Choosing Binding Wires
Wire Binding, often known by the original brand name of Wire-O or by the technical term of Double Loop Binding Wires, is one of the most common binding methods for books and documents. It can be used for binding a wide variety of documents from thin presentation books through to heavy manuals.
One of the big advantages of this system is that documents can be bound using small desktop machines or alternatively, the same type of binding can be carried out in volume using large automatic equipment.
WHAT IS THE WIRE PITCH?
3:1 PITCH WIRES
This is the most common punching and signifies 3 holes per inch (25mm). Documents of up to 13mm can be bound using this hole spacing.
You can check our 3:1 pitch cut binding wires online.
2:1 PITCH WIRES
The spacing of this punching is 2 holes per inch (25mm). While it is mainly used for larger books of between 13mm and 32mm, we also stock smaller sizes of binding wires with this pitch. When using 2:1 wires for books of less than 13mm thickness it is essential that the punching machine has an adjustment to reduce the distance of the holes from the edge of the paper, or otherwise the pages will not turn properly.
You can check our 2:1 pitch cut binding wires online.
IBIWIRE PITCH
These wires are designed to fit the punching pattern for plastic comb binding which has longer rectangular holes with 21 holes punched on the long edge of A4.
You can check our Ibiwire range online.
WIRE LENGTHS
A4 AND A5 CUT LENGTHS.
Cut lengths of wire are available in A4 or A5, measured along the long edge of these paper sizes. If binding A4 documents on the short edge, you would need an A5 wire. For non-standard sizes the wires can be easily cut to the required length by using our small wire cutters or for larger quantities, we can supply them cut to special lengths.
WIRE DIAMETER
Traditionally, wire diameter is described in numbers that represent the number as 16ths of an inch. So a No. 16 wire has a 1” diameter.
We also show the sizes in millimetres for convenience. The wire diameter needs to be slightly larger than the thickness of the book for the pages to turn easily.
For guidance on which wire diameter to use, see our useful wire guide sheet which you can download here.
Renz is a very well respected German brand, producing high quality cut wire. It is often considered to be the premium brand and as such, Renz wires are generally more expensive.
Renz wires are boxed in smaller quantities and packed on card sheets to prevent tangling, Renz wires are the ideal solution for copyshops and in-house printrooms, where there may be a greater need to hold a variety of sizes and colours rather than volume for a specific contract.
Renz wires are available in a wider range of sizes particularly in 2:1 pitch.
We’ve prepared a PDF document explaining binding wires with real size templates so that you can use it as a guide for measuring any documents you want to bind.
You can place your orders online or by phone.