subject: Five Things You Need to Get Started With Coil Binding [print this page] Five Things You Need to Get Started With Coil Binding
Thinking about what binding method to choose isn't terribly difficult. However, knowing what materials to gather up once you've chosen your method can be. If you've decided to go the coil binding route, there are five things you're going to need to get started. Let's find out what they are.
Your documents. The first thing you're going to need are your documents. Be sure to proofread them and get them as polished as possible before printing them. Using high-quality paper when you print them is a must so your work will look great overall.
A coil binding machine. A good binding machine is obviously going to be a must-have device. There are a lot of them available including those from lesser-known manufacturers. As a general rule, you should choose a device made by a well-known company (i.e. GBC) to be sure that you're getting the most for your money. Keep in mind that there are some devices out there the are some machines that lack a coil inserter. This doesn't need to be a problem since coils can generally be inserted manually. However, if you're going to be producing a lot of books regularly, an inserter would be a great choice.
Color coils. As you probably expected, you're going to need some coils to get going with this bookbinding method. These supplies can be use to bind documents containing just over 400 pages so you can use them for just about anything you want: anthologies, scrapbooks, marketing materials, employee training manuals, and so on. You can choose from dozens of colors too, so you can make your documents visually striking.
A good supply of covers. Covers are definitely things you need to have around when you're working with your new binding machine. These supplies come in a lot of different varieties including clear plastic, metallic, leatherette, and twill. There are even holographic ones available if you want your work to really stand out. Binding covers are sometimes pre-punched when you get them. If they're not, you'll be able to punch them yourself with your device. Just be sure to not punch more than two plastic covers at a time. That can wear out the device's punching heads.
Crimping pliers. There's one tricky thing about this binding method: when the coil has been inserted in your book, you need to trim the ends and then fold them up. This is called "crimping" and it's important because not doing so can cause your documents to fall apart. The crimping pliers look like their regular counterparts but are made only for bookbinding. Some machines come with pliers, but you may need to purchase one on your own.
These are the five things you need to get started with coil binding. All of them - your documents, the machine, the coils themselves, the covers, and pliers - are very important so make sure you have them handy when you start binding your documents. (You should also have some patience just in case you're new to this activity and your first few attempts at bookbinding don't go as planned.) If you have all of these things, you should be successful in your bookbinding endeavors.
