Binding Basics

Spiral, Wire-O and Comb Binding

Spiral, Wire-O and comb binding are all methods of mechanical binding. Mechanical binding refers to binding processes involving the insertion of metal or plastic filaments through holes in the binding edge of paper sheets in order to secure pages together. Spiral, Wire-O and comb binding are popular, affordable methods for publications that need to lay flat and undergo frequent use without damaging the binding. These durable binding methods are most often used for printed items such as reference materials, guidebooks, notebooks and journals. Process The printing and trimming processes are similar for spiral, Wire-O and comb binding. The sheets are printed, collated and aligned, and the inner pages and covers are then cut to the finished size of the publication. After holes are punched or drilled through the binding edge of the sheets, the processes begin to vary for spiral, Wire-O and comb binding. Spiral binding Spiral binding, also referred to as wire or coil binding, is one of the most common binding methods due to its durability and versatility. In a spiral-bound publication, a long series of small holes is either punched or drilled through the binding edge of the paper sheets. Then, a continuous plastic, metal or plastic-coated metal coil is threaded through the holes. A coil-crimping tool bends and trims the ends of the coil to secure the binding. Wire-O binding In Wire-O binding, rectangular holes are punched through the binding edge of the paper sheets. This binding is also

called twin-loop binding, as a sturdy double wire is used to bind publications. All the inside pages and covers are placed on an open, “C”-shaped double wire, which is then pinched closed through the holes in the binding edge. When the publication is placed onto the wire, the back cover is placed above the front cover on top of the inner pages. This way, when the wire is pinched together, the portion where the wire meets sits between the last inner As the name implies, concealed Wire-O binding is a form of Wire-O binding with a hard or soft cover that continues around the binding to conceal the wire. This is most often accomplished by gluing the front and back covers to the first and last inner pages with extra space left for the wire binding to create a round or square-backed, concealed Wire-O publication. Comb binding Also called GBC, Cerlox or Surelox binding, comb binding uses a solid, cylindrical strip of curved plastic with a line of curved tines to hold pages together. Each flexible tine along the comb is preformed into a ring shape with a small amount of tension, so the tines can retain their shape after being manipulated. Rectangular slots are punched through the covers and pages of the publication, and the curved tines are spread open to close down through the slots in the binding edge. Some combs are designed to be openable after the publication is first bound to add or remove pages, and some combs are designed with locking mechanisms to keep pages in place after binding. page and the back cover of the publication. Concealed Wire-O binding

Binding Basics

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