Channel binding

Channel Bind is a quick document binding technique developed and
marketed by Xerox.  It is designed to provide quick and inexpensive
binding for 8 1/2 by 11" documents.  The process involves the use to two
styles of of cover (soft cover which is made from paper, and hard cover
which is paper and board).  The key to the system is a C-shaped metal
channel that is part of the cover.  The document is put into the open
end of the C-shaped channel and then the cover and document are placed
into a special machine that is adjusted for the size of the document, an
arm is pulled down and the channel is compressed against the pages of
the document to finish the binding.  Channel binding is a product that
competes with Velo-Binding. Unlike Velo-bind, Channel bind does not
require that holes be punched in the original document.  Neither product
will open very well.  They behave like side-sewn volumes.  Channel
bind's metal channel clamps the paper roughly 1/4" in from the binding
edge, so you can guess how flat it will let a bound volume lie.  If you
wish to use the Channel Bind system you will need a supply of their
special covers in all of the thicknesses that you would anticipate
binding.  I do not know how many spine thicknesses are available or how
much you can compress a large capacity cover/metal channel for use on a
smaller document.

I must confess after this somewhat long description of the process that
I have only seen the product demonstrated once or twice at ALA, but I
have disbound several Channel bound volumes (with a pliers and some
difficulty).  I have since found that the best way to remove the binding
is to force a screw driver down the spine between the metal channel and
the bound document and to pry the metal channel away from the document.
This is less damaging than it sounds.

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 5:27
                Distributed: Saturday, November 9, 1991
                        Message Id: cdl-5-27-001
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