Wire Binding Negatives

Wire binding is, by far, one of the most popular ways to document bind, but that doesn't make it perfect. They are pretty, professional, and fairly easy to use -- but there are some cons to keep in mind before you start Wire-O binding. Here, we discuss the negatives of binding with wire.

    • Wire bound books cannot be edited

    This could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what you are doing. On the one hand, it is more secure since editing the contents will require actually cutting off the wire and re-binding. But on the other hand, if you find a mistake or typo, or you want to change out or add more pages, you have to go through the whole process again, and waste the binding spine.

    • Wire bindings are fragile

    Wire can be considered a bit fragile, because when it is bent, it will stay pend. So if you are binding a document that will be used a lot, over and over, then it might be a good idea to consider one of the plastic bindings instead.

    • Getting a perfectly round finished wire can be frustrating

    Sometimes getting that wire to close into a perfect circle around your pages can be difficult. Either they are under-closed and pages fall out, or they are over-closed and distorted into ovals with kinks.

    To get the wire to close into a perfect circle, you need to first be sure you are using a high quality wire binding spine, like the James Burn wire brand; the original Wire-O manufacturer. We only sell this high quality brand of wire, so you know you are getting the best of the best when you buy wire bindings from Binding101. Then just make sure your wire closer has adjustable closing capacities, so you can set it to the exact wire size you are using and don't have to judge it by-eye.


Wire binding is one of my personal favorite binding methods to work with...making books does take a bit of time since it is a traditional punch-and-bind method, and sometimes getting a perfectly round closed wire can take some fiddling with the wire closer...but the look and functionality of the finished wire bound book simply can't be beat. They look so nice, especially when paired with hard turned edge covers. Plus, the 360° page turn with perfect registration --so the covers lay aligned back-to-back-- is perfection. It is no wonder why, even with the negative aspects of wires, it is still the premier document binding method across the nation.

So what do you think? Is wire binding your favorite way to bind books, or do you prefer the plastic binding coils, plastic GBC combs, thermal bindings, or something else all together? Let me know your thoughts -- email me at solutions@buy101.com or start shopping all binding supplies here.


Mallory Morsa, Binding101 Product Expert About the Author • Mallory Morsa is the product expert and content specialist at Binding101, and has been a valued team member since 2008. She started her career here in customer service, moved onto sales supervisor, product management, and then onto content. She takes a hands-on approach to products, and truly gets to know how every item works before she writes about them, with a goal to give you all of the honest information you need to make a confident buying decision. She has a bachelor's degree with a focus on management and marketing, and has been a writer, photographer, and videographer for many years. In her free time, she loves to read by the pool, volunteer at the local animal shelter in the kitten nursery, and snuggle her three furbabies while she binge watches Netflix.