What is coil binding?

Coil binding — also called spiral binding — fastens a stack of pages with a single continuous plastic coil threaded through a row of round holes punched along the spine edge. The coil is then crimped at both ends so it cannot unwind.

Because the spine is one flexible spiral rather than a rigid clamp, a coil-bound document opens completely flat and the front cover can be folded all the way around to the back. That makes it the standard choice for cookbooks, service manuals, training workbooks and any document read while your hands are busy.

How do you use a coil binding machine?

Every CoilBind machine follows the same four steps, whether you are binding a ten-page handout or a two-inch manual:

1. Punch. Square up the stack, drop it into the punch throat against the paper guide, and pull the handle. Punch in batches up to the machine's sheet capacity — 12 sheets on the S-12 and S-15, 20 on the S-20 and S-25A.
2. Pick the coil size. Measure the punched stack and choose a coil roughly 2mm larger than its thickness, so pages turn without binding against the spine.
3. Insert. Rest the coil against the electric inserter roller and feed it in. The roller spins the coil through all the holes automatically; on manual models you roll it through by hand.
4. Crimp. Trim the coil about a quarter inch past the last hole at each end, then bend both tips inward with a crimping tool. This locks the coil permanently.

What is 4:1 pitch, and does it matter?

Pitch describes how many holes are punched per inch along the spine. 4:1 pitch means four holes per inch and is the most common spacing for plastic coil in North America. Every CoilBind machine on this page punches 4:1, so any 4:1 pitch coil fits any of them — and coils bought for one machine will work on the next one you add.

The alternative, 5:1 pitch, uses five smaller holes per inch and is far less widely stocked. Sticking with 4:1 keeps your supplies interchangeable and easy to reorder.

Manual or electric coil inserter?

The punch is manual on all four machines — you pull a handle. The difference is how the coil goes in. A manual insert means twisting the coil through the holes by hand, which is fine for a few documents a week. An electric inserter spins the coil through in a couple of seconds and removes most of the effort from long runs.

If you bind more than about ten documents a week, or anything thicker than half an inch, the electric inserter on the S-15, S-20 and S-25A pays for itself quickly in saved time and fewer bent coils.