Types of binding for print products

When you start planning books, magazines and the like, there are a few points you should keep in mind and not forget. Especially the decision on how to bind your print products often raises many questions. After all, it is the bookbinding process that turns loose sheets into a finished product. The type of binding not only influences the quality and appearance of your product, but also the reading experience. To help you decide which type of binding is right for your product, we present all types of binding in our blog post and explain what is important!

Different types of binding presented

Not every binding is suitable for every product and the choice of different binding types is huge. To ensure that your printed products meet individual requirements, we present the different types of bindings and show advantages and disadvantages so that you can decide on an option according to the demands of your product.

Durable sewn binding

With the help of durable sewn binding, the folded sheets of paper are joined together by threads in the centre of the fold. This creates the book block, which is glued in the spine and trimmed on three sides. You can then insert the book blocks into various covers, such as hardcovers, and process them further depending on the cover selected. Printed products bound with this binding method last a very long time and appear very high quality, but are expensive to produce. This is why this technique is usually used for very high-quality products, such as art books or bibles. Both the choice of colours for the chapter bands and the selection of cover fabrics, cover materials and papers are very diverse. This type of binding allows for individual design and the use of a wide variety of materials. Another positive aspect is that you do not have to limit the number of pages, because this type of binding allows up to 1000 pages. Please note, however, that the folded sheets must consist of four, eight or sixteen pages and that overflowing images often disappear in the binding.

A classic: staple binding

The true classic among bookbinding methods, staple binding, is also known as saddle stitching, wire stapling, spine stapling, staple binding or wire saddle stitching. In this process, printed sheets inserted into each other in the spine fold are joined together in a single operation using wire staples. The wire is usually pushed through the binding in two places and bent over on the inside. This is followed by trimming on three sides. Particular advantages of this type of binding are the quick and inexpensive processing as well as the long durability. Printed images and motifs are also visible far into the binding. The opening behaviour is particularly pleasant and thanks to the low material usage, this type is especially ecological. Keep in mind, however, that this type of binding can only be used up to a certain binding thickness because the thicker the paper used, the fewer pages can be bound together.

The fast perfect binding

With this type of binding, the individual folded sheets are first placed together one behind the other. By cutting the edges of the sheets, the paper fibres are exposed, allowing the adhesive to penetrate deep into the paper fibres. The adhesive is then applied to the outside of the bundle by rollers or nozzles and the cover is pressed onto the adhesive which has not yet dried completely. The last step is to trim the three sides and then the perfect bound print product is ready. It is best to use hotmelt or PUR adhesives for this. Perfect binding is particularly suitable if you are looking for a quick and relatively inexpensive, but still high-quality looking binding method. Especially when using PUR adhesives, a very long durability can be expected. However, you should bear in mind that a binding thickness of at least a few millimetres is required and that small page circumferences are therefore usually not technically possible. In addition, the opening behaviour is somewhat limited with this type of binding and the print partially disappears in the binding.

Optimum opening with the spiral binding

Spiral binding is especially popular for calendars, cookbooks, music books and writing pads. It is also called wire-o binding, wire comb binding or metal ring binding. The individual pages are punched on the side and screwed into a spiral through the resulting holes. The spirals are often available in different materials and colours. The ends of the wire are then formed to prevent the pages from unwinding. Spiral binding is one of the few types of binding that allows the pages to turn over completely and lie flat, so that the opening behaviour is optimal. Depending on the diameter of the spirals and the paper grammage, the maximum number of pages can be determined. It is important to remember that motifs running across the binding do not end flush, as there is a gap between the opened pages.

The individual binding with book screws

With this binding, you can easily combine loose sheets and customise or change brochures. The individual sheets are punched with about three to four holes on the side, which are then "screwed" together with book screws. Because you can remove the book screws at any time, you can add or remove pages as required. In this way, brochures in particular can be adapted individually to the needs of your customers at low cost. In addition, this type of binding is ideal for composing menus or, should you only use one book screw, for designing a fan. For an even higher quality printed product, you can use a hardcover for the cover. A disadvantage of this particularly individual binding with book screws, however, is the not-so-good opening behaviour. Here you should therefore think carefully beforehand about what is most important to you.

The durable thread seal

To prevent poorly adhering sheets in perfect binding, thread sealing is often used. This type of binding combines sewn binding with perfect binding, whereby plastic-coated thread clamps are placed on the individual sheets of paper and fused with them on the spine of the sheet. The individual sheets of paper are then glued together. Although this makes the printed products more durable, the process is far more time-consuming and cost-intensive than sewn or perfect binding. Furthermore, the opening behaviour is not as good, because the glue can penetrate between the sheets. For these reasons, thread-sealing is rarely used nowadays.

Which type of binding you should choose

When deciding on the right type of binding, you should always keep the requirements of your print product in mind. In particular, the criteria of cost, durability, page count, opening and closing behaviour and value or aesthetics can be fundamental factors for the final decision. Furthermore, you can orientate yourself on the stackability of the individual print products, whether the print products should be stapleable or whether individual sheets should be detachable.

Print products at print24

If you have decided on a binding type and would like to have your print products individually created, you can easily do this in our online shop. Here you will find various print products, such as catalogues, notebooks, flyers, postcards and many more, which you can configure according to your individual needs and then order. If you still have questions about the right type of binding for your print product or would like advice, please feel free to contact us at any time via our contact form or contact us by phone. We look forward to hearing from you!