Wire comb binding
The wire binding is a popular book binding method . Other names for it are Wire-o , Ring-Wire or, in the English-speaking world, Wirebinding . The method comes from England and is very popular, especially because of its easy handling, even with small table-top devices. Surveys among printing customers already showed in 2003 that the importance of wire comb binding is also increasing in professional postpress.
The big advantage is that you can lay a wirebound book flat on a table and it remains open. Single sheets can only be turned through 360 degrees for books bound with this method. Another advantage is that when binding with a wire comb, a wide variety of materials can be bound into a book. Loose-leaf collections with foils, transparent sheets or products that have already been folded can be combined into one work. The process is often used for brochures, notebooks or operating instructions, but cookbooks are also often wired together.
For wall calendars, wire comb binding is the most common type of binding. The hanger is included in the wire comb.
technology
Different hole spacings (division or pitch) are used depending on the thickness of the book or calendar. The most common are the 2: 1 and 3: 1 pitches. 2: 1 means 2 holes on 1 inch, that is 23 holes on a length of a DIN A4 sheet (297 mm). 3: 1 means 3 holes on 1 inch, that is 34 holes on a length of a DIN A4 sheet (297 mm). With the 3: 1 division, the holes can have a size of 4 × 4 mm, but other hole geometries are also possible. Up to 120 sheets of normal 80 g paper can be bound in this way. This is the standard size for many calendars. With the 2: 1 division, the holes are up to 6 × 6 mm and the binding wire is thicker. Books up to approx. 250 sheets and a thickness of 34 mm can be bound in this way.
The individual loops are called loops . The loops and wire thicknesses can vary depending on the thickness of the print object to be integrated.