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.

You’re looking for a binding machine and need something that can punch a wide variety of material, so which machine should you get? Most machines claim that they can cut a specified amount of sheets, but where do you go from there? Here are a few answers that should help answer the question, “Exactly what can I punch with my binding machine?”

To begin with, all binding machines can punch paper. I know that sounds a little silly, but let’s get that one out of the way. I have found that most manual binding machines punch between 10-15 sheets of paper and electric punch machines around 15-25 sheets of paper. Remember, these specifications are based on 20# thick paper, which is essentially what you use in your copy machine.

I personally recommend scaling back your punching capacity by as much as 15-20%. This is because most manufacturers state the absolute maximum amount of sheets you can punch before your machine breaks. Scaling back the punching capacity will probably have minimal impact on your binding volume, but will really help prolong the life of your machine.

Most book binding machines can punch other material than simply 20# copy paper. This may include card stock, laminated paper, plastic poly covers, clear covers and more. There is just one catch. You need to adjust your machine’s punching capacity to accommodate the different thicknesses of material you are punching.

So how do you determine the maximum number of sheets you can punch when not punching standard 20# paper? It all boils down to trial and error. Try punching one or two items at a time and go up from there. If your machine begins to struggle or if you are exhorting a lot of force on the handle (or the motor is straining), you are probably punching too much material.

So there you go! Your book binding machine can handle a lot more than just paper. I have used comb, wire, coil and VeloBind machines to punch poly covers, card stock, clear covers ad much more.

You can find our entire selection of book binding machines here. Do you still have questions? Feel free to call one of our binding machine specialists by calling 1-800-658-8788.

As a book binding enthusiast, I find all forms of book binding to be very interesting. Going back to the days of the Egyptians using papyrus to medieval hardback binding, it is all very intriguing. Today I read an article about 70 lead codices that appear to contain early writings from Christians dating back to the 1st century.

It is believed that these codices contain early Christian writings. Some believe that it may even include clues regarding the last days of Jesus’ life. Apparently these codices were found in eastern Jordan, where many early Christian believers possibly fled after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, around 70 AD. Whether you’re Christian or an atheist, you have to admit that this is a pretty cool archeological discovery.

These plates are made up of thin sheets of lead metal, bound together by wire. Could this be the beginning of wire binding? The way the wire is used to bind the individual metal sheets allows the pages to be turned and read. Each of the codices are about the size of a credit card, so they are all pretty small.

So far these booklets appear to contain images and textual allusions to the Messiah. Some of the codices are wired shut, creating all sorts of speculation as to what they may contain inside.

According to the article:

One of the few sentences translated thus far from the texts, according to the BBC, reads, “I shall walk uprightly”–a phrase that also appears in Revelation.

Anyway, I just found this entire thing fascinating. The bound documents have a wire / coil binding appearance to them. I suppose it makes sense to use ringlets of wire to bind the books as that was probably one of the best binding methods available at the time. You can find the entire article, titled “Could lead codices prove ‘the major discovery of Christian history’?” by going here.

At ABC Office we sell a wide variety of modern-day book binding machines that can be used to create reports, presentations and booklets. You can find our entire selection of book binding machines here.

While manually binding your own books doesn’t take a long time, I have had many people ask me how they can speed things up. I would say the average amount of time it takes to bind a book is about 1-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the book and the machine being used. Here are a few tools you can use to potentially cut that time in half.

The following tips should help you speed up binding operations for comb, wire and coil binding. While each of these binding formats look different, they all implement very similar techniques.

Speeding Up Book Binding Operations

Binding Attachments / Modular Accessories – If you have a fairly basic book binding machine, you can easily upgrade the speed by purchasing separate attachments.

• If you are comb binding, you can buy a separate comb opener.
• If you are wire binding, you can buy a separate wire closer.
• If you are coil binding, you can buy an electric coil inserter.

All of these attachments will allow one person to handle paper punching while a separate person can use the modular attachment to finish the job. This can almost double your book binding speed.

Stand-Alone Punch – Stand-along paper punches are designed to punch large volumes of paper. The can be used in conjunction with a modular binding accessory or along side a book binding machine. Many of our stand-alone punches can punch 20+ sheets of paper at a time. Higher punching capacities really speeds up the book binding process. You can find our stand-alone paper punches here.

Electric Upgrade – While manual punch book binding machines are nice, they aren’t recommended for medium to high-volume binding. An electric punch binding machine can be a huge upgrade and is well worth the investment. Electric punch binding machines typically have a higher punching capacity and are much faster.

Coil Hole Upgrade – If you are coil binding, an oval hole upgrade may be well worth the investment for speed. I’ll explain.

Coil binding, at least for me, can be a little difficult when binding thicker books. This is because the holes are small and navigating the coils through the holes can be a little difficult. I don’t have this problem with thinner books.

About a year ago Akiles unveiled a new line of coil binding machines that utilize an oval hole rather than a round hole. The oval hole design really speeds up coil insertion. Akiles machines that feature the oval holes typically have a “PLUS” after the model name. You can find our Akiles coil binding machines here. You can find our Akiles coil binding machines here.

Separate Machine – This suggestion may seem like obvious advice, but it is often cheaper to buy a second machine than to purchase a separate punch or attachment. This way you can have 2 people simultaneously punching and binding books.

I have found that most of the tips mentioned above will help significantly increase your book binding speed.

We have a great team of highly trained binding specialists here at ABC Office that can help offer binding advice and suggestions. Feel free to speak with one of them by calling 1-800-658-8788.

You can find our entire selection of book binding machines here. Have a great day!

Are you having trouble binding your books? Are you growing increasingly frustrated at the fact that your binding elements aren’t fitting through the holes? You’d be surprised at how simple most book binding machine issues are to solve. Here are some steps and tips that should help you out.

• Binding Element Won’t Fit Through Holes – There are two common reasons why your binding elements won’t fit through the holes.

1. I have found that many people, for whatever reason, try to use one diameter of binding element to bind a variety of different book thicknesses. The truth is, you need to use the correct diameter of binding element to match the thickness of the book you are binding. If the binding element is too small, it’s like trying to fit a size 5 shoe on size 10 feet.
2. The second most common reason why elements won’t fit through holes is because the hole pattern (or pitch) isn’t the same. Binding machines like wire and coil come in different hole patterns. A 2:1 pitch (2 holes per inch) wire binding machine can’t use 3:1 pitch supplies (3 holes per inch).

• Half-Punched Holes – Do you end up with half-punched holes on the edge of your paper? This can look pretty ugly and can get very frustrating. The first reason this may be happening is because the side guide isn’t properly adjusted. Try playing around with the guide and see if you can get the holes aligned. If that doesn’t seem to be fixing the problem, you may need to upgrade to a machine with disengageable punching pins. Disengageable binding machines have selectable punching pins, making it possible to completely disable the guilty half-punching pin.
• Not All The Holes Punch – If you are noticing that not all the holes are punching all the way through the paper, you are probably punching too many sheets of paper at a time. Try scaling back the total sheets and see how that works.
• Pages Tear Out Too Easily – Have you noticed that the lifespan of your bound book is really small? Are pages tearing out when they shouldn’t? You may be in need of a binding machine with an adjustable punching depth. If your machine already has an adjustable punching depth, you may want to break out the manual and try adjusting it. Pages punched too close to the edge of paper are far more likely to tear out.

These are some of the most common book binding issues I have found with our customers. These tips typically fix most issues. If you need a manual for your book binding machine, try calling our Service Department at 1-800-658-8788 x129. They are usually able to track them down and fax / e-mail them to you.

We also offer a great selection of book binding machines, supplies and elements. You can find our entire selection of book binding machines here.

Comb binding continues to be one of the most popular book binding formats used today. Plastic comb binding supplies are cheap, machines are plentiful and the end results look great. That said, what features should you look for in a comb binding machine? With literally dozens of machines available, you may need a little help narrowing down the field. Here are a few tips that may help you out.

Features To Look For In A Comb Binding Machine

1. Punching Capacity - The punching capacity is the amount of sheets that a machine can punch at any given time. This does not determine the maximum thickness of the bound book. If you are binding a 100-page book and have a machine that can punch 10 sheets at a time, you will need to make 10 total passes before accumulating enough punched paper for a 100-page book. The higher the punching capacity, the faster you can bind a book.
2. Paper Size – Most comb binding machines are designed to handle standard letter size 8 ½” x 11″ or A4 size paper. If you need to bind 14″ legal size paper or larger, be sure to check and see if the comb binding machine can handle the added length. Sometimes you can bind a longer sheet of paper if the comb binding machine is open ended, allowing the operator to slide the paper over and punch it again.
3. Book Thickness - The majority of comb binding machines have a 2″ book binding capacity. While this may be the case for 90% of the machines out there, some entry-level machines may not be equipped with comb openers capable of handling 2″ paper. Be sure and check this out under the machine’s specifications prior to purchasing a comb binder.
4. Disegnageable Dies - If you plan on binding custom-size and non-standard paper sizes, you will definitely want a machine with disengageable (selectable) punching dies (aka punching pins). Have you ever punched paper only to end up with a half-punched hole? Disengageable punching dies will eliminate this problem.
5. Margin depth – The margin dept determines how far into the paper the holes are punched. Only about half of the comb binding machines available have this feature. I personally like an adjustable margin depth. This makes it easier to punch deeper into paper when binding thicker books, where the potential of a page accidentally ripping out is higher.
6. Material Construction – Comb binding machines are going to be either made out of plastic, metal or a combination thereof. As you might imagine, all-metal comb binding machines typically hold up better over time. If you only plan on doing low to medium-volume binding, a plastic or plastic / metal machine may be fine. Be aware that some plastic-looking machines are actually all metal with a plastic shell.
7. Handles – Some comb binding machines feature a single handle for punching paper and opening the combs. Other machines feature two separate handles for both. The handle arrangement your machine has will depend on your preference. Electric machines typically have only one handle for opening the comb.
8. Manual or Electric – Do you need a manual or an electric comb binding machine? The ultimate determining factor will be the amount of books you are binding. While electric punch comb binding machines are convenient, they’re typically only needed for high-volume binding. Some people still like electric punches for low to medium-volume binding purely out of convenience. Be aware that electric punch comb binding machines are typically more of an investment.

Understanding these various features should help you ultimately decide which machine is best for you. You can find our entire selection of comb binding machines here. If you are still unsure which machine to buy, feel free to contact one of our comb binding specialists by calling 1-800-658-8788.

College is all about studying, essays, reports, tests and presentations.  Perhaps it was just my degree, but I recall handing in at least one or more reports a week. While ultimately the content of your presentation should be what’s most important, looks often mean everything. First impressions mean a lot and this applies to college as well.

I remember heading over to the local copy shop and binding my college presentations and reports. They looked good, however, I had no idea what I was doing. Little did I know back then that I would end working in the binding industry.

There are about six different styles of book binding that I can think of that were commonly used for binding reports back in the day. These same six binding styles are still commonly used today. They are not only used for binding college reports, but also for binding business presentations.

The six binding styles I am referring to are comb, wire, coil, VeloBind, tape and thermal. Each of these binding formats has their benefits. I’ll cover the benefits (and the weaknesses) of each. I’ll rate these starting with my favorites.

1. Wire Binding – This is probably my favorite binding format for college reports. Double loop wire binding looks classy, professional and keeps things together. I personally like to use a clear cover for the front, cardstock for the back and wire as the binding element. The only downside to wire is that it can bend.
2. Coil Binding – Coil binding is durable, long lasting and colorful. This binding style allows pages to turn a full 3six0 degrees and pages can lay flat. Coil binding is great for cookbooks, albums and presentations. The only downside is that the coil ends can be a little difficult (initially) to crimp off. Once you know what you’re doing, however, it’s pretty easy.
3. VeloBind – VeloBind looks great. The thin ¼” wide binding strip makes presentations look like they were bound in a professional bindery. This binding format is tamper proof and long lasting. The only downside is that pages in thicker reports may be difficult to keep open. These books won’t lie flat.
4. Comb Binding – Comb binding is probably the most affordable binding format around. The spines are cheap. While I consider comb binding to be the best format for grade school level education, many people think it doesn’t look professional enough for a college-level report.
5. Thermal Binding – Thermal binding usually involves some sort of glue in a pre-made binding cover. I really like the look of this style of binding. Thermal covers usually involve a clear cover with a cardstock backing. The only downside to this style of binding, for college report purposes, is the machines are harder to come by and the covers usually cost a bit more.
6. Tape Binding – Tape binding ultimately looks good (as long as it’s done right), but most tape binding formats are temporary. The ultimate weakness is that pages will eventually start falling out. Simply put, tape binding is a temporary binding format.

I hope this helps you with your college reports. Binding documents is easy to do, looks great and provides for a great first impression.

You can find our entire selection of book binding machines here. I personally like using binding covers for my report found here. Good luck with your college reports!

People are binding a lot of thing these days. This ranges from cookbooks to scrapbooks and manuals to archived documents. So which binding machine is best for binding a presentation? There are a lot of opinions out there on this subject. Here are my recommendations.

To begin with, presentations are often intended for the most professional situations. People often use presentations for selling products or ideas. A badly bound or bad looking presentation can often leave a bad impression.

To date, the most popular binding machine for binding presentations is the wire binder. Wire binding, sometimes called twin-loop or double-loop binding, has a clean and tight look to it. Pages turn nicely and the wide range of colored wire available makes color coordination a piece of cake.

You can find our entire selection of wire binding machines here and wire binding supplies here.

Black seems to be the wire color of choice. This is not only because black has a regal quality to it, but black also matches well with almost any back or front cover.

Most people use some sort of card stock for the backing of the presentation and then utilize a clear cover for the front. You can find our card stock here and our clear covers here. Bound presentations usually do not exceed a ¼: thickness, however, wire can be used to bind thicker documents.

Be aware that wire binding is available in 3 different hole patterns. The most popular are 3:1 pitch (3 holes per inch) and 2:1 pitch (2 holes per inch) hole patterns. The Spiral-O 19-ring hole pattern is the least common. I have found that 3:1 pitch seems to be the most popular for presentations.

Other machines that our customers have used to bind presentations include coil binding machines, VeloBind machines and comb binding machines. I would have to say that VeloBind probably comes in 2nd, coil binding 3rd and comb binding 4th in popularity for presentation binding.

You can find our entire selection of binding machines here. You can find our report and presentation covers here. Good luck binding your presentations. Feel free to contact us at 1-800-658-8788 with questions or for advice on presentation binding machines.

So you’re looking for a binding machine, but don’t know what all the terms mean? No worries. I have been involved in the binding machine industry for over a decade and have come up with a list of common terms and their definitions. This should help you out.

Binding Machine Glossary

• Combo / Combination – A combination book binder is a machine that can bind books using multiple binding formats and techniques. The most common combination binding machines can bind in both comb and wire formats.
• Compound – Compound is a term used to describe paper padding press glue & adhesive.
• Diameter – The diameter is used to describe the size of a binding element. This term is used with comb, wire and coil binding.
• Dies – Dies are the sharpened pins that are used to punch holes in paper.
• Disengageable Dies – Disengageable dies are dies that can be selected and enabled / disabled by the operator. This is ideal for cutting down on half-punched holes.
• Double-Loop – Double loop is another term used for wire binding. This is because the wire has the appearance of two double wire loops per hole.
• Edge Distance - The edge distance is the amount of clearance there is from the side of a sheet of paper to the first punching pin on a binding machine. Most binding machines have an adjustable edge distance.
• Hole Pattern - The term hole pattern is used to describe the distance between holes. Different binding machines utilize different hole patterns.
• Hole Shape – Different binding formats utilize different hole shapes. Wire binding, for instance, may have a square, round or rectangular hole. Coil binding may have a round or oval-shaped hole. Comb binding always has a rectangular hole.
• Hot Knife – Hot knife is used to describe a VeloBind machine. Part of the VeloBind process involves a hot knife that cuts of excess prongs and seers remaining prongs to a back strip.
• Inserter – Coil binding machines often use what’s referred to as an inserter. This inserter is typically electric and spins coins through pre-punched holes.
• Margin Depth - The margin depth is the distance that holes are punched from the edge of a sheet of paper. Not all binding machines have an adjustable margin depth, however, it is a nice feature to have when binding several different book thicknesses.
• Modular – A modular binding machine is a machine that is built up from a punching base. Someone who has a comb binding base may want to buy a modular comb opening attachment.
• Multi-Format – These types of binding machines are capable of binding books using different binding formats. The most common type of machine is one that binds books in either comb or wire.
• Pitch - The pitch is the distance between holes. Wire binding uses 2:1 (two holes per inch), 3:1 (three holes per inch) and 19-ring patterns. Coil uses 4:1 (four holes per inch) and 5:1 (five holes per inch) pitch patterns. Comb is 19-ring (19 holes along 11-inch sheet of paper). Be sure the supplies you buy for your machine fit the pitch your machine uses.
• Punching Capacity – The punching capacity is the amount of sheets that can be punched at any given time. The punching capacity typically goes down when thicker paper is punched.
• Selectable Dies - A machine with selectable dies allows the operator to enable or disable specific punching pins. This is idea for binding custom-size books and eliminates annoying half-punched holes.
• Twin-Loop - This is a term used to describe wire binding. This is because wire binding creates the look of twin loop wires in each punched hole.

So there you have it. Some of the most common binding terms used in the industry. Hopefully this has helped clarify a few things for you. If you still have questions, please feel free to call one of our binding machine specialists at 1-800-658-8788. You can find our entire selection of book binding machines here.

Whether you use a binding machine or a roll laminator, the ability to move equipment from one area to another is not only convenient, but also often necessary. At ABC Office, we carry a wide variety of binding and laminating carts. These carts, depending on the equipment you are hauling, include volumes of storage space. Here are a few options.

To begin with, these workstations and carts are customer favorites. Many customers, after using one, discover that they have use for multiple carts. Not only can these carts be used with laminators and binding machines, they can also be used to hold paper, act as a side table and move other office equipment.

Best Binding Machine & Roll Laminator Carts / Workstations

1. Tamerica Tahsin Binding Workstation – This cart is probably the most popular model we sell. It has several pull-out trays for holding supplies and the table can support most binding machines out there.
2. Akiles Binding Workstation – This machine is very similar to the Tamerica Workstation. The quality is great and it is ideal for moving and using binding machines. Pull-out trays can be used to hold a variety of supplies.
3. Tamerica LWS-1 Laminating Workstation – This is the ultimate cart for roll laminators. The table can support most 25-27″ roll laminators and the shelves make roll laminating film easy to access and store.
4. Akiles AUS Utility Station – This utility station makes binding easy. There are several shelves for supplies, paper and more. Built on wheels, this utility station is easy to move around.
5. All-Purpose Laminator Cart – This cart is designed for heavy-duty roll laminators and includes a convenient cabinet for holding supplies. This cabinet can also be used for holding binding

These carts all offer solid, mobile solutions to office equipment. I have personally used the Tamerica Tahsin Binding Workstation, LWS-1 Laminating Workstation and Akiles AUS Utility Station and can tell you from experience that they are all solid options for binding machines and laminators.

You can find our entire selection of mobile binding machine and roll laminator carts here.