The Plastic Spiral Stick: Why It's Plastic, Not Metal

why a plastic stick for spiral

Plastic coil binding, also known as spiral binding, is a popular method for binding books and documents. It involves using a continuous plastic spine that resembles an old phone cord, with coils that spin around into many loops. Spiral binding is known for its durability, flexibility, and modern aesthetic. It is widely used across various industries, including automotive, mining, and document binding. Spiral binding offers versatility in terms of colours, sizes, and functionality, making it a preferred choice for many applications.

Characteristics Values
Material Plastic
Plastic type PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
Plastic properties Flexible, resilient, strong, abrasion-resistant, affordable
Colors Black, white, blue, clear, green, red, yellow, burgundy, brown, gold, silver
Uses Binding for books, headbands, Escrima sticks
Advantages Modern look, durable, wide variety of colors, ability to lie flat, hands-free, versatile, comfortable, safe
Disadvantages Pages do not open perfectly side-to-side, subject to extreme temperatures, plastic teeth can irritate the scalp, can break and cut

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Plastic coil binding is durable and flexible

Plastic coil binding is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a durable and flexible binding option. This binding method uses a continuous plastic spine that spins around into many loops, giving it a clean, modern look. The flexibility of the plastic material is a key advantage, allowing the binding to bend in all directions and bounce back from heavy use without losing its original shape. This makes it highly durable and able to withstand rough handling, ensuring that the pages of your document will wear out before the binding spine does.

One of the unique features of plastic coil binding is its ability to provide 360-degree page-turning. This means that pages can be flipped all the way around, making it perfect for presentations, workbooks, journals, coloring books, and any other content that requires easy referencing or hands-free use. For example, spiral binding is a popular choice for cookbooks as it leaves the cook's hands free to prepare and cook, and for music books, allowing musicians to keep the book open at the desired page while playing an instrument.

Plastic coil binding is also highly customizable, with a wide range of sizes available, from 6mm to 50mm, accommodating books ranging from a few pages to approximately 440 sheets. It also offers a large selection of colors, with over 40 options to choose from, making it easy to match your brand or book project. Additionally, the spine of a spiral-bound book can be easily untwisted and reinstalled, allowing for the removal or addition of pages, although this may become challenging with thicker books.

While plastic coil binding offers many benefits, there are a few limitations to consider. Firstly, the pages do not align perfectly side-by-side due to the spiral design, which may be a consideration for projects requiring tight registration across spreads. Secondly, plastic coil binding is subject to extreme temperatures, as the plastic can melt at very high temperatures and become more fragile in extreme cold. Lastly, while plastic coil binding is affordable, with coils priced at around $0.05 per book for letter-size documents, it is important to note that the cost may vary depending on the size and thickness of the book.

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Plastic is affordable and offers a wide variety of colours

Plastic is a popular material for spiral binding because it is strong, flexible, abrasion-resistant, and affordable. It is also lightweight and highly durable, making it ideal for projects that require heavy handling or mail delivery.

One of the most significant advantages of plastic spiral binding is its affordability. Plastic coils are made of economical plastic, with 100 coils costing around $5.50, which equates to approximately $0.05 per book for letter-size documents. This makes plastic spiral binding a cost-effective option for creating bound documents.

Plastic spiral binding offers a wide variety of colour options, with over 40 colours available, including black, white, blue, clear, green, red, yellow, burgundy, brown, gold, and silver. This range of colours allows for customisation and brand matching, making it a versatile choice for various projects.

The flexibility of plastic coils enables spiral-bound books to have a 360-degree page-turning capability, allowing the pages to lie perfectly flat when opened. This feature makes plastic spiral binding ideal for cookbooks, workbooks, study guides, journals, colouring books, and any other books that require hands-free reference or easy referencing.

The wide range of colours available in plastic spiral binding, combined with its affordability, flexibility, and durability, makes it a popular choice for creating functional and aesthetically pleasing bound documents.

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Spiral binding is ideal for presentations, cookbooks, and workbooks

Spiral binding is a popular and versatile method of binding documents, offering a range of benefits that make it ideal for presentations, cookbooks, and workbooks. Firstly, spiral binding allows documents to lay flat and facilitates 360-degree page turning, making it excellent for quick page-turning and note-taking during presentations or when following a recipe in a cookbook. The ability to lay the document flat and turn the pages easily also makes spiral binding ideal for workbooks, allowing users to write and take notes with ease.

The durability and flexibility of spiral binding further contribute to its suitability for these purposes. Spiral-bound books are resilient and can withstand frequent use without the pages falling apart. The plastic coils are strong, lightweight, and resist distortion, ensuring that the books can be transported and handled without the coils bending or becoming misshapen. This is particularly advantageous for cookbooks, workbooks, and presentations that may be frequently referenced and transported.

Additionally, spiral binding offers a professional appearance to documents. With a wide range of colours available, users can choose a binding colour that complements the cover design, enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal. This feature is beneficial for presentations and cookbooks, where visual appeal is important. Furthermore, spiral binding allows for easy copying and note-taking, making it convenient for users to duplicate and annotate documents during meetings or when following recipes.

The functionality of spiral binding also extends to its ability to accommodate various book thicknesses. Spiral coils come in different diameters to accommodate books with varying numbers of pages. This adaptability makes spiral binding suitable for workbooks and cookbooks, which can range from a few pages to several hundred. Lastly, spiral binding is a secure method of binding, ensuring that pages remain firmly in place. This feature is advantageous for presentations, cookbooks, and workbooks, where loose or missing pages could be detrimental.

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Spiral bound books are suitable for mail delivery

Spiral-bound books are ideal for mailing because they are flexible and resilient. The plastic binding coil ensures that the books can withstand the pressure and rough handling that often occurs during mail processing. Unlike wire binding, the plastic coil will not become permanently distorted, ensuring that the book remains intact and in good condition upon arrival.

The spiral binding method is also advantageous due to its user-friendliness. This binding style allows the pages and cover to rotate freely around the coil, enabling the book to lie completely flat on a surface without needing to be held open constantly. This feature is especially useful for reference materials, such as instruction guides, manuals, travel guides, craft books, and study guides. The recipient of the book can easily look up information without having to worry about holding the pages down.

Additionally, spiral binding is versatile and adaptable. It is suitable for a wide range of page counts, from thin books with just a few pages to thicker volumes of up to 440 sheets. The coils come in various sizes, ranging from 6mm to 50mm in diameter, ensuring that books of different thicknesses can be securely bound. This versatility makes spiral binding a good choice for mailing, as it can accommodate a diverse range of content.

The durability of spiral-bound books is another key factor in their suitability for mail delivery. The flexible plastic coils are designed to bounce back from heavy use, ensuring that the books can withstand the rigors of the mailing process. The coils are also available in a variety of colours, providing an opportunity for customization and brand matching. Overall, the combination of flexibility, user-friendliness, versatility, and durability makes spiral-bound books an excellent choice for mail delivery.

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Plastic spiral binding is easy to install and remove

Plastic spiral binding is a popular choice for those who want an easy, cost-effective, and flexible way to bind documents. The process is simple and can be done manually or with the help of a binding machine. The plastic coil is flexible and resilient, making it suitable for mail delivery and rough handling.

To install plastic spiral binding, the first step is to gather your printed sheets and punch holes in the desired number and pattern. This can be done manually or with a binding machine. The recommended pitch for spiral binding is 4:1, which means four holes per inch. It is important to ensure that the pitch of the coil matches the punch pattern for a smooth process. Once the holes are punched, the plastic coil is then manually inserted and spun into the holes. An optional electric coil inserter can also be used, where the binding edge of the book is held against the activated spinning rollers.

Plastic spiral binding is also easy to remove and allows for the removal and addition of pages. The spine can be untwisted and reinstalled, although this may be more challenging with thicker books. Winding a coil through a thick stack of pages can be frustrating, and it is much simpler with thinner books.

The flexibility of plastic spiral binding makes it a versatile option for various projects. It is commonly used for cookbooks, workbooks, study guides, journals, coloring books, and activity books. It is also ideal for books that need to lie flat, such as cookbooks, sheet music, instruction guides, and craft books. The wide variety of colors available for plastic coils also makes it easy to match your brand or theme to your binding.

Frequently asked questions

Plastic coil binding is a good option for custom-printed books because PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is strong, abrasion-resistant, and affordable. There are also over 40 colour choices, making it easy to find a complementary colour for your book project.

Plastic coil binding is more durable than wire binding and will not become permanently distorted if subjected to pressure or rough handling. This makes it suitable for mail delivery.

Plastic coil binding is not suitable for projects requiring tight registration across spreads, as the pages do not align perfectly from side to side. It is also subject to extreme temperatures, as the plastic can melt at very high temperatures or become more fragile in extreme cold.

Plastic coil binding is commonly used for cookbooks, books of sheet music, assembly and instruction guides, repair and maintenance manuals, travel guides, craft books, and any other book that would benefit from easy referencing.

Plastic coils come in a variety of sizes, from 6mm up to 50mm, which means they can be used for books as thin as a few pages or as thick as about 440 sheets.

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