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Five Features To Look For In A Thermal Binding Machine

Thermal binding is one of the most professional desktop binding systems available on the market. However, choosing the right thermal binding machine for your office can sometimes be difficult. Every machine seems to have its own set of features and benefits and it can sometimes be difficult to sort through them all. This article is designed to help you understand five of the most important features to look for in a thermal binding machine. Here they are...

1. Timer: Most thermal binding machines have a built in timer that times the binding cycle and lets you know when it is finished. However, a few cheaper units do not have an automatic timer built in. These units require you to time the documents yourself which makes the binding process much more difficult. The best thermal binding machines will have both an audible and a visual signal showing the completion of the binding process.

2. Throat Size: In order to choose the right binding machine for your needs you will need to anticipate the types of documents that you plan on binding. If you plan on binding documents that are thicker than one inch you will need to make sure that you buy a thermal binding machine that can handle the extra thickness. Thermal binding machines are usually available for documents up to 1" thick and for documents up to 2" thick.

3. Binding Length: Most thermal binding machines are designed for binding documents that are 11" in length. However, if you plan on binding documents that are longer than 11" you will need a larger binding machine. Thermal binding machines are available in widths up to 14" to accommodate legal sized documents. However, larger sized machines are also required for binding 12" x 12" photobook covers and other oversized thermal binding covers.

4. Temperature Setting: Most thermal binding machines do not have adjustable temperature settings. However, if you plan on binding hard covers with your thermal binding machine you will want to make sure that it will provide adequate heat to melt the glue through the chip board used in the hard cover. Some thermal binding machines provide a higher heat setting for binding hard covers. If the machine does not have a higher heat setting and is not specifically designed for binding hard covers you may need to run the hard cover case through the binding machine a second time to ensure that the glue is properly activated.

5. Cooling Rack: Most thermal binding machines come with a cooling rack to hold your documents while they cool. After checking to make sure that the machine you are considering comes with a cooling rack it is important to check and see how many documents the cooling rack can hold, whether the cooling rack is attached to the machine and what the cooling rack is made of. Plastic cooling racks attached to the binding machine can break off over time while separate metal cooling racks will dissipate heat faster and can also serve as a document jogger to ensure a higher quality bind.

These five features are useful in comparing the different thermal binding machines available on the market. Using these features you should be able to better decide what thermal binding unit is best suited for your organization.

About the Author

Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for
MyBinding.com
. He has written over 100 articles on
binding machines
,
binding supplies
,laminating supplies,laminator and more.

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