What is Coil Binding

What is Coil Binding

Coil binding, or “spiral binding,” as it’s sometimes called, uses a piece of spiraled plastic or wire to hold the finished book together. Coil binding allows books to be laid flat when opened, or even folded over onto itself. This is a great type of binding for instruction manuals, cookbooks, calendars, and other items that need both flexibility and the ability to stay open.

The coil binding process requires four things:

  1. A punch is used to create the holes through which the spiral binding will be threaded.
  2. An inserter threads the coil through the holes punched along the edge of the pages to be bound. Coil inserters are nearly always electric, and are sometimes combined with the punch and/or the crimpers.
  3. The coils are, obviously, an integral part of coil binding. They come in a variety of different colors, sizes, and material types. You will see the term “pitch” used in relation to coil binding—this term refers to how many holes are punched per inch on your project. The most common pitch size is 4:1 (four holes per one inch), but there are many other sizes, as well.
  4. The last piece of the coil binding process is the crimper, which can be either electric (often combined with the inserter, this is called a “crimping machine”) or manual (manual crimpers or crimping pliers resemble a pair of pliers). During the coil binding process, the crimper is used to finish off the piece of coil once it’s been inserted through the holes—it cuts it down to proper size and then crimps it to keep it from coming loose.

Visit our coil binding pages to see our wide selection of punches, inserters, crimps, and coils!