Are Spiral and Coil Binding the Same Thing? We get asked this question almost every day. I can completely understand the confusion. There are so many different binding formats out there. The quick answer is that spiral and coil binding are exactly the same. They are just synonyms of each other. Both terms describe the binding element in great detail. I have even heard coil supplies described as spring supplies, due to the look.

I’ve been also been asked, “Isn’t coil binding metal?” Coil / spiral binding supplies can be metal, but for the last 10 years they have been primarily made from PVC plastic. Plastic is easier to work with, more durable and available in multiple colors. The machines we sell are designed for plastic coils.

Many people also get twin-loop wire binding confused with spiral binding. I just spoke with a lady today who said, “Coil bindings are those metal loops with the straight wire going down the center, right?” Twin loop wire binding looks much different than coil binding. You can see the wire binding above.

Hopefully I have helped clarify the definition of coil / spiral binding. You can read more about coil binding by reading our detailed coil-binding guide found here.

Are you creating booklets on a daily basis, perhaps by folding and manually stapling paper? There is a much more effective way to create booklets. This is done by using a booklet maker.

If you haven’t used a booklet maker, you should really give one a try. It is amazing how fast they operate. Booklet makers will literally save you hours of time and frustration. Booklet makers can be used to create manuals, reports, short stories, recipe books and more.

We have just added two highly effective and very affordable booklet makers to our site. These are the Formax FD-160 and FD-180 booklet makers. Both of these booklet makers are very easy to set up and use. The stapling on the model FD-160 is manual and the folding is motorized. The FD-180 staples and folds the paper by use of a motor.

You can view both of these booklet makers by going here. You can also view these booklet makers in action by visiting the following links:

Formax FD-160 in action:

Formax FD-180 in action:

Wire binding looks great. It has a professional appearance and is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing binding formats available today. Using the right machine can dramatically streamline the wire binding process.

We have come up with a list of the top 7 best manual wire binding machines. These are machines that have proven themselves to be reliable, durable and made from quality parts. Here is our list:

Top 7 Best Manual Wire Binding Machines:

1. Akiles WireMac Wire Binder
2. Tahsin 213-PB
3. Akiles WireMac Duo Series
4. Akiles Megabind II
5. Renz RW Wire Binder
6. Renz SRW Binding Machine
7. Akiles WireMac Combo

We get some pretty good questions from our customers. I just received one yesterday from a customer who had gotten fed up with their GBC comb binding machine. Here is their question along with my answer:

QUESTION: I am fed up with my GBC C400e comb-binding machine. We have had it repaired 3 times now and I’ve had enough. Do you know of a good replacement for a GBC comb binder? I want to stay with comb binding and it needs to be electric.

ANSWER: I personally recommend Akiles hands down. Akiles, in my opinion, runs circles around low-end GBC machines. You have a couple of options here, much of it depending on your binding volume.

If you have low to medium-volume binding needs, the Akiles AlphaBind-CE is a great choice. It still has an electric punch, like the GBC C400e, and is very easy to use. Unlike the GBC C400e, the Akiles model is made from durable metal construction. A foot pedal is great for hands-free operation.

If you have high-volume binding needs, you really can’t go wrong with the Akiles CombMac 24E. This comb-binding machine is a beast, capable of punching 25 sheets of paper at a time with an electric-powered motor. This machine is designed for more use and output than the GBC C400e, but could be a good choice if you expect your binding needs to increase in the future.

Regardless of which machine you go with, manual or electric, Akiles has risen to the top and can be considered one of the best brands available today. You can see our entire selection of Akiles binding machines here.

Have more questions about comb binding machines? Post your comments here!

How can you make your report or book look more professional? Here are a few tips that will take your bound report from OK to classy.

When binding a report, many people will create a title page or decorative cover on their computer, print it out and bind it to the front page of their booklet. This isn’t always the most professional look. I highly recommend using a report cover to improve the overall look and appearance.

The most common report cover combination is to use a clear cover for the front and a solid card stock cover for the back. This combination looks clean and professional. Clear covers come in different thicknesses, depending on your preference. Card stock covers are available in a variety of textures, colors and styles. You can find our report covers and clear covers here.

The style of binding can also dramatically change the look of your document. Changing from a plastic comb to double-loop wire look can add an extra degree of professionalism to a document. The style of binding you use will depend on the situation, but double-loop wire and coil binding are very popular for professional reports. You can find our book binding machines here.

Using one or more of these tips will really add an extra dimension to your bound report or book. Good luck!

Did you know you can create your own notepads from the comfort of your own office, school or home? It really isn’t that hard. All you need is a padding press, some glue, a brush, some paper and about 15-20 minutes of your time. The end result is a notepad or scratch pad that you can use for note taking, drawings and more.

Padding presses are designed to pad a large volume of paper at once. This can often involve (but does not require) 1,000 plus pages. Once the pages have been placed in the padding press, the paper is clamped and the glue can be applied. Once the glue dries, the clamp is released and the large stack can be cut down into smaller, more usable note pads.

Padding presses are considered “green” in that used paper can be recycled into notepads. All you need is one clean side, even if the other side has been printed on.

Padding glue is available in white or red, depending on your preference of color. Accessories such as quick-as-a-wink paper counters and padding knives are optional, but not required. You can find step-by-step instructions on exactly how to create a pad of paper here.

You can view our entire selection of padding presses here.

Xyron laminators are pretty interesting little machines. They don’t fit under any of the more common laminator categories. They are, in a way, a type of roll laminator. Yet Xyron laminators do not use heat and use specially designed cartridges. Xyron laminators have grown in popularity among the scrapbooking crowd over the last 10 years.

Why are they so popular with scrapbookers (scrappers)? For one, they are very easy to use and are very portable. They are fairly inexpensive, for what they do. Because they are compact, they can easily be taken from one place to another. The biggest reason they are popular is because of what they can do.

Not only do Xyron laminators laminate photographs, paper and other material, but they can also be used to create stickers. Some cartridges apply adhesive to the back of the document for permanent applications and others are designed for temporary applications. This means that people can create a sticker from pictures of their kids, pets, family and more.

Most of Xyron’s lamination cartridges are acid-free. This means that paper will not yellow over time and photographs will not degrade. If you’re a scrapper, you know how important acid-free paper and lamination film can be. Xyron laminators range dramatically in size, from something as small as 9-inches up to a laminator that is 25-inches wide.

Xyron laminators are known as “green” laminators. This is because they require no power to be operated. They feature a manually operated hand crank. This means that a die-hard scrapbooker can add to their scrapbook by candlelight during a power outage or they can continue their scrapbooking efforts while camping.

You can find ABC Office’s selection of Xyron laminators here.

Here is a video demo of a Xyron laminator in use:

Are you having a hard time settling on one format of binding machine? I can’t say that I blame you. Depending on what is being bound, different binding machines create completely different looks. Wire works great for a professional report, where coil is perfect for a cookbook.

Buying multiple machines for multiple binding formats can be costly and takes up often-valuable space. Luckily machines have been engineered and manufactured to bind multiple formats. These types of machines are typically referred to as multi-format or combination biding machines.

Initially these machines consisted of just comb and wire combinations. In the past few years, several machines are now available that can punch and bind coil and comb, or wire and coil. Some are manually operated while others feature electric punching dies.

The most popular manufacturer of multi-format binding equipment is Akiles. The most recent line of combination-style machines from Akiles is known as DuoMacs. The DuoMacs are available in several models in several different punching combinations.

Akiles is well known for manufacturing solid machines. If you ever get a chance to use one of the DuoMacs, WireMacs or CoilMacs, try lifting them. You will be surprised how heavy they are. This is because they are made from all-metal construction.

We are pretty excited to have the Akiles DuoMacs on our site. You can find all these Akiles DuoMac binding machines and more by going to our Akiles binding machine index here.

Although the term modular binding machine isn’t commonly used, you may have seen it come up from time to time while researching binding equipment. These machines, often referred to as binding machine punches, have their place in the binding world and are very convenient to use. I will go into detail on exactly what a modular binding machine is and why you may need one in this article.

The most basic modular binding machine includes a base and a punch. The punching die itself is usually interchangeable. This means you can pull out the punching die and switch it for another. This allows you to punch holes for a variety of binding formats. This includes comb binding, wire binding, coil binding, VeloBinding and much more.

Swappable punching dies are not only convenient for binding in multiple formats, but also allow you to get a replacement punching die if one ever breaks or dulls. As a result, modular-binding machines can last for years, some of which have been known to last 10+ years. The punching mechanism is either manually or electrically operated.

As you may know, punching paper is only half the binding process. A comb opener, wire closer or coil inserter may be needed to finish the job. The finishing components, with regards to modular binding machines, can be attached to the punching base. This means you can comb bind books, swap the die and the attachment, and wire bind books.

Modular binding machines are ideal for people who need multiple binding formats. They are also great for people who need high-volume binding capabilities. Some of the high-end modular binding punches can punch up to 55 sheets of paper at a time. These binding punches are also ideal for high volume paper punching.

You can view our entire selection of modular binding machines here.

That’s right. It is now easier than ever to find a binding machine at ABC Office. We have been adding a lot of products to our site lately and a lot of the indexes are simply getting too long. As a result, we have decided to trim down the indexes and break them up into smaller indexes for your convenience.

This means that the old comb binding machine index, which used to list all comb binders, is now broken up into manual comb binders, electric comb binders and comb openers. We have also made comb-binding supplies easier to find. These changes spill over to our wire binding and coil binding indexes as well.

Stop by our site and take a look at he new design. You can find our newly re-organized binding machine indexes here:

• Comb Binding Index
• Wire Binding Index
• Coil Binding Index