First, make sure you've emptied your “chip” tray (that's the receptacle that the chips you punch out of your papers go); if it's really full, it can be causing your die to jam. Second, try punching waxed paper—this will help lubricate the pins and should get them moving more smoothly.

See our post "Choosing a Binding Method" for an in-depth comparison of available binding methods.

You need 5/16"from the edge of the paper to the bottom of the half-moon notch.

Comb binding can be used to bind reports, presentations, cookbooks, albums, scrapbooks, manuals, inventory records, sales sheets, and so much more.

For specific pros and cons about different binding methods, see our post Choosing a Binding Method. In short, though, if you're looking for a binding method that can accommodate a large variety of sizes, ranging from ¼" to 2", then comb binding is for you. Also, combs are extremely durable and can be reused multiple times without showing signs of wear. Combs are available in eight different colors and can be personalized with screen printing.

In short, comb binding is perfect for reports, presentations, cookbooks, albums, scrapbooks, manuals, inventory records, sales sheets, and so much more!

Binding combs are the plastic strips with curved "fingers" that resemble the teeth on a comb (hence the name). They come in a variety of different colors and sizes.

Yes! Comb bindings can be recycled; they can also simply be removed from an unneeded document and reused on other documents.

Yes! We can create custom-printed combs with your logo or text using silk screening. Contact our office at 1-800-437-4787 for a quote.

Silk screening is a printing process in which a fine stencil of your design is created. The stencil is applied to the spine of the comb and ink is rolled over it. Silk screening creates perfect lines with no bleeds, giving you a sharp, attractive image.

Yes, you can use scissors to cut the length down. This is particularly useful when you need to bind the short edge of a booklet (for landscape orientation), rather than the long edge (for portrait orientation).

Both oval and round holes use a 4:1 pitch, but the oval holes allow you to have 44 evenly-centered holes on an 11"sheet, they allow easier page turning, and also allow the coil to be inserted more easily. Standard 4:1 pitch coil can be used with both types of holes. While oval holes may increase productivity by up to 40%, they aren't as common as round holes.

Pitch refers to the number of holes per inch. So 2:1 pitch would have 2 holes punched per inch of paper; 3:1 pitch would have 3 holes, and so on.

The 4:1 pitch is more common than 5:1 pitch and is able to accommodate a wider range of document thicknesses. However, a 5:1 pitch has tighter hole spacing (5 holes per inch, vs 4 holes per inch), making it ideal for thinner books and presentations.

The 36" coils should be stored horizontally in their original box to ensure that they remain flat and straight.

No. Most machines are unable to accommodate more than one pitch because each pitch requires differently spaced die sets. The 4:1 pitch will bind about 230 total pages because the holes are spaced farther apart; the 5:1 pitch will bind about 150 total pages because the holes are spaced closer together.

Coils come in 45 different colors—they'll match just about any project you have. For more information, you can check out our color chart.