Bindery should be thought of as "finishing". Inside printing companies, the bindery department is where the scoring, folding, collating, drilling, etc. goes on. Let's dig into how some of these things can be done ourselves.
1. Different Kinds of Folding
There are many different folds that exist and these can come in handy for welcome bag inserts, wedding programs, etc. Just make sure you score before you fold!
2. 2 and 3-hole Drilling
To accommodate ribbon or string you will need to have a tool for punching holes. Individual hole punch tools are fine, but they are hard on the hand. Invest in a 3-hole punch tool. If you only need 2 (which is common for ribbon), then you adjust the position of the holes.
I like 3-hole punch tools that have a softer, padded lever to push down. Staples and Office Max are good places to visit for this. Large variety too.
Do yourself a favor and take the time to make tick marks on your EACH spine in the same place using a ruler (i.e. one inch from the top, .5" between each hole) so that not only your holes, but what ever you end up looping through these holes are in the same place... Your programs will look better in the basket when they are all together!
3. Saddle-Stitching
Saddle-stitching refers to staples on the spine of a multi-page document... Problem is, the panels are typically too wide for a regular stapler to reach the spine. There are two ways to cleanly achieve well placed staples.
The LONG reach stapler... You can purchase from Office Max.
The "saddle" stapler by Swingline. This one is nice because you can simply place your pages on the tool and staple in place...
Is there another kind of bindery you are challenged with? Post below!
Tomorrow we'll deal with adhesives! Have good weekends...
--ct
