Two spine sizes (the larger would be better on a book with several hundred sheets)
|
Spine capacity
| Inches |
Millimeters |
Pages |
| 3/16" |
4mm |
16 |
| 1/4" |
6mm |
25 |
| 5/16" |
8mm |
54 |
| 3/8" |
10mm |
55 |
| 7/16" |
11mm |
94 |
| 1/2" |
12mm |
85 |
| 9/16" |
14mm |
100 |
| 5/8" |
16mm |
125 |
| 3/4" |
20mm |
150 |
| 7/8" |
22mm |
175 |
| 1" |
25mm |
200 |
| 1 1/8" |
28mm |
250 |
| 1 1/4" |
32mm |
275 |
| 1 1/2" |
38mm |
325 |
| 1 3/4" |
45mm |
375 |
| 2" |
50mm |
425 |
|
Comb binding is one of many ways to bind pages together into a book. This method utilizes round plastic spines with 19 rings and a hole puncher that makes rectangular holes.
Binding process
To bind a document, the user first punches holes in the paper with a specialized hole puncher. Pages must be punched a few at a time with most of these machines. If hard covers are desired, they must be punched as well.
Then the user chooses a spine size that will match the document. Standard sizes are 3/16 inch (for 10 sheets of 20# paper) up to 2 inches (for 425 sheets). Spine lengths are generally 11 inches to match the length of letter-size paper.
The rings on the spine open and insert into the holes in the page, then rest against the body of the spine, resulting in a closure that can be opened again for making changes to the book.
Comparison with other punch binds
With this bind, the book lays flat but cannot be opened 360 degrees. For a book that can be opened such that the covers touch, a spine that does not have an obstructive body, such as a coil binding, is a better option.
 |
 |
| Machine opening the spine |
Pre-punched paper with spine rings through holes |
 |
 |
| Rings closed on paper |
Completed book out of machine |
References
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