September 2003: Mechanical Binding Inserts

One of the advantages of mechanical binding is that it allows for a great deal of design options. Materials such as index tabs, foldout panels, pockets and media holders can be easily inserted into a Wire-O, plastic spiral, plastic comb or spiral wire-bound book. And, with proper planning, all of them can be designed for automatic production to satisfy tight budgets and production schedules. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when planning mechanically-bound books to include these materials:

Index tabs - Many textbooks, catalogs and reference manuals include information that must be accessed quickly by end users. Index tabs add tremendous value to these products by making them more user friendly. Of course, tabs can be as important to a book’s appearance as they are to its functionality. Tab extensions can be produced in a wide range of shapes. Mylar lamination can be performed in several colors on the binding edge and the tab itself, allowing tabs to blend with the rest of the book’s design.

Planning Tip: Take advantage of single-sheet collating - Index tabs can be included on projects where the text is furnished as either single sheets or signatures. However, signatures must be cut prior to collating the tabs, while text sent as sheets can be collated with tabs in one step. Let us help you plan your projects to take advantage of fast, efficient single-sheet collating.

Foldouts - Multiple foldout panels are ideal for technical manuals and atlases, allowing you to include oversized maps and diagrams. Foldouts that are undersized relative to the binding edge can be bound automatically if they’re jogged to either the head or foot.

Planning Tip: Undersize foldout panels - When designing foldout panels for inclusion in a mechanically-bound book, be sure to undersize the first (bound) panel by at least 1/16”. This prevents the folded edge from being cut during trimming. Foldout panels should also be undersized spine-to-face to remain clear of the binding elements.

Vinyl media holders, pockets, BRCs, etc. - Inserts can be designed to hold a wide range of materials. At Eckhart & Company, we can create vinyl inserts that include sleeves for CD/DVD discs or pockets that hold bulkier items such as pens. We can also place perfs on an insert to form detachable a reference card or BRC.

The Eckhart Advantage
At Eckhart & Company, we work with a wide range of materials - from vinyl and polypropylene to many kinds of paper and board - allowing us to create just about any kind of insert you desire. To save even more time and money, we can perform the collating, punching and binding of many inserts automatically. Give us a call to see how we can turn your mechanical binding insert concepts into reality.

Back Issues:

• April 2004  Turn Your Mechanically Bound Book Into a Display Piece

• March 2004  Large Diameter Spiral Wire Binding

• February 2004  Perfect Binding

• January 2004  Our Capabilities

• December 2003  Turned Edge Advantages

• November 2003  Semi-Concealed Wire-O

• October 2003  The Advantages of UV Coating

• September 2003  Mechanical Binding Inserts

• August 2003  The Advantages of Prototypes

• July 2003  Calendars

• June 2003  Index Tabbing

• May 2003  Plastic Comb Binding

• April 2003  Mechanical Binding Options

• March 2003  News From BookTech

• February 2003  Plastic Spiral Binding

• January 2003  Serving Our Customers

• December 2002  Wire-O Covers

• November, 2002 Spiral Wire Production

• October, 2002 Wire-O Binding

• September, 2002 Mechanical Binding Basics

• August, 2002 Cased-In Wire-O