subject: Five Great Things About Color Coil Binding [print this page] Color coil binding (also known as spiral binding) is wonderful to finish off your document with just a splash of color. The spines used in this finishing type really live up to their name, coming in dozens of colors that can complement and enhance any report. Here are five great things about this method.
1.) A colorful variety. The first great thing about color coil binding is in the name itself: color. If you love color, this is the binding method for you because the spines are available in more than 60 hues. Purple, pink, blue, black, brown, yellow, fluorescent green.... Just about every shade imaginable is available, so this is the best method not only for professional documents, but also booklets by artists, writers, marketing firms, graphic designers, architects, retailers, and so on. And if you're concerned about the planet, there are black Eco-Coil spines that are made from 100% post-consumer waste.
2.) Great for short or long books. In addition to the rainbow of colors available, these spines can bind both short and long documents. The thinnest coil is about 6 mm thick and can bind up to 30 sheets. The thickest is 50 mm and can secure 440 pages. This is a method that's obviously great for both long and short documents.
3.) Three pitches available. There are three pitches commonly used with these supplies. (Pitch refers to how many holes per square inch are in a piece of paper.) These pitches are 5:1, 4:1, and 3:1. These different pitches can come in handy depending on the type of the machine you're using. For example, while there are designated coil machines, it's possible to use a color spine to bind a document with a wire binding machine that has a 3.1 pitch. This gives you a lot of flexibility in putting together your documents.
4.) Make odd-sized booklets! One of the problems with other binding methods is that they can't easily bind odd-sized documents, such as legal-sized ones. However, the spines that are available for this method are up to 36 inches long and can be trimmed down to the size you need. Just keep in mind that the machine you use should be able to handle odd-sized booklets. It should have disengageable pins so you can get the right punching pattern. Your spine inserter will help you bind the document and a pair of crimpers will secure the binding quite nicely.
5.) Durability. Coils offer one of the most durable binding methods around. For example, if you sent a coil-bound document through the mail, it wouldn't warp or bend like a twin-loop wire spine and it wouldn't become crushed like a plastic comb might. In fact, these spines can stand up to just about anything, except high heat which might cause them to warp. So keep them away from heat sources and out of very warm environments.
Finally, if you ever have trouble deciding which color spine you need, you can order sample packs so you can see what the colors look like up close. Then you'll be able to pick the right one for your document.
Color coil binding is a really great document finishing method especially if you want to brighten up your documents. Try it out today!
