Binding Machines: Information and Reviews | Purchasing A Plastic Comb Binding Machine

Purchasing A Plastic Comb Binding Machine

Has the high cost of paying for professional document binding been eating a hole in your pocket?  If so, consider a much less expensive option; the do-it-yourself route.  Buying your own plastic comb binding machine doesn’t have to be expensive, and the initial expense will quickly be defrayed by the amount of money you’re saving.  There is nothing like a professionally bound report to make a good impression, and it will last longer as well.  Having your own binder machine will make producing these reports an absolute cinch.  But before you go out and buy the first one you see, you’ll need to take a look at the different options so you buy the one that suits your needs best.

Plastic comb binding machines come in two main varieties, electric ones and manual ones.  Each has its own pros and cons that you will want to consider before purchasing.  Electric binders have the obvious benefit of being faster, more consistent, and being able to punch through larger quantities of paper.  They are also carry a much higher price tag and are often more complex to use than a manual machine.  If you are new to binding in general, don’t have a lot of binding to do on a regular basis, and don’t mind putting in the effort, then you would probably be better off with a manual model.

Another consideration is how thick the finished, bound booklets will need to be.  Think about what types of documents you will be creating, and what materials their covers will be made out of.  Plastic binding combs come in a wide variety of thicknesses and sizes, ranging from a small 3/16″ comb to large 2 inch ones that can accommodate up to 400 pages.  By taking into account what type of documents you have in mind, you can make sure to get a machine that will meet your needs and avoid paying for unnecessary features at the same time.

The punching capacity is also something that is important to think about.  Most binders will bind more pages than they can punch through, but getting a machine that will only punch through 10 sheets at a time as opposed to one that will punch through 20 sheets means twice the work.  While manual models are more limited in this area, there are electric models that are much more powerful and efficient, allowing you to create stacks of thickly bound documents in just a fraction of the time.

Any plastic comb binding system on the market will easily be able to accommodate an 8.  5 x 11 sheet of paper, so if standard size documents are all you will be binding, you won’t have any problems at all.    If however, you are thinking about making larger documents than you will need to know the specifics of the paper sizes you want to use before you buy a machine.  Every machine varies in what sizes of paper it can take, and if you have larger sizes in mind you should look for an open-throated machine on one with disengageble dies.

Your final consideration should be warranty life.  A binder, particularly one intended for heavy office use, is quite an investment, and not something that you would want to see break down after a short time or be in constant need of repairs.  All metal machines will last a lot longer than those made out of plastic or with plastic parts and fittings.  But in any case, a solid warranty and parts replacement contract means that you have less to worry about, even if you do play it safe with an all-metal model.  Before purchasing, make sure to consider what other customers have said about the specific model you have in mind.  Even a machine made from the finest materials and from a reliable company can have it’s quirks, so make sure that other people have been satisfied with the model you are looking at.

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