Book Binding Services
If you are getting ready to have your own book printed, one of the decisions you need to make is what type of binding you want the book to have. Many people look at the paperback books on their bookshelves and think that the book will seem more “real” if it looks like one of their paperback books. Although this type of binding is known as perfect binding, it may not be the perfect choice for you. If your book is the type that is going to be studied rather than just read, perfect binding could prove to be vulnerable. One option you may not have fully considered is spiral binding.
Why Spiral Binding Can Be a Great Option for Your Book
Spiral binding uses a spiral coil to hold the pages of a book together rather than sewing and gluing the pages. Instead, coils are twisted through several small holes. This can actually be a big plus for several different reasons.
It Increases Readability – Spiral-bound books can be read in several different positions. They can lay flat on a table offering access to two pages at a time. This is especially helpful if there are visuals in the book, such as photos, charts, or graphs. There is less need to try and hold pages open only to risk damage to the book. If you have limited space, the already-read page easily wraps around the book with minimal resistance, making it easier to focus on the page in front of you. If you need to stop reading suddenly, the book will stay on the page that it is open to, until you’re ready to read more.
It’s a Good Option No Matter the Page Count. – There is a wide range of coil sizes available to bind books. A longer book will need a coil with a larger diameter, while a very short book or wall calendar will do better with a smaller coil. While metal coils, like those used in old-fashioned notebooks, are still used occasionally, most spiral-bound books use plastic coils because they are both colorful and durable.
It’s great for educational material. Textbooks and manuals often rely on index tabs and dividers to help the reader navigate through the book. Often books like these demand that the reader skips around to different parts of the book. With a perfect-bound book, this would cause the book to be misshapen, and may even risk loosening pages. These books aren’t just read, they are handled and can stand up to some hard studying.
A Spiral Bound Book Keeps Its Shape Some books look bent and sad after they have been handled a lot, and many of those books never close right again. With spirals, this isn’t an issue because the book stays the same shape no matter how the pages are turned.
It’s a Fast and Efficient Binding Method – Spiral printing has gained enough momentum that printers regularly keep a variety of spiral sizes available in order to quickly bind pages together, especially on shorter print runs. Unlike other bindings, no glue or sewing is required to produce a beautiful copy of your book. With print-on-demand options, you can have as many or as few copies printed as works for you. The binding comes in several different colors, which can be switched up with a new edition of the book, or just to offer some people better options than what other people might offer.
How Subject Matter Plays Into Book Binding
Spiral-bound books are not the right choice for every book. You need to decide what is important to you, and what you want the reader to get out of your book. Spiral-bound books are great for anything that needs to be interactive, such as study materials or cookbooks. If you wrote a novel and want everyone to see the title on the bookshelf, then perfect bound might be the way to go. No matter what type of binding you’re considering, think of your potential reader or client and how they will want to experience the book.
Whenever you order custom printing services, you want everything to go right. While you may think you know what you want, it’s also always an option to talk to the printer about the various choices available. At Custom Printing, we’re here to help with whatever guidance you think you may need in order to get the best product out and achieve the representation you’re looking for. To schedule a consultation, contact us today.