Binding Machines*

About

Start with the binding method The method you choose decides the machine, the look and the consumables, so settle it first. There are three, and they are genuinely different jobs. Method How it works Reopen later? Finish Best for Comb (plastic) Punch rectangular holes, open a plastic comb on the tines, pages snap over the spine Yes, reopen to add or remove pages Functional, printable spine Reports and manuals you update Wire (twin-loop) Punch holes, the machine crimps a metal wire loop shut No, permanent once crimped Professional, lies flat, folds back 360° Proposals, calendars, client documents Thermal No punching. Slide pages into a pre-glued cover, heat melts the glue spine No Book-like square spine Tenders and premium reports Match the comb size to your page count Plastic combs are sold by their diameter in millimetres, and the bigger the comb, the more sheets it holds. Buy the size that fits your typical document, then keep a couple of sizes on hand. These are the standard GBC capacities for 80gsm paper. Comb size Approx. sheets (80gsm) Typical use 6mm Up to 25 Thin handouts, menus 8mm Up to 45 Short reports 10mm Up to 65 Everyday reports 12mm Up to 95 Training packs 16mm Up to 145 Manuals 19mm Up to 165 Thick manuals 25mm Up to 225 Reference documents 38mm Up to 330 Large compilations 50mm Up to 425 Maximum-thickness jobs Wire and thermal sizes work the same way, sized to spine thickness. You can stock all three in our binding supplies , and grab front and backing covers from our binding covers . Manual or electric punch The other lever is the punch. A manual machine uses a hand lever and is fine for the odd report; an electric punch removes the effort and the time, which adds up when someone is binding batches every day. Comb machines like the entry-level GBC A10 sit at the light end, while the electric Quasar and CombBind models handle high volume. The 3-in-1 Lyra and Multi Bind units fold stapling and hole-punching in too, handy when desk space or budget is