Spiral binders: For which types of documents should they be used?

Spiral binding is used to produce brochures, booklets and magazines with folded pages. Spiral binding is the most common method of obtaining a ready-to-use printed product. What are the advantages of this type of binding? Is spiral binding suitable for all types of printing projects? Find out everything there is to know about this binding method in this article.

What is spiral binding?

Spiral binding is undoubtedly the most classic and popular method of producing a bound document. The technique consists of perforating the paper and then inserting a spiral binding, made of metal or plastic. Once the spiral is wrapped around the perforated paper and the ends are bent, the result is a bound document that can be easily flipped through.  

The metal binding, also called Wire'O, is generally used for notebooks and booklets and guarantees a good hold of the sheets. The metal spiral binding is also robust and elegant. In addition, the strength of the binding means that once the pages are bound to the cover, the bound document is extremely strong. When the bound document is opened, it lies flat and can be easily flipped through. In addition, the metal binding ensures a more aesthetic and premium look. As far as colours are concerned, wire binding is available in black, white, silver, red and blue. Whenprinting your product catalogue, it is more interesting to opt for a wire binding.

The advantage ofthe plastic binding, commonly known as a coil, is that it can be reopened, allowing new sheets to be added as required. The plastic binding is quite flexible, which makes it easy to handle the document. It is more economical than metal bindings and is generally used for internship reports, presentation folders or dissertations. This model is available in four different colours: white, black, blue and red.

What other binding systems exist?

While spiral binding remains a classic, other methods such as stapled or glued binding also provide excellent results.  

In more detail, stapled binding is a technique of binding the document at two points with metal staples. This binding system is often used for printed products such as brochures, catalogues, magazines or booklets.

The glued square back binding consists of gluing the printed pages together on the edge of the cover to create a product catalogue, a photo book, a self-published book or even a thesis.

For what purpose is the spiral binding intended?

 The spiral binding is the one that allows a completely flat opening, which facilitates the reading but also the taking of notes on the document. Note that the diameter of the spiral depends on the number of sheets to be bound and the paper weight chosen. With a large diameter spiral and standard paper weight, a spiral bound file can contain up to 450 sheets.

Widely used by professionals, spiral binding can be used for a variety of purposes and is suitable for different types of documents:

• Training book: perfect for conducting training sessions, presentation meetings or end-of-course presentations.
• Calendar: The metal spiral gives the calendar a chic look from the outset and it can be placed on an easel. This makes it easy to place on the desk. If it is wall-mounted, then the spiral of the calendar includes a hanging hook that makes it easy to hang on the wall.
• Restaurant menu: ideal for managers who like to change the menu regularly. The opening is convenient and there are many possibilities for customisation.
• Notebook: Whether you want to create a company notebook or a personal notebook, binding with the spiral system is recommended for a professional and neat result.
•  Activity report, company report: with spiral binding, you get a document that can be opened flat with both pages side by side for easy reading.
•  Memoir: For your memoirs, metal spiral binding is perfect, as it offers a professional look and easy transport while remaining economical.

Plastic spiral binding is especially suitable for dissertations, internship reports and other business documents that need to be leafed through regularly. The main advantage of this type of spiral binding is that it is flexible and adaptable. The main advantage of this type of spiral binding is that it is flexible and adaptable, so that the document can be modified at any time by adding or removing sheets if necessary.

What are the advantages of spiral binding?

 Whether it is made of plastic or metal, spiral binding is certainly the most widely used binding technique for business documents. Its advantages are numerous, which explains why it has become the indispensable tool for companies.

• Economical, it is an inexpensive solution that provides both aesthetic and professional results.
• Also customisable, spiral binding is available in many formats (such as A3, A4, A5 or custom size), but also in many colours. You can also add finishes such as rhodoid on the cover or laminating effects on the cover of your document, for example.
• Practical: The spiral binding allows for a flat opening, which is convenient for reading as well as for note taking. The plastic spiral can also be reopened, which makes it possible to replace or add sheets. This can be very useful when designing a training booklet whose content may change every year.
• Fast because at Copymage your orders will be ready in 4 hours.

If you are planning toprint your annual report or a notebook, the spiral is the perfect solution. Your communication material can also be customised according to your needs.

It is possible to bind a document at home if you have a binding machine. But be careful, the technique requires a certain amount of skill and meticulousness, because a simple little mistake could ruin the whole document and force you to reprint it.

To ensure you get a professional quality printing product, please contact us on 01 42 61 00 33. You can also send us an e-mail at contact@copymage.com and we will be delighted to discuss your project and offer you the binding solutions best suited to your needs. All this within a short timeframe.