Facilities
Management Unit
Document Services
Document Services
Document Services offer several different types of binding finishes, ranging from fully automated machine collating through to hard case book binding.
The following descriptions explain some of the most common techniques available.
Saddle stitching describes the process of stapling along the spine of multiple sheets of paper that has been folded in half. This is the common type of finishing for documents beyond a single folded sheet and is seen on most magazines, booklets and reports. You would generally not be able to use this technique if your document consists of more than 76 pages of 80gsm stock.
Perfect binding is the term given to the process of gluing sheets into a cover that is folded around the edge of multiple pages. Perfect binding requires 100 printed pages or 50 leaves, for it to be considered and is often used as a substitute for saddle stitching on documents desiring a more premium finish. Almost all paperback books and some magazines and annual reports use this technique.
Case binding is the common type of binding for hardcover books. Sewn sections of pages (known as signatures) are bound together with binder’s string and attached with strong glue to a rigid board cover. Additionally, end covers are also glued to the inside front and back covers, attaching the text pages to the cover. Case binding is used within the University for thesis binding.
Wiro binding uses a plastic coated wire coil that comes in a range of sizes and colours. Many diaries and calendars use this type of finish.
Plastic comb uses a plastic binding that can be opened and closed, to add or remove pages (with the necessary equipment).
