Spiral bound book printing can be a great option for manuals, booklets, catalogs, magazines, documents, and books, depending on the use. The binding is similar to school notebooks, except the coil is plastic instead of wire. Also called plastic coil binding, Publishing Xpress offers printing with this binding from 8 to over 500 pages.
Holes are punched in the left margin of the document, which is then bound with round, plastic coil. The standard color of the spiral is black, but we now offer a variety of other colors. When you need a workbook or book to lay flat, this is a good binding choice. Also, the pages can be turned 360 degrees so that only one page sits open.
Our online calculators can give you an instant quote on your spiral bound book printing project:
We use digital presses for all printing. Book pages are printed on large sheets of paper that print 2 to 4 books at a time, depending on the spiral bound book size. Books that do not have lamination are printed in complete sets, including covers and inside pages. Books with lamination have the covers printed separately from the inside pages.
After the book sets are cut to the book’s finished size, the laminated covers are collated with the book insides.
Books sets are then punched with round holes on the left hand side of the book. The size of the plastic coil used on the book will depend on the total thickness of the book. Our plastic coil machine then spins the coil through the book and crimps the two ends. The crimping process ensures that the spiral coil does not come loose from the book.
Check out some of our spotlights on clients who used this binding style for their projects:
Or check out this article for more information: Wikipedia article on coil binding.
Both spiral binding and wire-o binding are very similar. They are both good options for books that you want to lay flat when used, such as a cookbook or user’s manual, or that you want to write in, such as a planner or journal. If the books will be referred to a lot, such as a membership directory or product catalog, these can also be good options.
Wire-o binding is typically thought to have a more sophisticated look than spiral binding. However the sharp edges on the ends of wire-o binding makes it a better option for adult use books. If children will be using the books, spiral binding is better.
Consider these tips for your spiral bound book printing project:
Consider uncoated text paper stock when the user will be writing in the book. Markers or roller ball pens can be used on this paper stock without smearing. We offer 60# and 70# uncoated text stock. In some cases, matte text stock can also be a good option. For books that will not be written in, we offer paper stocks ranging from 70# to 100# gloss and matte text.
We recommend ordering our free sample package. It includes a spiral bound book with samples of all of our paper choices. There are graphics and text on one side of the paper, but the back side is blank so you can write on it with different pen options. The book also has samples of gloss and soft touch lamination.
To make your book more durable, use a heavy cover stock. We offer 120# cover stock and 16 pt. cover stock, which are our heaviest options. Adding lamination will make the cover a little thicker while also providing some protection to the cover.
You can also add a clear plastic cover to the front and a colored plastic cover on the back. Many clients choose to laminate the front cover and add a colored plastic cover to the back, which is a nice option.
When designing your spiral bound book, keep in mind that holes will be punched on the left hand side of the paper sheet. Your margins should be extra large on that side of the page to ensure that the holds do not punch into text. We recommend a 1/2 inch margin on the three sides that are not bound and 3/4 of an inch margin on the bound side of the page.
When your spiral bound book is used for marketing purposes, be sure to use all four pages of your covers — front outside, front inside, back inside, and back outside. Consider putting contact information, product or service ads, upcoming events, or other items of interest on these pages.
If you are concerned whether you selected the right options for your book or how certain pages will look, consider getting a hard copy press proof. We will print your spiral bound book using the exact specifications from your order, so that you can see exactly how your final books will look. Often, you will notice things on the hard copy press proof that you didn’t notice on your digital file.
If needed, you can then submit a revised file or even change some of the order specifications for your spiral bound book printing project. Perhaps you didn’t order lamination, but not think it would be a good idea. Just let your client service representative know and she will take care of making the changes. The cost for a press proof is $60 if shipped via UPS ground service and $100 if shipped via UPS overnight service. It’s an inexpensive way to make sure you’ll be happy with your finished books.
Publishing Xpress can answer any of your questions about your spiral bound book printing project. Feel free to call us at 1-877-977-3779, email us at help@publishingxpress.com, or chat online (our chat feature is in the lower right hand corn of every page on our website).
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