The Advantages of Spiral Bound Book Printing
Spiral Binding, also known as Coil Binding, is a common method for joining the pages and cover of a bound document.
It utilizes a durable plastic or metal coil that is inserted and twisted through small holes punched along the spinal edge of the book's cover and pages. The coil joins the pages and cover as an assembly, yet still allows them to open freely.
Of all the softcover book binding methods we offer, spiral binding is likely the third most popular. It comes after saddle-stitching and perfect binding.
That's likely because it is not as cheap as saddle-stitching. It also does not provide a flat, printable spine like perfect binding. However, spiral binding does offer several distinct advantages which I have summarized below.
Advantages of Spiral Binding
1) The pages can be opened a full 360 degrees.
One of the biggest advantages of a spiral bound book is that it can fold all the way back on itself and still lay flat. This makes it simple to reference while you work, and it takes up very little room on a desk or table.
These benefits make spiral binding a smart choice for reports, sales presentations, proposals, directories, cookbooks, instructional books, and maintenance manuals. Atlases and travel guides are also often spiral bound since they're easier to handle while on the go. Because the pages open completely flat, no important information gets lost or hidden near the spine.
2) The pages turn easily and stay put.
Spiral binding works differently than other binding methods. Once the book is open, the pages rotate around the coil with very little resistance, so there's no spinal tension holding them back. That means the pages stay exactly where you leave them, without you having to hold the book open to see what's printed on the page. This simple design is part of why wall calendars are almost always spiral bound. The pages turn easily, and the spiral keeps the calendar lying flat against the wall, month after month.
3) It can accommodate low page counts or high page counts.
Spiral coils come in a variety of diameters to accommodate books of varying thicknesses. The more pages the book has, the larger the coil diameter must be for proper function and aesthetics. As mentioned, the coils can be plastic or metal, but are more commonly plastic because of the wider range of color choices.
Also, plastic coils resist distortion better than metal coils, so keep that in mind if you plan to send your books, calendars or other bound documents through the mail.
4) It works well with index tabs.
The spiral binding method lets pages turn easily and stay open without needing to hold them. This makes it a great choice for projects that need tabbed page dividers. Dividers with printed tabs are great for any reference document.
This includes reports, presentations, training manuals, and directories. They help users quickly find a specific page or topic. The tabs are often printed in varying colors and/or coded numerically to make them even easier to use. See more about custom printed index tabs.
5) It is a readily available binding method.
Spiral binding has widespread appeal, particularly for shorter production runs. Its popularity comes from being a simple process. It needs no adhesives, folded signatures, or a lot of preparation. Also, the coils are often inventoried in a variety of shapes and colors to complement a wide range of documents.
Spiral bound book printing is a cost-effective and handy option that professional printers often resort to for workbooks, instruction manuals, user guides, and catalogues. The key advantage lies in the fact that the pages can be turned flat or folded back onto themselves, making it perfect for practice activity and easy reading.
Spiral binding, from the printer's perspective, is great for many page sizes and quantities, can be done quickly, and is still tough even with extensive usage. Creating training guides or marketing guides, spiral bound book printing delivers high-quality results with functional use.
Formax Printing has been producing books and other bound documents for over 30 years. If you have any additional questions about spiral binding, or have an upcoming spiral bound project, just give us a call or send us an email. We'll be happy to explain all your options as well as share our money-saving ideas with you.
Take care, Rick
