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.