Your Guide to Bindings (Mimeo Print)

When you are creating a print project, it’s important to choose the right kind of binding.

Questions to Consider

Keep in mind how many pages will be included in your project and how your audience will use it. Are they toting it to and from a classroom? Make sure it will hold up in their bags. Is it a marketing catalog that needs to make a splash at client visits? Choose something with a more professional veneer.

Here’s a guide to the standard bindings within Mimeo Print:

Staple

Staple is the most basic kind of binding. You can choose to use 1 staple in the corner (portrait or landscape) or to place 2 staples along the long side of your document. Stapling is best when you want to ensure your pages are delivered as a simple packet that doesn’t need to stay bound. If you need the binding to last, choose a sturdier binding.

Comb

Comb binding is a step up from staples. It presents your project as one cohesive book and makes it relatively easy for your audience to flip through pages. The comb binding is made of plastic and won’t stand up to a lot of wear and tear.

Twin Loop Wire

As the name suggests, our twin loop is made of wire hoops that keep your pages in place. You can choose between black and silver to match your graphics. While this is more durable than comb binding, the wires are prone to bending.

Spiral

One of our most popular bindings, spiral binding is a plastic loop that goes through holes drilled into your pages. You can choose between black, white, blue, and clear to match the graphics of your project. This is a durable option that gives your book a professionally finished look. However, because of the spiral, the pages don’t lay exactly flat when your audience opens the book as a spread.

Binders

Next, we move into the realm of 3-ring binders. Binders give you the additional benefit of protecting the paper within your project with sturdy covers. You also have the option to add or remove pages from binders.

D-Ring Binder

The system will automatically select the best ring size based on your page count, but you have the option to go larger. The D-Ring is designed to hold more pages than an O-ring. When you open your D-Ring binder, the pages will lie flat. You can choose between white and black.

O-Ring Binder

You may know this as a round ring, and it is the classic 3-ring binder. O-ring binders can hold fewer sheets, so they are best for projects that are less about volume and more about presentation.

Other Binding

Saddle Stitch

Saddle stitch is available using our Booklet Builder. While it may sound like we’re pulling out our Singer machine, in the print world, stitch means we are “sewing” custom staples out of wire to bind your project together along the long side. Saddle-stitch booklets are great for marketing projects like catalogs.

Learn more about building booklets with this article.

Perfect Binding

If you’re looking for paperback-style binding, we offer perfect binding via special instructions. This article explains how to set up your perfect-bound project.

Good to know: Covers

Whether you want to add a cover for extra durability or to give a professional touch to your project, we offer covers for most of our bindings.

For bindings like Comb, Twin Loop, and Spiral, you can choose between clear, matte, or frosted front covers with black, white, or navy backs. You can also choose to use card stock for your cover pages.

For our binders, you can choose to insert the first page as the cover or to have a blank cover.

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