Mechanical Binding
Putting mechanical binding elements into holes is easy. Good job planning and communication, however, which are necessary for smooth mechanical binding production, can be challenging. Mechanical binding is an old term or title used to describe four kinds of binding systems: cerlox, plasticoil, spiral wire and Wire-O.
Knowing a product's end-use is important when selecting the right mechanical binding style. For example, if a book has critical crossovers, such as maps, artwork, or diagrams, it would be best to choose Wire-O or cerlox because these styles open without stepping up or down.
Likewise, if a book were to be held in one hand, such as equipment manuals or some maps, it would be wise to choose a binding style that opens 360-degrees. If the book will be exposed to extreme temperatures, don't choose plastic binding, such as cerlox, because it can melt or crack. If a book is to be sold in retail stores, spine printing might be important. Book thickness greatly affects page layout.
Thick books require stronger and larger binding elements which, in turn, demand larger punched holes. Bigger holes need to be punched deeper into the page, affecting the positioning of the artwork. For example, the two most common Wire-O pitch sizes are 3:1 (i.e. three holes per linear inch) and 2:1. Any book 1/2-inch thick or less will require 3:1 pitch wire, which means copy should be kept 3/8-inch away from the spine edge to avoid punching into type.
Books that are more than 1/2- inch thick will use 2:1 pitch wire, and because larger holes will be needed, add more punching margin by keeping copy 1/2-inch away from the spine. Punching into type is a common problem, but one that is easy to rectify. When confronted with inflexible design situations, ask Specialties if the back gauge on our punching machines can be moved. Sometimes this can buy you up to 1/16-inch without significantly sacrificing page pull strength.
Job Planning
Plan for success by including one of our representatives in the beginning of the job preparation stage. Ask how a job should be laid out for maximum bindery performance. Poor communication can change easily produced automatic jobs into semi-automatic or even handwork status.
For example, an oblong 4x6-inch product (bound on the 4-inch side) should be laid out two-up for automatic punching. If not, we will have to hand-feed lifts into a manual punching machine. What if a similar product is bound on the 6-inch side? If the stock is 12 pt. or thicker, grain direction becomes very important. In this case, the grain should be long because, if it isn't, the book may not automatically punch or collate.
More Tips
The following tips will assist your company in its embossing and debossing endeavors:
1) Embossing or debossing may shorten a cover's width. This needs to be compensated for in design.
2) For semi- and fully-concealed mechanical projects, a dummy with the right text and cover stock should always be made prior to printing. An unexpectedly high bulking measurement could require a larger binding element size and negatively impact your score placement and copy positioning. Page push-out and hole-to-edge margin adjustments may have similar effects.
3) Diecut window registration to ink for mechanical binding is different than in perfect binding or saddle stitching because loose pages move.
4) Some binderies are not able to punch double-thick stock but Specialties can.
5) Tin (plain) wire may leave undesirable marks on some coated stocks.
6) The mechanical binding process can scratch, pick, or feather sheets with full ink coverage. UV coating, aqueous coating, dry-trap varnish, or laminating usually alleviates this problem. In-line machine-applied varnish, however, rarely does.
7) Make sure your client isn't expecting a particular style of punched hole. Squares, rectangles, circles, and ovals are common, but we do not have a die for every hole shape and size.
8) Consider how a job should be packed. Slip sheeting or individual shrink wrapping offers additional and sometimes necessary protection from production or transit marking and scuffing.
9) One-sided lamination can cause unsightly curling as products age. To alleviate this problem, use double-sided or lay-flat lamination.
10) When producing a printed Cerlox spine job, be aware of normal two week lead times for printed cerlox elements.
11) Custom colour binding elements are possible, but again, lead times are long and minimum orders large.
The Final Word
Good mechanical binding is a balancing act. Like in so many other aspects of binding and finishing, proper planning and communication with your bindery will prevent problems and delight your customer.
Likewise, if a book were to be held in one hand, such as equipment manuals or some maps, it would be wise to choose a binding style that opens 360-degrees. If the book will be exposed to extreme temperatures, don't choose plastic binding, such as cerlox, because it can melt or crack. If a book is to be sold in retail stores, spine printing might be important. Book thickness greatly affects page layout.
Thick books require stronger and larger binding elements which, in turn, demand larger punched holes. Bigger holes need to be punched deeper into the page, affecting the positioning of the artwork. For example, the two most common Wire-O pitch sizes are 3:1 (i.e. three holes per linear inch) and 2:1. Any book 1/2-inch thick or less will require 3:1 pitch wire, which means copy should be kept 3/8-inch away from the spine edge to avoid punching into type.
Books that are more than 1/2- inch thick will use 2:1 pitch wire, and because larger holes will be needed, add more punching margin by keeping copy 1/2-inch away from the spine. Punching into type is a common problem, but one that is easy to rectify. When confronted with inflexible design situations, ask Specialties if the back gauge on our punching machines can be moved. Sometimes this can buy you up to 1/16-inch without significantly sacrificing page pull strength.
Job Planning
Plan for success by including one of our representatives in the beginning of the job preparation stage. Ask how a job should be laid out for maximum bindery performance. Poor communication can change easily produced automatic jobs into semi-automatic or even handwork status.
For example, an oblong 4x6-inch product (bound on the 4-inch side) should be laid out two-up for automatic punching. If not, we will have to hand-feed lifts into a manual punching machine. What if a similar product is bound on the 6-inch side? If the stock is 12 pt. or thicker, grain direction becomes very important. In this case, the grain should be long because, if it isn't, the book may not automatically punch or collate.
More Tips
The following tips will assist your company in its embossing and debossing endeavors:
1) Embossing or debossing may shorten a cover's width. This needs to be compensated for in design.
2) For semi- and fully-concealed mechanical projects, a dummy with the right text and cover stock should always be made prior to printing. An unexpectedly high bulking measurement could require a larger binding element size and negatively impact your score placement and copy positioning. Page push-out and hole-to-edge margin adjustments may have similar effects.
3) Diecut window registration to ink for mechanical binding is different than in perfect binding or saddle stitching because loose pages move.
4) Some binderies are not able to punch double-thick stock but Specialties can.
5) Tin (plain) wire may leave undesirable marks on some coated stocks.
6) The mechanical binding process can scratch, pick, or feather sheets with full ink coverage. UV coating, aqueous coating, dry-trap varnish, or laminating usually alleviates this problem. In-line machine-applied varnish, however, rarely does.
7) Make sure your client isn't expecting a particular style of punched hole. Squares, rectangles, circles, and ovals are common, but we do not have a die for every hole shape and size.
8) Consider how a job should be packed. Slip sheeting or individual shrink wrapping offers additional and sometimes necessary protection from production or transit marking and scuffing.
9) One-sided lamination can cause unsightly curling as products age. To alleviate this problem, use double-sided or lay-flat lamination.
10) When producing a printed Cerlox spine job, be aware of normal two week lead times for printed cerlox elements.
11) Custom colour binding elements are possible, but again, lead times are long and minimum orders large.
The Final Word
Good mechanical binding is a balancing act. Like in so many other aspects of binding and finishing, proper planning and communication with your bindery will prevent problems and delight your customer.