Bind-It-All Instructions

Bind-It-All™ Instructions from Marco's Demo Artist Melinda Doster

BIND-IT-ALL INSTRUCTIONS

by Melinda Doster (medoster@comporium.net)

When you take the machine out of the box, the first thing you should do is pull out the stabilization arm on the base of the machine. This will keep the machine from flipping backwards when you pull down the handle to punch or to bind.

PUNCHING BOOKS (cover pages are larger than inner pages)

1) Cut your inner pages approximately 1/8” smaller (vertically and horizontally) than your covers. For example, if your covers are 4 1/4 x 5 1/2, cut your inner pages 4 1/8 x 5 3/8.

2) Using the “COVER” setting for the punching section, bump your covers up to the guide and punch.

3) If your covers are longer than the machine and require more holes, set the guide to “OPEN,” put your covers in and slide them over where you can see the already-punched holes on the guide side of the machine. Then pull the guide forward to “CONTINUOUS” until the guide tab slides through one of the holes in your cover. Use the diagram above the punching slot to determine where the last hole will land and therefore which hole you should slide the guide tab through.

4) If you require additional holes, repeat step 3 above to line up and punch more.

5) Using the “INNER PAGES” setting for the punching section, bump your pages up to the guide and punch. If you require additional holes, repeat steps 3 and 4 above.

PUNCHING BOOKS (cover pages and inner pages are the same size)

1) Using the “COVER” setting on the punching section, bump your covers up to the guide and punch.

2) If your covers are longer than the machine and require more holes, set the guide to “OPEN,” put your covers in and slide them over where you can see the already-punched holes on the guide side of the machine. Then pull the guide forward to “CONTINUOUS” until the guide tab slides through one of the holes in your cover. Use the diagram above the punching slot to determine where the last hole will land and therefore which hole you should slide the guide tab through.

3) To punch your inner pages, repeat steps 1 and 2. (Note, you will not need the inner page setting, since your inner pages are the same size as your cover.)

PUNCHING SMALL BOOKS (books that are smaller than the width of the machine)

When you are binding narrow books that are smaller than the width of the machine, you cannot rely on the punching guides to line up your pages. Instead, you must use the diagram above and underneath the punching slot. Find the center of your book material and make a mark. Line that mark up with the center mark on the machine and punch. Do this on every section of your book. You can also use the hole indicators and “eyeball” where you need to punch. Either way is quite effective.

BINDING BOOKS

1) Line up all the holes in your book. Be sure to keep the covers side by side when you bind, as opposed to having the book assembled in order. If you have already decorated the covers, then you need to put them “face to face” with the inner pages beside the front cover.

2) Determine what coil you want to use and what size it is. Set the binding area of the machine to that size. You can do this by either using the screw adjustment to find the guideline for that size. Or you can use the coordinating-size plastic template that comes with the machine. Simply put the template in the binding area at a 90 degree angle and tighten the screw adjustment until the adjusting plate is snug - but not tight - against the template. (The plastic templates are also handy for determining your coil size.)

3) Cut your coil, based on the number of holes you have. Feed the coils through all the holes. Hold the book with the pages up and the coils down. Make sure that the open side of the coils goes flat down on the platform of the binding area. (I call it “putting both feet flat on the floor.”) Pull the arm down to bind the coils. When the arm stops, you can release it. (No amount of pushing harder on the arm is going to make the coils any tighter.) If you have more coils that need to be bound, simply slide the book further down the machine and bind the rest. Repeat until all coils are bound.

4) Separate the covers and unfold the book to its proper closed position. You’ll notice that the “seam” in the coils is now between the back cover and the last inner page. (If you had not bound the covers together, your seam would have been on the outside of the book, making it unattractive and less secure.)

TIPS/IDEAS

At all times, keep your fingers out of the binding area. Each time you press the handle down (even when punching) the binding plate will extend. You do not want to mash your fingers. You’ll only do it once! :-)

When punching a book with more than six holes, you’ll only use the “INNER PAGES” setting and/or “COVER” setting once to “set” where the holes start. For the rest of the pages, you’ll use the “CONTINUOUS” setting.

No matter what you are punching, or how many, always use your other hand to hold the paper in place. This will prevent the potential for crooked holes.

Many people ask how much they can punch at one time. The answer is simple – however much you can get down in the slot, and however much you have strength to do.

The punches are self-sharpening. As they punch through your material, they also punch through a metal plate that helps keep them sharp.

You can punch and bind so many things. Try thin pieces of wood, aluminum, plexiglass, bookboard, Stampbord, museum board (available at www.marcopaper.com), masonite, fabric, matboard, particle board, CDs/DVDs, etc. For your inner pages, consider using manilla tags or envelopes for unique books.

As well as coils, consider using other bindings – suede lacing, ribbons, decorative wire, etc. Once you have the holes punched – the sky is the limit!

After you have bound a book, run ribbon through the coils to decorate. Or what about running beads onto the coils before you close them? Wrap the coils with color wire, or use beading jump rings and attach charms. Again – the sky is the limit!

Dread the thought of cutting a bunch of inner pages by hand? Go to an office supply store or a paper store (like Marcos – in Centerville, OH), buy a couple of reams of paper, and have them cut it for you. They charge per cut (it’s usually only a dollar or two for each cut) and they can cut the whole ream (sometimes two reams) at one time. It is a very CHEAP and EASY way to have perfect-sized inner pages.

Cover chipboard with fabric and attach matching cardstock on the inside to cover your seams. Make two of these and use them for covers of a book. This makes a VERY tough book that is very difficult to tear or ruin, and is perfect for a small book to tuck in a purse or bookbag/backpack.

Make your own journals, recipe books, address books, guest register books, gift books, scrapbooks, memory books, decorative stationary cases and boxes, school notebooks, etc.

HAVE FUN AND BE CREATIVE!

9/23/07

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