Choosing the binding type for your next book project really depends on what the product is and how you intend on using your book. While Spiral Binding isn’t one of our most popular binding types (like Saddle Stitch or Perfect Bound), it has benefits that the other binding options do not offer.
Spiral binding (also known as Coil Binding), is a continuous plastic loop that passes through a row of punched holes at the end of the printed piece in a spiral. It can be on the long side or short side of your booklet, depending on how the project is designed (whether it’s landscape or portrait). If your book is landscape, the binding will be on the short edge, if it’s portrait, the binding will be on the long edge.
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Advantages of Spiral Binding
Page Counts
Unlike our other binding types that have 8-92 (Saddle Stitch) and 28+ (Perfect Bound) page count requirements, spiral bound books can be as few as 8 pages and up to 2 ¾” thick. So, whether you have a small book you need to print or a large book, spiral binding can accommodate both.
Lays Flat When Open
Since spiral bound books open to a full 360 degrees, your booklet can lay completely flat or you can flip the pages around itself (cover to cover) so you can view just one page at a time.
Ease of Flipping Pages
Unlike other binding types, there is no spine tension for spiral bound booklets. This makes turning the pages much easier and has very little resistance.
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Popular Spiral Bound Products
Calendars
Spiral bound calendars are extremely popular because you can flip through the pages easily and they hang flat against the wall.
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Cookbooks
Spiral is common for cookbook printing because it reduces the amount of counter space needed when viewing a recipe. Instead of having your book open showing a 2-page spread, you can easily flip the unnecessary pages back around the coil and only show one page at a time.
Coloring Books
The ability that spiral binding has to lay flat and take up less space on your table is why it’s another good choice for coloring books. Instead of having to color with a 2-page spread open, you can fold the pages back upon itself so that you’re only viewing one page at a time, which also helps with this product because it makes it thicker and sturdier since all the pages are beneath the page you are coloring.
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Photo Books
Since spiral pages turn easily and open to a full 360 degrees, your information and images won’t get buried in the spine, making spiral binding perfect for photo book printing. One thing you do want to keep in mind for photo books is if you have an image that is full page or one that spreads across two pages, the coil and hole punches will cut off part of your image.
Photo Book Printing
Employee Training Handbooks/Manuals
Spiral binding is the best binding choice for training manuals because they are easy to reference and take up minimal space.
Sales Catalogs
Spiral bound sales catalogs have many advantages, but the main advantage is that they are easier to manage, making them perfect whether you are on the go or sitting through a meeting. Also, since they pages are easy to turn, you can flip through them with little resistance when showing off your products to potential customers.
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FAQs
Drilling holes and inserting the coil require manual work, which can add to the production cost, especially for small batches. Durability: Spiral bindings allow the book to lay flat and rotate 360 degrees, which is beneficial for certain types of books like notebooks or cookbooks.
How much margin should I leave for spiral binding? ›
Spiral-Bound Book Design Tips
For a spiral-bound book, always leave an added margin of at least 5 mm on the edge that we'll bind the book to allow for the holes. For example, if the book margin on the cutting side is 10 mm, on the binding side, you need to leave an 15 mm margin.
Can I spiral bind my own book? ›
Luckily, it is easy to make one at home, and you don't need a lot of special tools or supplies. Once you know the basics of making a spiral bound book, you can make all sorts of books, from notebooks to sketchbooks. You can even print out short stories and bind them yourself!
How long does it take to spiral bind a book? ›
How Much Time Does it Take for Spiral Binding? Spiral binding doesn't take as long and works well for small production runs of a few hundred books. It takes about 5 minutes to bind 100 pages, not counting printing the pages and checking the work.
What is the cheapest way to bind a book? ›
Saddle Stitching is the most economical binding style and is used primarily for books with lower page counts. It is a relatively simple binding method, but produces books that are well-functioning and aesthetically appealing.
How much does it cost to spiral bind? ›
Price: $242.70 100 units / $2.43 a piece
| Quantity | Unit | Price |
|---|
| 50 | $3.22 | $160.93 |
| 100 | $2.43 | $242.70 |
| 250 | $1.75 | $438.37 |
| 500 | $1.12 | $562.36 |
5 more rowsSince each sheet of paper counts as two pages, this would mean a 2" binding coil could bind a maximum of 876 pages if the paper was 20# bond. If the paper happened to be 80# gloss cover, each sheet would be approximately . 0075" thick.
Can you spiral bind a hardcover book? ›
Attaching an original spiral binding to a hard cover may not be the solution for every book of this type. The hard cover does not solve the problem of pages that are easily torn from the spiral. However, this method does offer an alternative for text that cannot be bound in any other way.
Does Amazon KDP offer spiral binding? ›
KDP allows you to publish eBooks (Kindle) and print books (Paperback and Hardcover). However, KDP does not allow the creation of magazines, periodicals, calendars, or spiral bound books.
Does staples do coil binding? ›
We offer a variety of attractive binding options, including Cerlox, coil, and bookbinding.
Coil binding, also known as spiral binding, is a commonly used book binding style for documents. This binding style is known by a number of names (some trademarked) including spiral coil, color coil, colorcoil, ez-coil, plastic coil, spiral binding, and coilbind.
Can staples bind a book for you? ›
Whatever project you're looking to tackle, you can count on our print advisors every step of the way. Get help with document printing including presentations, manuals, booklets and professional binding.
What is the difference between wire bound and spiral-bound? ›
Many people that look for printing services aren't sure of the difference between wire and spiral binding, but the difference comes down to: Spiral binding uses a plastic coil as binding. Wire binding uses a metal wire as binding.
How do you reinforce a spiral-bound book? ›
If your spiral binding has become uncrimped, we recommend using a small pair of pliers to crimp it, and coil the end of the spiral binding up and around the next spiral above (or below) it. This can be done by grabbing the end of the spiral with the pliers and twisting the end of the spiral in a loop.
How much does it cost to get a book spiral-bound? ›
Price: $242.70 100 units / $2.43 a piece
| Quantity | Unit | Price |
|---|
| 25 | $5.18 | $129.41 |
| 50 | $3.22 | $160.93 |
| 100 | $2.43 | $242.70 |
| 250 | $1.75 | $438.37 |
5 more rowsSpiral bindings work great for cookbooks because they allow the book to lay completely flat. This, in turn, allows me to easily hold the book in one hand while I stir my broth. When I shop for cookbooks, I look for books with spiral bindings because they can withstand my terrible kitchen manners.
Are spiral-bound books better? ›
One of the primary benefits of a spiral-bound book is that the pages can be opened a full 360 degrees (cover to cover). This allows an open book to fold back upon itself and yet still remain flat, so it stays open for easy reference and yet takes up minimal room on a desk or table.
Why buy a spiral-bound book? ›
Spiral Bound books can open fully and lie flat
Being able to rotate the pages a full 360 degrees makes the book easier to handle and also allows the book to take up minimal room when placed on a desk or table.
