If you have a wire binding punch, lack a wire closer on your binding machine or simply want to speed up binding operations, you may wonder if you can manually close twin loop wire by hand. It is a question I get from customers from time to time. I have also had customers ask if they can reuse the wire. I will answer these questions and more in this article.

Having personally tried to close wire using my hand. Can it be done? Yes. Does it look good? No…absolutely not. The problem is that a wire closer, used with most wire binding machines, closes all the rings of wire at the same time, providing a nice and even look. Closing each individual loop (32 loops with 3:1 pitch and 21 loops with 2:1 pitch) results in each loop being closed a little more or a little less than the next or previous loop. To put it simple, it looks horrible.

So can you open wire and reuse it? Unfortunately this is not a possibility either. Having tried this myself, I can vouch for the fact that it is impossible. While I have seen some wire binding machines that include a wire opener, that actually does an OK job, it still never looks as good as a new wire binding element. The problem is that opening the wire causes kinks, crimps and gets fatigue spots in the wire that never look right, even when the wire is re-closed. It is also extremely hard to remove wire from a wire bound book by hand. It can easily rip and damage the document in the process.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but twin loop wire binding is not forgiving. If you need to be able to reuse or reopen a binding element, I recommend you consider using a comb binding machine. Coil binding, while it can be re-used, is easy to remove if you need to add or remove a page.

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

Are you having trouble settling on either comb or wire binding? Do you feel that you have reports, presentations or books that could benefit from both binding styles? If you are torn, or are having trouble making a decision, you should consider the Akiles WireMac-Combo. This book binding machine can be used to bind books using comb or wire. I have used this machine and this is my review.

Akiles is known for making some of the best binding machines out there. Having used over a dozen different models of Akiles machines myself, I can tell you that I personally like using them over GBC, Fellowes and many other brands. The build quality is simply some of the best I have ever seen in an office machine. The WireMac-Combo falls right in line with this tradition.

The WireMac-Combo is literally made from all-metal construction. Everything from the outer shell of the machine to the inner guts to the handles are made from metal. There are a few wood and plastic trim pieces, but I would say that at least 90% of the machine is made from metal. That really means something in a world where plastic seems to be replacing metal. Head to head, metal always wins over plastic.

The WireMac wire binding machine and the Akiles MegaBind are two great machines. The WireMac-Combo takes these two machines and smashes them into one unit. The end result is pure engineering genius. The WireMac-Combo has to separate and unique punching dies. One die punches paper in a 19-ring plastic comb hole pattern and the other punches paper using a 2:1 pitch or a 3:1 pitch hole pattern (depending on the version of the WireMac-Comb you go with).

Two separate punches mean you never have to worry about swapping out dies. Everything is right there in one machine. The WireMac-Combo also includes a manually operated wire close and a manually operated plastic comb opener / closer. While this may sound very complicated, and the picture of the machine may seem intimidating, it is actually pretty easy to use. Just remember, while there are 4 different handles on the machine, you will only ever use 2 of them when binding a book. Two of the handles are for wire and the other 2 are for comb.

The WireMac-Combo doesn’t just bind books using twin loop wire or plastic comb. It also includes a wide range of “luxury” features. This includes an adjustable margin depth (for the punches) and independent disengageable dies. This allows you to turn of individual punching pins, making custom book binding easy. This feature essentially cuts out the dreaded “half punched” hole. The base of the punching dies also feature a printed diagram showing you where the holes will be punched.

The WireMac-Combo also includes gauges, diagrams and tools that ensure proper binding. This includes a wire closing gauge that keeps the closer from under or over closing the wire.

This machine is excellent for use in an office or copy center. While a robust machine (20.5″ x 27″ x 20″), it will easily sit on most desks or tables. It is a little heavy, weighing in at 64 pounds, it can still be easily moved around by a couple of people.

Having used this machine, I would like to personally vouch for its quality and longevity. This machine is built to last and will easily hold up to daily use. Simply put, our customers love this machine.

You can find the Akiles WireMac-Combo wire and comb binding machine here and our entire selection of book binding machines here. Please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions.

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.

The Akiles WireMac is one of the most popular wire binding machines in the United States. These machines are used to bind reports, presentations, books and much more. You will find the WireMac in businesses, schools, churches and other organizations. We currently offer 4 different variations of the WireMac. This article will explain the differences between each.

Types of Akiles WireMac Binding Machines

Akiles WireMac (2:1 or 3:1) – The first and most common version is the standard Akiles WireMac (found here). It is a manually operated machine and is available in a 2:1 pitch hole pattern or a 3:1 pitch hole pattern. This wire binding machine is completely manually operated. It includes a handle for punching paper and a separate handle for closing the wire. It features fully disengageable punching dies, an adjustable margin depth and a dial that sets the wire closer (prevents over closing or under closing wire). This is the most popular WireMac. This is because it is the least expensive, yet still features an extremely durable metal frame and shell.

Akiles WireMac-Combo (Comb / Wire) – This version of the WireMac combines both 2:1 wire and comb or a 3:1 wire and plastic 19-ring comb binding. The Akiles WireMac-Combo (found here) features a wire punch and a comb binding punch. Also included is a wire close and a comb opener / closer. This is especially nice for people that don’t want to settle on any one binding format. While this machine is completely manual, it is easy to use and is fast to operate. This machine is robust, powerful and is made from durable metal construction. It also features disengageable punching pins, an adjustable margin depth and much more.

Akiles WireMac-Duo (2:1 & 3:1) – If you can’t settle on a wire binding hole pattern, you may want to consider the Akiles WireMac-Duo (found here). This version of the WireMac features both a 2:1 pitch and a 3:1 pitch punching die. This allows you to create reports using a tighter hole patter (3:1 pitch) or a wider spaced hole pattern (2:1 pitch) that allows for thicker books. It can also punch through clear covers, card stock and standard paper. This is a great wire binding machine for a business environment due to its versatility. The WireMac-Duo is a very popular binding machine. It is both affordable and features a superb build quality.

Akiles WireMac-E Electric Wire Binding Machine (2:1 or 3:1) – If you really like the WireMac, but need to increase your binding output, you may want to consider using the Akiles WireMac-E (found here). This version of the WireMac features an electric punch and a manual wire closer. This machine is available in either a 2:1 pitch hole pattern or a 3:1 pitch hole pattern. Unfortunately, as of the writing of this article, there is no WireMac-E-Combo that combines both hole patterns. This wire binder features a foot pedal for hands-free operation and can punch 20 sheets of paper at a time. This machine is a beast and will easily keep up with your daily wire binding operations.

The WireMac line of wire binding machines has an excellent track record with our customers. As long as you know the differences between the models, you should be very happy with your purchase. I personally love selling Akiles WireMac machines because I know that I won’t have to worry about customer service issues later down the road. I personally recommend that you invest a little extra money in a WireMac that will easily last for years, versus a slightly cheaper machine that may last 1 year.

You can find our entire selection of Akiles wire binding machines here. Please feel free to contact one of our customer service representatives at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions. We are more than happy to help you find the right machine. You are also more than welcome to post your question as a comment at the end of this article.

If’ you’re binding children’s books, you probably want to use a format that is durable, tough and resilient. My 3-year-old son was recently given a book that was bound in twin-loop wire. As you might imagine, that book isn’t in such good shape anymore. When it comes to children’s books, a lot more needs to be taken into consideration than just looks. I will cover in this article the best binding machines you will want to use for binding kid’s books.

If you will be binding a child’s book using a binding element (i.e. Wire, Coil or Comb), you need something that is tough, can take an impact and will cut down on page tearing. The two most resilient binding formats are comb and coil. I’ll explain why I would personally use these binding styles for a kid’s book.

The one format I would never use is twin loop wire, unless you’re binding a teenager’s book. Wire, to put it simple, bends and looses its form when stepped on, thrown on the ground, stacked on with other books or is thrown in a backpack.  I have seen some books bound in thick-gauge twin loop wire. The thicker gauge stuff seems to hold up much better than your standard gauge twin loop wire.

As mentioned earlier, I would use comb or coil for a children’s book. Let me explain the benefits and the disadvantages of both.

COMB BINDING – This is my second choice for binding kid’s books. This format is made from tough plastic and will rarely break or bend. Comb binding supplies are cheap, costing very little for a box of 100 elements. Comb is also available in dozens of colors, making it a colorful choice for binding children’s books. The individual comb fingers are wide, providing added support to pages, making them tougher to accidentally rip out.

The biggest con to comb binding is the fact that combs can be re-opened, even without a machine. It is tough to do, and extremely unlikely to happen, but it is possible. I still don’t think this should count out comb binding.

Because you may be binding books smaller than 8 ½” x 11″, I would recommend that you use comb binder with selectable punching pins.

These are some comb binding machines I recommend for binding kid’s books:

• Intelli-Bind IB500 Comb Binding Machine
• Akiles EcoBind-C Plastic Comb Binding Machine
• Akiles AlphaBind-CM Comb Binding Machine

COIL BINDING – Coil binding is my first choice for binding kid’s books. Binding coils are made out of extremely durable PVC plastic. These coils won’t bend or break and can withstand the unforgiving wrath of a child. Binding coils are colorful, which kids like, and can be used to bind thick or thin books.

I personally recommend using 4:1 pitch coil for children’s books (4 holes per inch) as the wide hole pattern makes the pages harder to tear out. A 5:1 pitch hole pattern (5 holes per inch) have the holes too close together for kids, making the pages much easier to tear out.
As you will probably bind books in a wide range of sizes, I recommend using a coil-binding machine with disengagable punching pins and an electric coil inserter.

These are some coil binding machines I recommend for binding children’s books:

• Intelli-Bind IC310 Coil Binding Machine
• Akiles CoilMac-ER Spiral Binding Machine
• Akiles CoilMac-ECI Coil Binding Machine

Hopefully these recommendations help you in your book binding endeavors. We have decades of experience with book binding machines, so please feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions. You can find our entire selection of binding machines here.

When you bind a booklet, presentation or report, you typically expect that book to hold up for some time…right? You certainly don’t want paper ripping out as you turn pages. If your comb, coil or wire bound document is experiencing pages tearing out, premature wear, pages binding or overall difficulty in using a book bound in these formats, you’ll want to read this guide.

Comb, wire and coil binding are all three very distinct binding formats, but they all suffer from similar issues when a book is bound incorrectly. While binding a book is extremely easy to do, there are a few minor settings, if left ignored, can result in a complete failure of a binding job. Here are the two most common issues:

Pages Keep Tearing Out: If you have pages that seem to be tearing out of your book, you are probably experiencing issues with your margin depth, which is how far holes are punched into the paper. As a general rule, you want to punch holes deeper into the paper when binding thicker books. Thinner books can have the holes punched closer to the edge. If you punch holes close to the edge, while binding a thicker book, pages will eventually begin to tear out.

Many modern binding machines have a margin depth selector that will allow you to adjust how far into the paper the holes are punched based on the thickness of the book. Akiles machines are especially easy to use when it comes to adjusting the margin depth.

Unfortunately not all binding machines have a margin depth adjustment. If this is the case, you will either need to deal with the occasional page ripping out, bind thinner books or upgrade to a different machine.

Here are three great binding machines that feature an adjustable margin depth:

• Comb: Intelli-Bind IB500 Comb Binder
• Wire: Akiles WireMac Wire Binding Machine
• Coil: Intelli-Bind IC310 Coil Binder

Paper Binds When Turning Pages: If you’re experiencing issues turning the pages in your bound document, the guilty culprit is the binding element itself. What you are probably doing is using a binding comb, wire or coil that is too small for the paper you are binding. What you need to do is use a slightly larger diameter binding element.

Many binding machines now include a diameter selection guide. If you’re binding machine doesn’t have this feature, you can get a good idea on the diameter you need by looking at our supplies pages. Our binding supply pages feature the diameter and how many sheets it can bind.

Binding Supplies

• Comb Binding Supplies
• Wire Binding Supplies
• Coil Binding Supplies

Hopefully this guide helps you out and helps cut down on frustrations. If you are still experiencing issues with your binding machine, please feel free to give our Service Department a call at 1-800-658-8788 x129. If for any reason you need a new machine, you can find our entire selection of binding machines here.

I had a customer pose a really good question to me this morning. They asked me, “Do your twin loop wire binding supplies get thicker as the diameter increases?” I had never thought of that before and had to do a little research to find the answer.

According to this customer, they have purchased wire of varying gauge qualities, with some wire staying the same thickness even when the diameter increased. They claimed that with “cheaper” twin loop wire, the wire gauge was so pathetic that the books got all bent out of shape after only being used a few times.

I decided I needed to go out to the warehouse and investigate this for myself. I broke out a box of ¼” wire, ½” wire, 7/8″ wire and 1 ¼” wire. I broke out a micrometer (although the difference was visually evident) and can confirm that the gauge thickness of our wire does get thicker as the diameter increases.

I figured our wire had to get thicker as we carry the highest quality wire available for wire binding machines. The 7/8″ and 1 ¼” twin loop wire was dramatically thicker than the ¼” wire. This makes sense. The thicker the book, the more strain that is being put on the wire.

Not only is our twin loop wire (both 2:1 and 3:1 pitches) high quality stuff, but it is available to you at an excellent price. You can find our entire selection of twin loop wire supplies here and our large selection of wire binding machines here.

Good luck and happy binding!

Creating your own product is fun and fulfilling. One hobby that I enjoy, and many businesses perform on a daily basis, is bookbinding. It’s fun to produce something that is tangible and looks professional. One of the best-looking binding formats is wire binding. It’s clean, looks great and is ideal for the most important presentations and reports. One machine I personally recommend using is the Akiles WireMac wire binding machine. I have used this machine myself and this is my review.

To start with, I have to say that Akiles is one of the best binding machine manufacturers around. They manufacture comb, wire and coil binding machines and they almost always turn out to be high quality products. The reason I bring this up is because if the WireMac doesn’t fit your bill, you should still consider an Akiles Machine.

The WireMac wire binding machine is designed for low to medium-volume book binding. That isn’t to say that it is a low-volume machine, but it features a manual punch. That means the WireMac’s biggest limiting factor to speed is the operator. The machine itself could stand up to higher-volume binding, but the operator would probably get tired.

You can get the Akiles WireMac in two different designs. One design comes with a 2:1 pitch hole pattern and the other comes with a 3:1 pitch hole pattern. The pitch you use depends entirely on your preference. I can say, however, that the 2:1 pitch has been more popular, due in part to the fact that a 2:1 pitch hole pattern can bind more paper.

Using the WireMac is extremely easy. Simply take a stack of paper (up to 20 sheets of 20 lb paper) and punch it. Keep punching paper until you have the designed amount punched. You then insert a wire binding element into the punched holes and close the wire shut using the built-in wire closer. Sounds easy, right? It really is an easy machine to use.

Don’t let this machine’s simplicity fool you. It is also packed with features. One of my favorite features is the selectable punching pins (aka disengageable dies). This allows you to shut of any of the 40 dies (3:1 pitch) or 27 dies (2:1 pitch). This eliminates half-punched holes and makes it possible to bind books of varying sizes. This machine has a 14″ punching length. Because it is open ended, you can technically punch paper even longer than 14″.

I also really like the adjustable margin depth and diameter selector. Both of these features make it extremely easy to bind books of varying thicknesses.

The WireMac has been around for years and we have sold untold amounts of these machines to customers. Akiles has a great track record with our customers and the WireMac has proven to be extremely reliable, lasing for years without any issues.

Having handled this machine myself, I can tell you that it is solid. The all-metal construction really helps improve the book binding experience. I highly recommend this machine for those interested in binding books, reports and presentations.

You can find the Akiles WireMac wire binding machine here and our entire selection of Akiles book binding machines here. You can find ABC Office’s entire selection of binding machines here.

If you like to bind books, or need to quickly bind presentations and reports on the go, you probably need a portable book binding machine. While there are a lot of binding machines available, few of them can be easily picked up and moved from one location to another. This article will cover some of the most portable book binding machines available.

One important thing to be aware of, when shopping for a probable binding machine, is to realize that most portable machines are designed for light use or occasional use. I would put that at about 10-20 books a day. This is more than adequate if you are binding reports and presentations on the go. Portable binding machines are also almost always manually operated, with electric machines being too heavy to easily carry in a bag or move around.

I am going to list the top 10 best portable book binding machines. This list will include the three most common bookbinding formats; these being comb, wire and coil.

Top 10 Best Portable Book Binding Machines (Listed Alphabetically)

1. Akiles iCoil 41 Coil Binding Machine
2. Akiles iCoil 41 Plus Coil Binding Machine
3. Akiles iWire 21 Wire Binding Machine
4. Akiles iWire 31 Wire Binding Machine
5. Fellowes Star Comb Binding Machine
6. Fellowes Starlet Comb Binding Machine
7. Intelli-Bind IC110 Coil Binding Machine
8. Intelli-Bind IB150 Comb Binding Machine
9. SircleBind CB-60 Comb Binding Machine
10. SircleBind WR-60 Wire Binding Machine

These book binding machines are all lightweight and very portable. Many of them even include handles that fold up for added portability and convenience. The Akiles line of iWire and iCoil machines are especially nice as they fold completely up and include everything you need (minus supplies) to get up and going.

You can find our entire selection of book binding machines here.

Do you need affordable wire binding supplies for your twin loop wire binding machine? Whether you use a GBC, Akiles, Tamerica or SircleBind wire binding machine, they all need supplies to work. I would like to set you up with some great prices on both 2:1 and 3:1 pitch wire.

In case you didn’t know, we stock all our wire binding supplies rather than drop ship them. This is beneficial to you because it means cheaper prices and much faster shipping. We offer our wire binding supplies in 2:1, 3:1 and 19-ring hole patterns. You can find our entire selection of wire binding supplies here.

In case you aren’t familiar with the various hole patterns used in wire binding, perhaps this will help you out:

3:1 Pitch - Three holes per inch. This hole pattern creates a tighter look but at the expense of binding capacity. The 3:1 pitch hole pattern caps out at a 9/16″ hole pattern. Some people call this Wire-O or twin loop wire.

2:1 Pitch – Two holes per inch. This hole pattern is currently the most common used today. It has wider hole spacing than 3:1 and the binding capacity caps out at 1 ¼” of paper.

19-Ring - This wire pattern is sometimes called Spiral-O wire or wire comb. This wire was designed specifically to work with 19-ring comb binding punching patterns. If you have a comb binding machine, and a wire closer, you can use this wire.

Hopefully this helps clarify a few things. With all the different hole patterns, I can completely understand why you may be confused. We offer wire in 11″ lengths in a variety of different diameters and several different colors.

I appreciate you reading through this blog posting. As a reward, please feel free to use coupon code ABCWIRE05 for an additional 5% off our already low wire supply prices. This code can be applied to your shopping cart or may be mentioned over the phone. You will be hard pressed to find a better price, and if you do, please let me know!

You can read more about wire binding and it’s sheet capacities here.

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