Plastic coil binding, also known as spiral coil binding or plastic spiral binding, is a method of bookbinding that involves using a flexible plastic coil to secure the pages of a document together. This binding method is popular for creating notebooks, manuals, reports, cookbooks, and other types of publications where ease of use and a professional appearance are desired.
Here's how the plastic coil binding process works:
1. **Punching:** The first step is to punch evenly spaced holes along the edge of the pages that need to be bound. The holes are typically round and are punched in a pattern that corresponds to the pitch of the plastic coil.2. **Plastic Coil Insertion:** A plastic coil that matches the size of the punched holes is threaded through the holes in the pages. The coil has a spring-like design, which makes it flexible and allows it to expand as pages are added or removed.
3. **Closing:** Once the plastic coil is threaded through the holes, the ends of the coil are crimped or closed using a specialized machine or tool. This secures the coil and holds the pages together.
Plastic coil binding offers several advantages:
- **360-Degree Rotation:** Similar to Wire-O binding, plastic coil binding allows for a full 360-degree rotation of the pages, making it convenient for presentations and reading.
- **Lays Flat:** Documents bound with plastic coil binding can lay flat when opened, which is useful for taking notes and reading across the page.
- **Durable and Resilient:** The plastic coil is durable and resilient, making it suitable for documents that will be used frequently or carried around.
- **Customizable:** Plastic coil binding is available in various colors and sizes, allowing for customization to match the document's design.
- **Economical:** Plastic coil binding is often more cost-effective than some other binding methods, making it a popular choice for projects with budget constraints.
However, there are also some considerations:
- **Page Count:** While plastic coil binding is suitable for documents of varying thicknesses, extremely thick documents might become less practical due to the size of the coil.
- **Cover Options:** The plastic coil goes through holes in the pages, so the front and back covers can be customized with printed designs. However, the binding side will have holes punched in it for the plastic coil to go into.
Plastic coil binding is a versatile and user-friendly binding option that strikes a balance between functionality, appearance, and cost-effectiveness. It's a popular choice for a wide range of applications and is especially well-suited for documents that need to be used frequently or need to be opened flat.