Putting It Together - Binding Options

So you’ve designed a program, or have a cookbook to print, or want to produce a photo book for your favorite aunt. How will you be binding it?

Your most important consideration is: How will it be used and viewed? Does it need to lay flat or will it be flipped open and closed quickly, like music books? Do you want it to look nice on a conference / coffee table, or is it a program for an event?

We offer several binding methods, and each kind lends itself to a certain type of usage.

Coil or Spiral Binding

Comb Binding

Mechanical Binding – you know it as coil or comb binding
Mechanical binding is a method of holding loose pages together by using plastic that loops through holes punched in the sheets. This method is very functional because it allows the book to lay flat when the user needs his/her hands free. Cookbooks, manuals, financial reports, sheet music and planners are ideal for this type of binding. 

Benefits of Spiral Binding:
1. Modern and clean appearance
2. Durable; maintains original shape
3. Economically priced

Limitations of Spiral Binding: 
1. Not optimal for projects requiring tight registration across spreads.
Pages do not align perfectly from side to side because of angled rotation of the coils

Benefits of Comb Binding:
1. Widely available
2. Inexpensive
3. Imprinting of spine is possible for customization
4. Can add or remove pages
5. Can reuse spine after removed from book
6. Can be cut in house to any length
7. Facing pages align
8. Wide range of diameters

Limitations of Comb Binding: 
1. Fewer standard color choices
2. Pages cannot be turned all the way around (360°)
3. Pages slightly step up when turned

Perfect Binding

Perfect Binding

Perfect Binding is a method of binding books or catalogs in which the pages are adhered to the cover using a strip of glue creating a squared edge along the spine.

It is similar to paperback novel binding. Unlike some binding processes that require sewing the pages into the spine of the book, perfect binding requires no sewing, and instead uses a strong adhesive is used to hold the pages in place by attaching them to a paper cover. When finished, perfect binding creates a clean look with a flat spine. Perfect binding is utilized for many types of soft-cover type books, manuals, corporate reports, brochures, and other simple collections of documents.

Benefits of Perfect Binding: 
1. Versatile
2. Completely customizable covers & spines
3. Inexpensive
4. Professional

Limitations: 
1. Expensive equipment
2. Can only bind soft cover books

Saddle Stitched Binding

Saddle Stitch Binding

Saddle Stitch is one of the simplest and most widely used methods of binding. For saddle stitching, folded booklets are placed over a “saddle” and then the staples or stitching wire are inserted along the spine. Books bound using saddle stitch lay relatively flat and are most commonly used for applications including booklets, brochures, newsletters, pamphlets, direct mailers, magazines, and catalogs. They also have the ability to accommodate special inserts such as business reply envelopes, membership forms, order forms, etc.

Benefits: 
1. Fast
2. Inexpensive
3. Widely available
4. Lays relatively flat
5. Accommodates special inserts like business reply envelopes, order forms, etc…
6. Foldouts are possible

Limitations: 
1. Not recommended on pieces intended for heavy use
2. No printable spine
3. Thickness limitations
4. May require design or margin adjustments

This is not an exhaustive list of binding options, so if you don't see what you're looking for, or have any questions about alternatives, please give us a call or drop an email, we'd be happy to explore other ways to tie your project together!