Whether you are looking to purchase your firstplastic comb binding machine or are looking to replace the machine thatyou already have, it is important that you get the best machine foryour money. Truthfully, most of these comb binding machines work thesame and they look similar. However, in order to get the best machinefor your dollar you need to closely look at the features that areincluded with the machine. This article is designed to provide a listof five features that you should look for when purchasing a manualplastic comb binding machine.

　　Solid MetalConstruction: One of the most important things to consider when lookingfor a Combbind machine is the construction. Some plastic comb bindingmachines are made from plastic while others are made of metal. Unlessyou are only looking to bind a few documents per month you aredefinitely going to want a machine that uses metal components. It isespecially important to choose a combind machine that has a metalplastic comb opener. Machines that use plastic comb openers do notusually hold up very well and often the comb opener teeth will breakoff within a few months of use.

　　DisengageableDies: A second important feature to look for when choosing a combbinding machine is whether the machine includes disengageable dies.Comb binding machines with disengageable dies allow you to choosewhether an individual punching pin will punch when you pull the handleof your machine. The ability to stop one pin from punching is importantbecause it will allow you to bind documents that are shorter or longerthan 11" without having a partial hole hanging off the edge of yourdocument. If you are going to want to bind documents that arelandscape, half letter size or A4 size you will need a machine withdisengageable dies.

　　Depth of PunchMargin Control: A third feature to look for when choosing a combbinding machine is a depth of punch margin control. This control allowsyou to select the distance between the edge of the paper and thebinding holes. Punches without this feature will have difficultybinding very small documents with 3/16" plastic combs and very largedocuments with oval shaped combs. If the holes are too far from theedge of the paper then the pages will not freely turn when the documentis bound. If the holes are too close to the edge of the paper thenpages will easily tear out of larger documents.

　　PunchingLength: Many plastic comb binding machines are designed to punchdocuments up to eleven inches in length. However, if you are planningon binding documents that are legal size or longer you will need tofind a machine that is either designed to punch longer sheets of paperor has an open throat. For legal size documents, a machine that punchesand binds fourteen inch paper is preferable since the comb opener willalso be able to handle the longer combs