PLASTIC COIL BINDING
Plastic coil is a contemporary mechanical binding method second in popularity only to Wire-O. Plastic coil binding elements are flexible, durable and come in many great colors and spine sizes. Plastic coil bound pages lie flat-as-a-board and can be turned 360°.

As in Wire-O, the most common plastic coil binding problem is punching into type. Layout your job with 1/2” spine margin to clear the punched holes. Do this for both 5:1 (five holes per inch) and 4:1 pitch products.

In addition, plastic coil bound books must have the binding edge sized properly. Consider 4:1 pitch for a moment. 4:1 holes should be laid out with a binding edge that is evenly divisible by 0.25”. For example, binding edge lengths of 10-3/4”, 11” and 11-1/4” are OK, whereas 10-7/8” and 11-1/8” ARE NOT. Similarly, 5:1 products must be evenly divisible by 1/5”. Be safe. Involve your post press finisher early in the job planning process.

SPIRAL WIRE BINDING
Spiral wire binding lies flat and usually is the most economical of all mechanical binding options. Spiral wire often has an attractive plastic coating and is available in many delicious colors. Like its cousin plastic coil, spiral wire bound pages lie flat-as-a-board.

Please note: Both spiral wire binding and plastic coil pages “step up” when opened. Books with crossover images or graphic elements need to be planned for accordingly. If you are concerned about crossovers, be safe and choose Wire-O.

MULTIPLE-UP WIRE-O BINDING
For your high volume mechanical binding jobs, you may want to consider highly efficient, cost effective multiple-up Wire-O binding. At E & M Bindery, our automated “skip” binding capabilities allow us to bind books in either two-or three-up formats and chop cut them apart. If planned properly, this high volume production method significantly saves time and money.