine and is easy to use. A few years ago we shot a detailed video demo of the WireMac in use. I will include that video in this article.

Before I show you the video, I would like to explain why the Akiles WireMac is such a popular machine with our customers. To begin with, it has been around for some time and has developed a stalwart reputation with our customers. It is very common for this machine to literally last for years without experiencing any issues.

You can buy the WireMac in two different hole patterns. The most common is the 2:1 pitch, which is two holes per inch. This size is the most common because it can be used to bind the thickest books. The 2:1 pitch hole pattern can bind up to 1 ¼” of paper at a time. The 3:1 pitch, which has a tighter hole pattern (3 holes per inch) can only bind up to 9/16″ of paper. Both patterns look good, and if you don’t need to bind over ½” of paper, either format will work for you.

The Akiles WireMac itself is one of the best-built machines we offer. It features durable metal construction, which includes the innermost components. It features fully disengageable punching pins, an adjustable margin depth and much more.

This is a video demo of the Akiles WireMac in use.

As you can see from this video, the WireMac is a pretty slick machine. Not only does it do a great job binding presentations, reports and booklets, but it looks great too. It is heavy enough to hold its own, yet is light enough to be used on just about any desk or countertop. Simply put, this is a great deal and a great option for binding paper.

You can find the Akiles WireMac binding machine here and our entire selection of wire binding machines here. Please feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions.

If you use, own or are planning to purchase a comb binding machine, you probably want to know how to use it. Because many of the binding machines out there are made out of the country, the “English” manuals are often very difficult to follow. Many people simply lose their manuals. We recently filmed a “How to Use a Comb Binding Machine” video demo.

To begin with, this demo covers the Intell-Bind IB400 comb binder from Intelli-Zone. This is because the IB400 is a fairly simply and common style of binding machine. You punch the paper, open the combs, insert the combs through the paper and you’re done (in very simplified terms). Once you know how to use this binding machine, you’ll easily be able to use a GBC, Fellowes, Akiles, Renz or other brand of binding machine.

While there are a few design differences between machines, the are almost all the same in operation. Hopefully this video helps you set up your own machine.

How to Use a Comb Binding Machine Video Demo

As you can see, the process is very simple. I have found that it takes about a minute to bind a basic book. The speed varies, depending on the machine’s capabilities, and electric machines are faster. There is definitely no reason to be intimidated by a comb binding machine. They can be used to bind presentations, reports, books and much more. The spines are available in a wide range of sizes and colors.

If for any reason you need a new manual for your comb binding machine, or if this demo does not help with your machine, please feel free to speak with our Service Technician at 1-800-658-8788 x129.

We also offer a great selection of binding machines. You can find our entire selection of new comb binding machines here and all our binding machines here. Good luck and happy binding!

Are you binding a cookbook, an instruction manual or perhaps even a photo album? One book binding format you should consider using is coil binding. Coil binding, often referred to as spiral binding, is the fastest growing binding format today. There are many reasons for this and I would like to cover all the pros and cons. I would also like to show you, with a video, how a coil binding machine works.

Coil binding is a format that uses tiny coils that look a lot like springs (found here). Other than the fact that coil binding coils are made from PVC plastic, they look almost identical to the spirals used in traditional spiral notebooks. PVC coils are available in different diameters, based on the thickness of the book you are binding, and come in a wide range of colors.

I personally think that coil binding looks very professional. I have personally used coil binding to bind instructional booklets and I have in my possession several cookbooks (family and neighborhood) that are bound in coil. Coil binding machines are affordable and can even be used at home. Popular brands include Akiles, Intelli-Bind and Tamerica.

I would like to now go over the pros:

• Durability – Because coil-binding elements are made from PVC plastic, they are extremely durable. The hold up well with continued use, easily survive being dropped and can even be stepped on without suffering any damage. Durability alone is a huge reason to consider using coil binding.
• Color – I have already mentioned this earlier, but coil binding comes in a variety of different colors. Popular colors include red, white, brown, green, blue, black and clear.  Custom colors are also available.
• Page Turns – A book bound in coil is extremely easy to use. The round holds, combined with round-shaped elements, make page turns extremely easy. Pages can be wrapped around a full 360 degrees and pages lay extremely flat.
• Speed – Binding a book with coil is extremely easy, especially if you have a machine that has an electric coil inserter. Simply punch the holes, insert the coils and crimp off the excess coil.

These are what I would consider to be the cons:

• Modifications – You cannot add or remove pages to a coil bound document without cutting off the end of the coil and spinning the coil back out. The coil cannot be re-used. If you are removing or adding pages, a new coil would have to be used. On the bright side, this makes coil binding semi tamper proof.
• Stability – Because coils are floppy and unstable, they don’t provide a lot of added stability to a book like comb or Velobind does. Your books stability is dependent entirely on the pages being bound. This isn’t a huge deal for most people.

Here is a video demo of a coil binding machine in use:

In conclusion, coil binding is one of my favorite formats. It looks good, is functional and can be used for binding books as simple as a cookbook or as professional as a business proposal. You will find coil binding machines in schools, churches, homes and businesses.

You can find our entire selection of coil binding machines here. Please feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions.

When shopping around for a coil binding machine, you more than likely want to get the best machine for your money. While we would all like a fully automated machine, budgets often do not allow for such luxuries. One great compromise is a semi-automated coil binding machine with an electric coil inserter. One such machine is the Akiles CoilMac-ECI 4:1 coil binding machine. I recently had a chance to play around with one.

If I were to come up with a top 5 best coil binding machines list, the CoilMac-ECI would easily be one of the top two models. To begin with, the CoilMac-ECI is a solid coil binding machine. It is made from durable metal construction. While the punching is manually done, coil insertion is done via an electric coil inserter that spins coils through punched holes.

The coil inserter on the CoilMac-ECI isn’t a puny or scaled back. It runs almost the entire width of the machine, powered by a powerful motor. Many cheaper machines with inserters use low-quality motors. Everything used to build the CoilMac-ECI appears to be of the highest grade quality.

The CoilMac-ECI is now also available in a “Plus” version. The CoilMac-ECI Plus is pretty much the same machine as the standard CoilMac-ECI with the only differences being that the “Plus” punches oval holes instead of round holes and features disengaging punching pins on all the punching dies. Both machines are of equal quality.

As mentioned earlier, I had a chance to use the CoilMac-ECI. We ended up shooting a video of it, which you can find here:

As you can see, the end results look extremely professional. You can use the Akiles CoilMac-ECI to bind booklets, cookbooks, reports, presentations and much more. It is an extremely versatile machine. It literally only takes a few minutes, from start to finish, to complete a booklet.

I recommend this machine for use in schools, churches and businesses. Having sold these machines for years, I can vouch for the fact that the CoilMac-ECI has an excellent track record. You won’t be disappointed.

You can find the Akiles CoilMac-ECI coil binding machine here and our entire selection of coil binding machines here.

Are you coil binding books on a daily basis, perhaps hundreds of books a day? For this many books, reports or presentations, I recommend using a robust machine like the Akiles CoilMac-EPI coil binder. This coil binding machine is popular, well built and a huge hit with our customers. I have had the opportunity to use this machine on several occasions and had the chance to shoot a video demo of my experience.

While not fully automatic, several electric components make this machine fast. This includes a fully electric paper punch (4:1 pitch hole pattern) and an electric coil inserter. Combined, book binding takes just minutes. The 4:1 pitch hole pattern can be used to bind books as thick as 1 ¼”, which is about 230 sheets of paper. An included foot pedal allows for two-handed operation.

The build quality on the Akiles CoilMac-EPI is extremely high. The thing feels like it weighs a ton. While it really only weighs 80 pounds shipped, the all-metal construction makes it feel like one of the most solid pieces of equipment I have ever used. Here is a video demo of me using it.

While not featured in this video, the CoilMac-EPI is also available in a variation called the CoilMac-EPI Plus. The only difference between the standard model and the Plus model is the hole design and the disengageable dies. The Plus uses oval holes, rather than round, and has fully disengageable dies where the standard model only has 5 disengageable dies. Other than that, they are pretty much the same machine and this video demo can really be used for both machines.

I highly recommend the Akiles CoilMac-EPI for medium to higher-volume binding. It is a solid machine, and simply put, it will last for years. You can find the Akiles CoilMac-EPI here and our entire selection of coil binding machines here.

While manually punching paper isn’t that bad, it can become tiresome when done on a large scale. If you are punching hundreds of sheets of paper per day, you may want to consider using a machine like the Intelli-Bind IM1000 electric binding punch. I recently had a chance to play around with this machine and shoot a video demo.

A question I often get is, “Why would I want a binding punch?” That’s a good question. The best answer I can provide is “volume.” Using an independent binding punch, along side an existing binding machine, can dramatically increase your punching capacity and output book binding volume.

The Intelli-Bind IM1000 is available upon purchase with your choice of punching die. This may be comb, wire, coil or coil in your choice of pitch. Other dies can be purchased. Because the dies are interchangeable, the Intelli-Bind IM1000 can easily be used along side just about any comb, wire or coil binding machine.

I was surprised how easy the IM1000 was to use. An included foot pedal makes hands free punching easy. If you don’t like using a foot pedal, you can also activate the electric punch by pushing a button found on the front of the machine.

The IM1000 is rated for punching up to 25 sheets of paper. I decided to put that to the test and it worked great. You can see a video demo of me using the Intelli-Bind IM1000 electric binding punch here.

So there you have it! The Intelli-Bind IM1000. This binding machine is affordable, powerful and excellent to have on hand for high-volume binding projects. You can find the Intelli-Bind IM1000 here and our entire selection of binding punches here.

There are several tips and tricks out there for speeding up binding operations, but one tool that seems to speed up the process the most is using an independent binding station. These stations may be a comb opener, a wire closer, an electric coil inserter or a combination of all three. The Intelli-Bind 910 binding station, from Intelli-Zone, features all three.

I have personally used this machine and have to say that I’m impressed with just how easy it is to use. I especially like the fact that it can be used alongside a comb, wire or coil binding machine. The build quality is great!

The wire closer is located on the back of the machine, the comb opener is in the middle and the electric coil inserter is located on the front. Using this binding station, along side a binding machine, can easily double your binding output.

Here is a great video demonstration of the Intelli-Bin 910 binding station.

Pretty slick….right? This triple format binding station costs less than most single-purpose binding stations. You can find the Intelli-Bind 910 binding station here and our entire selection of binding machines here.

When people ask me which manual wire binding machine I prefer to use above all others, I have to answer back with the Akiles WireMac. This machine, although several years old now, continues to be one of the most solid and reliable wire binding machines around. It is solid, easy to use and the end results are highly professional. Here are a few other reasons why I like this machine.

To begin with, the machine has truly been built from the ground up for the sole purpose of durability. It is heavy, weighing in at a solid 45 pounds. The handles are metal, the dies are metal, the gears are metal and the housing is die cast metal.

Because the Akiles WireMac is so incredibly solid, punching and binding on it is a piece of cake. It is available in either a 2:1 pitch or a 3:1 pitch hole pattern. The hole pattern you use really depends purely on your preference. The reports it produces look just as good as anything a professional copy center could make.

While I could continue to go on about this machine, this video demonstration will probably do a better job of helping you familiarize yourself with the Akiles WireMac. Enjoy!

I hope that video demonstration helped you understand why I like this wire binding machine. You can find the Akiles WireMac wire binding machine here and our entire selection of wire binding machines here.