Wire binding is a great way to create secure and durable bound documents that are both tamper-resistant and professional-looking. The ETitanWire 2:1 wire binding machine features a high-capacity electric punch and built-in, heavy-duty wire closer, making it an excellent solution for your wire binding needs. Below is an overview for binding with the ETitanWire electric wire binder:
- Begin by determining the proper wire binding spine size for your document. There are two methods that can be used – you can choose to measure the thickness of your document and add 1/8″ to find the appropriate spine size or to use the ETitanWire’s built-in wire size selector. To use the size selector, simply place your document onto the base of the machine and move the sliding size selector bar down until it rests against the top sheet of the book. The top of the size selector will point to the proper wire size.
- Adjust the punch margin based on your document size. As a general rule, the thicker a book is, the larger the punch margin should be.
- Set the side guide so that your document will be centered within the punching throat.
- Align the edges of your document by either tapping them repeatedly against a flat surface or by placing them in a paper jogger.
- Insert your document into the punching throat. The ETitanWire has a 25 sheet maximum punch capacity (based on regular 20 lb. paper; using thicker sheets or cover stock will reduce the capacity), though most users choose to punch between 12 and 20 sheets at a time for optimum performance. Align the sheets so that they are flush against the back wall of the punching throat and the side guide.
- Step on the foot pedal to punch the document. Repeat punching in sets until all of the pages have been punched.
- Set the wire closer’s measurements based on the size of the binding wire being used. Insert an empty wire into the closer and pull the closer handle. Adjust the wire closer settings and test as necessary until the wire is closed appropriately.
- Assemble all of the punched sheets into a complete book, placing the bottom page on the top of the stack. Place the punched edge so that it is facing you and slightly hangs over the edge of your work surface.
- Insert the wire into the holes, starting at one side and working toward the other. As you progress, you will find that the prongs will fall naturally into the holes.
- Once the wire has been inserted into all of the holes, carefully turn it so that the open ends face you and the solid side is through the holes.
- Carefully lift the document off of the working surface, making sure that the wire stays in place. Lower the book straight down into the wire closing mechanism, so that the open ends of the wire are flush against the bottom of the wire closers.
- Pull the handle to close the wire and bind the book. Return the handle to its original position.
- Remove the book from the wire closer, and turn the back page to the back of the document. This will conceal the seam of the wire spine within the document and will give it a more professional finish.