Table of Contents
What is binding a document?
Binding document is the process of assembling printed paper sheets into a stack and joining them together with an adhesive or mechanism such as a wire, staple, comb, ring or strip.
Most bound documents consist of a front cover, back cover and inside pages.
Some documents also have a printed spine (card or greyboard), whereas others have a visible wire, staple, comb, ring or strip along the binding edge.
The binding edge refers to the side of the document which has been joined together. For portrait documents, this is typically the left long edge.
Why binding document needed?
Document binding is useful for a variety of reasons, including:
- Professional – it’s an impressive way to present your work, be it a presentation, portfolio, report or dissertation.
- Educational & informational – printed materials are perfect for study resources, training materials and instruction manuals.
- Promotional – bound documents such as booklets and brochures can be used to promote your brand, product or service to customers.
- Sentimental – a printed document is a great way to capture memories, share stories or showcase your art.
- Commercial – to make money out of your creations (e.g. publishing a book.)
Which binding document methods are available?
Here at Doxzoo we offer a choice of 9 binding types:
Stapled sheets
Pages are joined in the corner with a metal staple.
Stapled sheets are a good choice for short and simple documents, such as letters, bills, training handouts and surveys.
Wire binding
Pages are joined along the binding edge with a C shaped coloured metal wire.
Wire binding is our most popular binding type. It’s perfect for reports, presentations, scripts, portfolios, planners, diaries and more.
Wire binding is also known as wiro-binding, spiral binding and coil binding.
Hardback wire binding
Greyboard covers and inside pages are joined with a C shaped coloured metal wire.
Hardback wire binding is a highly durable and premium option, ideal for notebooks, diaries, planners, workbooks and other items that you will use again and again.
Comb binding
Pages are joined with a coloured plastic comb strip.
Comb binding is a low-cost binding method, perfect for reports, presentations, screenplays, study notes and more.
Velo binding
Pages are hole punched and securely joined with two corresponding velo strips.
Velo binding (aka ‘strip binding’) is tamper-proof, making it ideal for confidential legal and financial documents.
Ring binding
Loose pages are hole punched and placed inside a ring binder.
Ring binding is perfect for documents that you need to edit in future, with the ring option you can add/remove pages as and when you need to.
It also accommodates the most pages of all our bound products and has the most durable cover.
Booklet printing
Pages are printed in spreads and bound with 2 staples along the spine (saddle-stitched).
Booklet printing is a customer favourite, ideal for creative documents such as comic books, zines and lookbooks as well as brochures, prospectuses, catalogues and more.
It’s lightweight and costs less than book printing.
Paperback books
Loose pages are glued into the 350 gsm card cover and spine using the EVA binding method, a form of perfect binding.
Paperback books are our most popular book style. It’s perfect for novels, memoirs, training handbooks and more.
Hardback books
Loose pages are glued into the greyboard hard cover and spine using the PUR binding method, a form of perfect binding.
Hardback books are a premium option, ideal for dissertations, photobooks, text books and more.
Other types of binding document
There are many creative ways to bind your documents, it’s impossible to list all of them.
However we’ve listed a few other common methods. We don’t currently offer these styles, but may do in future.
Watch this space 🙂
Thermal binding – aka tape binding, pages are bound with a strip of tape which forms the spine and creeps onto the front and back cover of the document.
Fastback binding – a form of thermal binding where by glued strips are applied to the spine and creep onto the front and back cover of the document.
Case binding – a form of hard cover binding. Pages are sewn together and placed between hard greyboard cloth covers.
Loop stitching – two or three loop shaped staples are placed on the spine. The loops can then be placed in a ring binder.
Sewn binding – the pages are sewn into the spine with thread. Typically the stitch runs along the entire spine, however in some instances only part of the spine is sewn (aka ‘section sewn binding’).
Coptic binding – the front cover, inside pages and back cover are sewn together, giving a chain like appearance along the spine.
Japanese binding – this is a decorative binding style, similar to coptic binding. The covers and inside pages are hole punched and the thread or rope is fed through the holes in an ornate pattern.
Screw-post binding – aka rivet binding, the pages and board covers are hole punched and screws are added along the spine.
Plastic grip binding – the pages are inserted into a plastic spine bar and pinched together.
Which binding style do I need?
The type of binding style you need depends on your requirements.
Take a look at the product features and options below to find a style that best suits your needs.
Quickfire choices
A5 & A4
- Stapled sheets
- Wire binding
- Hardback wire binding
- Comb binding
- Velo binding
- Ring binding
- Booklet printing
- Paperback book
- Hardback book
A3
- Stapled sheets
- Wire binding
- Comb binding
- Velo binding
Most Popular
- Stapled sheets
- Wire binding
- Booklet printing
- Paperback book
On A Budget
- Stapled sheets
- Wire binding
- Comb binding
- Booklet printing
Simple
- Stapled sheets
- Booklet printing
Lightweight
- Stapled sheets
- Booklet printing
Most Durable
- Hardback wire binding
- Ring binding
- Hardback book
Custom Spine
- Ring binding
- Paperback book
- Hardback book
Lays Flat
- Wire binding
- Comb binding
Card Cover
- Wire binding
- Comb binding
- Velo binding
- Booklet printing
- Paperback book
Hard Greyboard Cover
- Hardback wire binding
- Hardback book
Acetate Cover
- Wire binding
- Comb binding
- Velo binding
Tab Dividers
- Wire binding
- Comb binding
- Ring binding
Tamper Proof
- Velo binding
Add/Remove Pages
- Ring binding
Ready to order?
Use the links below to find out more about our products, get an instant quote and/or upload your file and place an order.
Document Binding (Overview)
Stapled Sheets
Wire Binding
Hardback Wire Binding
Comb Binding
Velo Binding
Ring Binding
Booklet Printing
Paperback Books
Hardback Books
Questions? Check out our Help Center or send us a message on Live Chat.
Get inspired…
Happy printing!
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