The Best Binding Machines for Every Project

It’s important to think about what you’re hoping to use your new binding machine for before you even pick one out. Taking the following issues into consideration will help make sure you end up with the right machine for you and your projects.

Here’s what to consider before you buy a binding machine…

Type of Project

This is probably the most important aspect to think about before purchasing a binding machine. While which projects you’ll create may vary throughout the lifetime of your binding machine, having a general idea of what you’ll be using the machine for can help determine what kind you’ll need.

While it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with each type of binding machine to help you make your selection, there are a few tried-and-true general recommendations. For instance, for a spiral-bound book, you’ll want a spiral coil binding machine. For lay-flat books, a coil-bound or wire-bound book is the way to go.

Volume

There are high-volume and low-volume machines available, each of which have their pros and cons. If you’re buying a binding machine for personal use, a lower cost low-volume machine might be the answer for you. On the other hand, if you’re buying a binding machine for a school or office, a high-volume machine will be a better bet.

Speed

Finally, the last consideration is speed. If you have the time to do some of your tasks, like punching holes or forming book spines by hand, that’s less work your binder has to do (which could save you some money). On the other hand, if you’ll be using your machine to produce dozens of presentations a month, it may be better to have a machine that can do everything for you.

There’s really no limit to how a teacher can use a binding machine. However, it’s rare that a teacher will own their own binding machine; instead, most are shared amongst the faculty. With multiple teachers using the binding machine for a variety of projects, you’ll want something that’s quick, durable, and fairly simple to use so there is a small learning curve involved.

For school use, we recommend getting a coil binding machine or a comb binding machine. Coil binding is great for durable flat-lay books (great for students and instructors!), plus it’s affordable and easy to use. Alternatively, comb binding is the ideal choice for instructional materials because you can add and remove documents easily.

Need an extra level of organization?
Have us print titles on the combs to make bookshelf organizing a breeze.

Classrooms

Keeping your classroom organized is easy with a binding machine in the mix. There’s really no limit to what you can use a binding machine for. From student resources like reading logs and DIY workbooks to collating lesson plans and often-copied worksheets, keeping go-to materials bound will help keep a classroom organized. You can even use a binding machine to present student work to make them feel even more accomplished.

For all of these projects and more, we recommend the Akiles CoilMac ECI+ or the Akiles CoilMac ECI+.

The Akiles CoilMac ECI+ is a flexible unit that’s strong enough to create books up to 2” thick, while the heat-treated steel dies can punch up to 20 sheets of 20 lb. paper at one time! It punches in a 4:1 pattern with oval holes, which provide better tear resistance. There is very little risk of injury due to the recessed location of the punch, making it an excellent choice for student safety.

The Akiles MegaBind 1 can bind up to 14” in length and from 3/16” thick all the way up to 2”—that’s 425 sheets of paper. (Keep in mind, though, that you can only punch 25 sheets at a time with this.) This machine’s punching unit is manual, so this is a better choice for low-volume work.

Homeschool

If you’re planning on homeschooling, your needs may be different than those of teachers in traditional classrooms. But that doesn’t mean that organization shouldn’t be a priority. In fact, maintaining a homeschool classroom in the middle of your room might mean you have even more of a need for structure, which a binding machine can help provide.

As you’ll likely have fewer occasions to bind projects, we recommend a machine that doesn’t take up much room and that is simple to operate. For these reasons, you should take a look at the Akiles CoilMac-ER.

The CoilMac-ER is an all-in-one machine that’s both affordable and easy to use. You can punch up to 20 sheets at a time with a total binding thickness of ⅞”. It also has an electric coil inserter with a foot pedal and free coil crimpers. This is an excellent choice for a single user.

Put your best foot forward in a professional environment by showing up with the right materials. You can walk into client meetings and salary negotiations confidently, knowing that your materials will hold up to inspection.

Whether you’re setting up a home office or an office manager purchasing for a whole team, you’ll need a binding machine that puts out professional-level products with ease.

Internal Documents

For any internal company documents, such as employee handbooks, quarterly reports, or business plans, you may like a binding machine that has lay-flat or 360-degree rotation. These options will help your employees take notes and actually utilize the documents, rather than just reading them.

If you are trying to make books that can be edited and repurposed, we recommend a comb binder. While these machines won’t create a lay-flat book, you can add and remove pages easily.

If you need to be able to quickly identify your binded documents, contact us today about printing on the spines for you!

The Akiles Alphabind-CE Electric Comb Punch and Manual Bind System is your best bet for internal office use, as it is durable and will last for years to come.

This electric punch has a foot pedal and punch up to 20 sheets of paper at a time, while the manual bind feature allows you to bind up to 2” in thickness.

Working with documents that are larger than typical letter size? Check out the Akiles CombMac 24EX.

This machine has fully disengageable die pins, which allows you to punch any size document as long as you have the right length comb.

Corporate Presentations

Imagine clients walking into your office boardroom to find professionally bound and customized presentation packets sitting at their seats. Talk about impressive! You can take any meeting with clients, customers, or investors up a notch with a well-bound presentation. You could print and bind the slides of your PowerPoint presentation or you could include relevant documents so everyone has them for easy reference.

We recommend either a coil or wire binding machine. Wire binding is the most popular choice for presentations that really impress clients; plastic coil binding is another common option as it’s easy to handle and can be used elsewhere throughout the office.

For presentations that will really knock it out of the park, we recommend the Akiles WireMac Duo 3:1 & 2:1 Pitch Wire Binding Machine. This wire binding machine is a combination punch and bind machine that can do both 3:1 and 2:1 wire. It also will hold your wire in place, making it easy to insert sheets. Additionally, it includes side and depth margin controls and diameter scale to make the process easier.

If you prefer a coil binding machine, you can’t go wrong with the Akiles CoilMac-EX+. This machine comes with a heavy-duty punch motor, electric coil inserter, disengageable pins, and side and depth margin controls. This unit will give you a professionally bound presentation with the added benefit of little maintenance required.

Legal Documents

Binding legal documents involves two special considerations: paper size and privacy. Many legal documents are longer than standard paper, so you’ll need a binding machine that can adjust for length. Additionally, legal documents are often of a sensitive nature, so you want to be sure that the machine you choose will bind your documents securely, so that no stray sheets of paper go missing.

For these features and more, the V3000 Pro Hot Knife VeloBind™ System is an excellent choice. A VeloBind™ project is tamper-proof, neat, and secure. This particular machine works with all VeloBind™ options and binds up to 3” thick, meaning you can use it for any project that comes up that needs that extra level of security.

While many people think of binding machines in more professional contexts, there’s plenty of use for them at home, too. Whether you’re selling your homemade wares or you just want to make keepsakes your family can enjoy for generations, a binding machine is an excellent addition to a crafter’s arsenal of tools. A good binding machine can last you years and will give you even more creative freedom, so you can tackle the projects you’ve always meant to do.

Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is an excellent way to preserve your memories in a fun way, but if you’ve ever shopped for supplies at a craft store, you know the costs can add up quickly. Specialized paper in fun prints, stickers, markers, and more can run you hundreds or even thousands of dollars over a lifetime of crafting—and that doesn’t even include the scrapbooks themselves!

Enter the Akiles CoilMac-ER. This coil binding machine is perfect for regular scrapbookers. Not only will you save money buying pre-made books, you can customize your creations by size and length.

Photo Books

In a similar vein, photo books and albums are ideal for preserving those family pictures you finally got printed out. It’s easier to keep your home’s style aligned when you get to pick every aspect of such an important piece like a photo album.

The best choice for making photo books that last is the Akiles CoilMac-ER. Yes, it’s the same that we recommend for scrapbooks, so crafters everywhere, rejoice. This machine can do double-duty (or triple if you’re homeschooling too).

On the other hand, if you want to create a more traditional photo album, a thermal binding machine will give you the professional and sturdy spine of a store-bought photo album. To truly take your printed photography to the next level, we recommend the Pro-Bind 1000. This small machine will bind your pages into a gorgeous book with the pre-made cover of your choice.

Need more flexibility in your photo book designs? Take it up a notch with the Powis Fastback 20 Tape Binding Machine. It makes photo books in under 15 seconds, is easy to use thanks to its LCD display, and you can use any cover—meaning your options are pretty much limitless.