Questions about binding and finishing? What equipment to buy? Where to get parts? Or just need someone to talk to.....?
E-mail your questions or comments to Dr. Bind
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‘Tired of looking at hundreds of web sites for the right binding machine? me help you…for free of course. This is all you have to do: write down the answers to the following questions and shoot me an e-mail (drbind@nationalbinding.us) including that information. These are the kinds of considerations any competent, experienced Bindologist thinks about before making an objective recommendation. By objective, I mean sourcing a product that meets your needs instead of the vendors.
Or if you want to call me at 888-824-6346 X 101 instead, that would be great too. Just try and answer these questions first.
- What is the average sheet count per book or document?
- How many books do you produce per week? And how many per day?
- Do you have a lot of rush time challenges, such as same day or “instantly right now”?
- Is there any particular type of binding style required (comb binding or spiral coil)
- Are there an specific aesthetic standards you’d like to meet?
- Will the book or document be shipped or handed out?
- Does the book need to flip 360 degrees for easy reading?
- Is the equipment being purchased for a one time job?
- Do you prefer electric or manual punch units?
- What model do you have now, if any?
If you can provide these answers, we can get back at you with an vast selection of products from a global array of respected vendors…at the best prices available.
My office currently owns a VeloBind 123, and we believe that the heating element may be going out (or something!) because it does not seem to be heating up very quickly, and the last two plastic prongs aren’t being melted down or cut down in the machine! So lately, we’ve been left with two long pieces of plastic sticking out of the back of all our reports! The only fix we have been able to come up with currently, involves a few matches and pair of scissors! I am hoping that you may be able to give me some insight into how we can fix this machine, if the repair would be cost efficient or if it is fixable at all!!
Dear Correspondent:
Sounds like a similar patient we have had here in the past. The problem with our machine was also that it would not cut the last prongs off. Here are a couple of fixes you can perform yourself. Take the top of the unit, which is done by un unscrewing the 4 bottom Phillips screws. Then check to make sure the “HEAT BAND OR STRIP” is tucked underneath the metal holders. Often it has come loose from the hold downs or the band itself has pieces of melted VeloBind strips stuck on it. Clean the band and make sure it is fastened securely underneath the metal hold downs. Then replace the cover and re-test. We hope we have helped you and thank you for your comments. If this doesn’t work, contact me directly here at and I’ll arrange for a free estimate.
In today’s fast paced competitive world you need to make sure that your company stands out from the rest. What you can do to do that? Make sure you have a proposal that the potential client is looking at meets their expectations and makes that lasting first impression a good one? So if you were the potential client and you see several proposals in front of you, the first one is a stapled in the corner with a business card, and just sheets of paper telling you about their company, then the second is a GBC black plastic comb like you see in schools for kinder gardeners and by the way is the cheapest way to bind, then that last proposal is a beautiful wrap around cover with the vendors logo on the spine and when you open the front cover is frosted with a twin loop wire on the left side holding the sheets together with “proposed for” under the frosted gorgeous cover. Who would you buy from? You want to purchase from a quality vendor with attention to detail and cost is an issue but who would get the call for a one help one consultation? I would say proposal number 3. When you are not there to sell your company your proposal is the only marketing tool to get your company in the door. For you to be the number one choice for all of your clients, where do you start? How do you decide which type of binding to choose from? I would consider the following questions.
How many sheets are in your proposal?
Do you mail your proposals or are they hand delivered?
Do you use tabs in your proposal?
How many books do you send out weekly monthly?
What size is your proposal?5.5 x 8.5, 8.5 x 11, 8.5 x 14 or larger?
Does your proposal have to lay flat so customer can see complete pictures grids etc.?
Does it need to flip 360 degrees?
Do you have a logo you want to highlight
What are your company colors?
These are most of the questions a design firm or a good binding company should be asking you prior to your decision on what type of binding to use. There are several styles of binding as you have seen on the internet, so what is the best choice for you? Here are some of the options starting with the hottest, most used to the least desirable.
Plastic Continuous Coil Binding
Advantages: 150 plus colors available pastels, neons, great for mailing, flips 360 degrees, coils can be bought in any sizes up to 36 inches long
Disadvantages: longer bind time, sizes are good up to 1 inch or so, larger books over ½” have to be hand coiled, editing book coil must be cut or destroyed.
Twin Loop Wire Binding, Wire O, Double O, all the assorted brand names
Advantages: Quickest bind for punched system, Now go up to 1 ½ inch thick, 10 different colors, 360 degree flip of book, professional bindery look
Disadvantages: will crush if mailed, some sheets fall out if not bound correctly, wire closing is a manual process, or you have to an buy expensive wire closer, two different dies needed for all sizes, when editing the book wire is destroyed. See pro click option for editing option
GBC Binding
Advantages: will bind up to 2 inch booklet, logo or company can be silkscreened or foil stamped on comb, locking rings on books over 1 inch, can edit pages easily due to most sites having one already, can move to wire binding with same unit.
Disadvantages: out of style, does not flip 360 degrees, not a lot of colors to choose from.
strong>Thermal Binding
Advantages: able to bind a lot of books at one time
Disadvantages: covers are costly, sheets fall out, books do not lay flat, have to purchase a lot of covers to make sure all sizes are available.
Tape Binding:
Advantages: able to tape bind a 3 inch book, able to print on spines with foil stamp, easy to use for operator, 1 book per minute bind time completed, able to do hard cover books disadvantages: books do not lay flat, tape binds run .32 each to .55 each, cleaning machines constantly, repairs are fairly costly on these units.
VeloBinding
Advantages: Will bind up to 3 inch booklet, can use hard covers to wrap book, easy to use, secure bind.
Disadvantages: Costly units to buy and repair, to take them apart you must have special tool, only 5 colors available
Spiral O Binding advantages: can use existing GBC comb punch (for wire just buy wire closer), flips 360 degrees
Disadvantages: expensive (it’s cheaper to go to Double-O wire, thinner wire very flimsy does not hold well, cheaper look with large holes and smaller wire, only 4 colors available
Pro Click
Advantages: Use existing twin loop machines, easily edited, can send editing tool with book, fast to bind with no machine needed to bind disadvantages: only available in 3 sizes, colors are only black white and navy
Continuous Wire Coil
Advantages: secure binding, easy to turn 360 degrees, use existing plastic coil 4:1 unit, easy to coil easier than plastic coil
Disadvantages: hard to crimp ends of wire, tears sheets after time, min orders on wire sizes of 300 or more each size, time consuming, wire sizes up to 1 inch only
Lots of others are available but these are our top sellers and most asked about binding technologies. I hope this helps you decide on what type of binding will represent your company the best.
Dr. Bind signing off again !!!!!
Times are tight right now, and saving money by not sending binding jobs to Kinko’s or very expensive book binding shops is the key to company profits staying in your pocket.
But with so many choices, web sites and sellers trying to get you to buy their binding systems machines, how do you know where to start? What kind of system do you buy, and (equally importantly) how long will it last? I have been selling machines for over 15 years and have tested all the units you see on the web. I hate to generalize about a subject this complex, but there is one solid fact I can share:
Metal machines last a lot longer than plastic built machines. It’s about that simple. We have found that new machines with plastic exterior components tend to also be plastic internally. Key components such as gears and drive mechanisms are not supposed to be made of plastic if they are going to last. You will find those models only come with a 90 day warranty, along with a hefty maintenance agreement that is almost half the price of the machine purchased! Why not start off with a good metal machine that comes with a 1 year complete warranty that will last you many years to come?
There are several vendors I would give a 5 star reviews for the quality of their binding machines…and as a matter of policy our web site only features the units that we believe will outlast any other units out in today’s market. So, when buying your first new binding machine for your office please consider our advice. Stay with metal on the outside, so that your money is not wasted buying a plastic junk unit that requires a very expensive technician to repair your unit after 6 months of use.
Our favorite 5 star vendors are Renz for smaller manual units and Akiles for their metal units and Performance Design for all of their units.
Do you know where your private documents are?
Beware! Are your documents really getting shredded when you send them to an outside shredding company? Do you know for sure they are doing their job? We are talking here about sensitive documents ranging from drivers licenses to confidential reports to restaurant check stubs – who knows what’s in your trash? But it they are found by a stranger, your life can change, and not for the better.
The funny thing is: many companies have strong security policies in place, only to relinquish control of the data when a shredding company picks it up. This violates all the principles of custody and control. First of all: a stranger is handling your data. It could be lost or misplaced during transport. Secondly, unless someone is watching the process, there is no way to know for sure your documents are being destroyed. When you use a shredding service, their problems become your problems.
Destruction of your documents can be held up for a variety of reasons such as: bad weather, heavy traffic, vehicle breakdowns, and drivers simply not showing up. The main motivator behind any shredding service operation is not your security – it’s their profit! Shredding services deal in bulk, the faster they work the more clients they can service (think of a pizza delivery driver). Low cost labor means higher profit margin. This combination of speed and cut-rate labor increases the potential for mistakes which means an INCREASED RISK FOR YOU!
Now consider of the cost of out-source shredding. It is a constant expense which will never decrease. Inevitable economic factors will take their toll on the shredding service, and these costs will get passed on to you. They include: rising gas prices, truck and equipment maintenance, labor costs, inflation. Shredding at the source is always the best solution. From the hands of your employees, your documents go into the shredder. You confirm the documents going into the shredder. No outside vendors to deal with “shred it and forget it”. Offices stay neater, no piles of material stacked by shred boxes waiting for the next pick up. One time economical cost. You have protected your customers, your employees and your company! Lastly, by law if sensitive information leaks out and is used against an individual, YOUR COMPANY IS STILL LIABLE, not the shredding service! Your savings and security are worth keeping your shredding in house!
But I Know Where to Get Them Both for Only $1.35 per pack!
In all my years of experience working with companies who need index and legal divider tabs (numbers/letters/exhibit etc), I have found only a couple of companies that actually manufacturer these tabs themselves and sell them at reasonable prices. Today it’s legal divider tabs that have me wound up. There are two styles of legal divider tabs: AVERY and ALLSTATE. The brands are related to the type font used, which are very similar. Simply put, the Allstate style is Helvetica Regular and the Avery style is Helvetica Bold All Caps.
Other than that, they are both 90 # brite white paper with no holes, printed both sides and protected by a Mylar coating. These pre-printed index tabs are generally available in packs of 25 sheets. There are collated sets and also “loose sets” consisting of 25 tabs of an individual Number, Letter, Exhibit # or Roman Numeral. Whatever you are purchasing, understand that these tabs are very inexpensive to make. What makes me angry is the way some companies attempt to market these standard products as special, very expensive items. We have seen prices up to $6.30 per pack of 25 sheets. Are you kidding me? That’s highway robbery!
Once your law firm has been sold the ALLSTATE Style it may appear you are sucked into their trap. If the firm has purchased the style for all office locations, you may think you’re committed to paying those inflated prices forever.
For example (this is a true story), we had an account that was purchasing 200,000 per year of the Allstate style, and didn’t want to change over the extremely similar Avery style even if it saved them over $150,000 a year. As it happens, some companies are now producing both styles, so you can choose whichever you want at only $1.35 per pack for the standard. Some companies will even take back all of your unused tabs and replace them with less expensive Avery style tabs. And you don’t have to look far for the savings if you know where to look.
Have I ever let you down?
Fixing sticky paper folders is usually easier than you think
When they’re working right, you can’t beat an automatic paper folder to streamline your paper handling chores. But sometimes they don’t work right and that can be frustrating. The most common problem has got to be when the machine is grabbing too any sheets together. Luckily, it’s usually very easy to fix: Of the several calls I get each day with this complaint, 99% of the time this is an issue that has to do with the FEED WHEEL OR FEED PAD that separates the sheets prior to folding. One unit we see this happening to quite often, is the popular Martin Yale 1217A, an excellent machine overall.
What is happening in this case is that orange roller on the unit has worn off the grooves that move the individual paper sheets. Normally, the orange roller that should look like a tire with grooves. When it looks more like a smooth drag racing wheel, that’s when you have feed problems. This is the case with most brands of folders, and the solution is simple – replace the feed pad. These pads or wheels can be easily installed by the operator with very little effort and just a few basic tools. Another issue is that most users do not realize that the rubber rollers on the machine dry out due to repeated contact with paper sheets (if you handle paper all day, you’ll notice that the same thing happens to your hands.
The tacky soft rubber rollers eventually turn into slick glazed rubber rollers. They slip when sheets feed thru the unit.
Again, the solution is easy and cheap: I would suggest to you buying RUBBER ROLL REJUVENATOR to clean the rollers. This not only helps keep them from drying out, it also removed toner that collects from contact with the printing on paper sheets.
This solution will clean the rollers and also help the folder rollers stay spongy and tacky so that sheets will not skew when feeding. Our tip of the day will help you keep your folder operating reliably for 5 plus years or more if well taken care of.
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