Binding Your Book

Have a book project? Wondering how it should be bound? Here are your options...

• Saddle Stitching - With this option, the book is folded in half and stapled along the spine. Just remember, if you choose this style, the total number of pages in your book needs to be divisible by four. Think magazine!
• Perfect Binding - The inside pages of the book are printed and glued together. The cover is designed to include the spine, which then wraps around the insides of the book. A good example of perfect binding is a softcover novel.
• Tape Binding - With this book, a thermal tape that holds the book together is heated and glued to the spine of the book. It has a perfect bound appearance, only it includes a textured piece along the spine. The tape used along the spine comes in a variety of color options. This is a cost-effective method, but you may find that for heavily-used books, the tape wears out over time.
• Comb Binding - This book has wide holes punched on the bound edge and a wide-toothed plastic “comb” placed through the holes. This is an older method now becoming outdated as companies that used to own equipment for the technique found that, with use, pages snagged on the combs. Training manuals are often bound this way.
• Plastic Coil Binding - Small holes are punched on the bound edge of the book and a spiral plastic coil is then fed through the holes. The plastic coiling used comes in a variety of color options. Recipe books are a good example as spiral binding allows books to lay open easily. This method is the fastest-growing as it replaces comb binding.
• Wire Binding - Holes are punched along the bound edge of the book and a wire coil is fed into them. Although more expensive than coil, it adds a bit of class to your book and is not easily removed. From the old school days, this was how a teacher's grade book was bound.

Contact your sales rep or your customer solutions representative today to discuss the different binding options and what will work best for your project. Whether it be budget, time, or design that is dictating the finishing touches of your project, we can help you choose the best option!