The Print Authority - Knowledgebase

Bindery/Finishing Q&A

What are finishing services?
How do printing companies cut down documents?
How is paper drilled?
How are documents folded?
How are documents collated?
What is the best choice for book binding a project?
How may sheets can be bound into a magazine style binding?
How many sheets can be bound into a coil, velo or comb bound book?
How many sheets can be bound into a perfect bound book?
How much time must be allowed for finishing processes to take place?

What are finishing services?

Finishing (or bindery) services are the final steps which take place after printing or copying has been completed. Common finishing services include cutting, folding, drilling (holes), collating sheets together, shrinkwrapping, and various types of bookbinding. Some common book bindings are magazine style (known as stitching), coil binding, comb binding, velo binding, and perfect binding (soft cover book binding). Most jobs require one or more finishing steps. back to top

How do printing companies cut down documents?

Most printing companies use guillotine style cutters to cut documents down to final size. The size of the lift will vary depending on the weight and thickness of the stock. If a sheet has to be cut multiple times, usually one cut will be completed on all sheets of a particular job before proceeding to the next cut. It is important that printing is dry prior to cutting down a particular project. back to top

How is paper drilling accomplished?

Similar to cutting, drilling is done in stacks, or lifts. The size of the lift will vary depending on the weight and thickness of the stock. Many printing companies have paper drills which will drill multiple holes at a time. If multiple holes are being drilled, the drill bits need to be adjusted so the holes are correctly spaced. There are several different sizes of holes which can be drilled. A standard hole is 5/16” in diameter. back to top

How are documents folded?

Unlike cutting or drilling, folding proceeds one sheet at a time in rapid succession. Most folders allow a stack of paper to be loaded for folding. Folders employ “gates”, one for each fold in a document. The gates need to be adjusted for the exact fold on each job. The number of folds which can be accommodated by a folder is determined by the number of gates. Some folders allow for folds to take place at a right angle to the first fold. Printed sheets must be fully dry before they can be run through a folding machine. back to top

How are documents collated together?

Documents can be mechanically collated together by collators designed for that purpose. Collators have “bins” which allow uncollated stacks of sheets to be loaded to be collated with other sheets. The number of sheets which can be collated together depends on the number of bins on a collator. Most collators only accommodate flat sheets. In other words pre-folded or pre-stapled sheets usually can’t be mechanically collated. Of course, folded sheets or stapled sets can always be collated together the old fashioned way—by hand. back to top

What is the best choice for book binding a project?

The best choice for a book binding project will depend on the final use of the document. Magazine style finding (stitching) is often the least costly type of but has a limited shelf life. Coil binding is an excellent choice for books which need to look professional, lay flat when open and have a longer shelf life. This has become a very popular binding in recent years. Comb binding is similar in terms of longevity, but thick comb bound books will not lay completely flat. Perfect binding (soft cover binding) is also a good choice but perfect bound books will not lay flat. Perfect binding is also “permanent”; you cannot make changes once the book is bound. Velo binding is a good choice for a semi-permanent binding. Like perfect binding, however, it will not lay flat. To add pages to a velo bound book, the binding literally has to be destroyed and then redone. For more details on the best binding to use for a specific project, call The Print Authority at (615) 468-2679. back to top

How many sheets can be bound into a magazine style binding?

The number of sheets which can be successfully bound into a magazine style binding will depend on the weight and thickness of the paper being used. Most stitching equipment will stitch up to 20 sheets at a time. After the sheets have been folded and stitched, this will yield a book of up to 80 8.5” x 11” pages. Books with more pages are usually bound by one of the other methods. back to top

How many sheets can be bound into a coil, velo or comb bound book?

The number of sheets which can be bound into any book will depend on the weight and thickness of the stock used. Most plastic book bindings will accommodate up to about a 2” thick document, although some can work for up to a 3” thick document. back to top

How many sheets can be bound into a perfect bound book?

The number of sheets which can be bound into any book will depend on the weight and thickness of the stock used. Most perfect binding equipment will accommodate books up to about 2” thick. back to top

How much time must be allowed for finishing processes to take place?

The answer to this question is highly dependent on the process used to print the sheets (offset or digital), any special procedures used to dry offset printed sheets and the capacity of a particular bindery department It is a good idea to allow at least an extra day for a standard bindery job. Some large bindery jobs or jobs requiring multiple bindery processes will take longer. back to top