Custom Book Printing: What is Wire-O Binding?

A book's pages bound with a white Wire-O spine

estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The Wire-O Binding Method

Wire-O is a popular type of book binding. The Wire-O method uses a pre-formed spine element that has been fabricated from rigid metal wire. A series of wide open loops run along the spine. These are inserted through small holes that have been punched along one edge of a book's cover and pages.

After the pages and cover sheets have been placed within the spine element, the wire loops are squeezed closed. Squeezing the loops forms them into a perfect circle. This entraps the cover and pages but still allows them to rotate freely around the spine.

A black Wire-O binding spine — *This is what a Wire-O spine looks like before the open loops are squeezed closed*

The loops on a Wire-O spine are designed to appear as decorative pairs of wire. This is why the Wire-O method is sometimes known as twin-loop binding or double-loop binding.

Wire-O binding is popular because it adds a sense of sophistication. As such, it produces very professional-looking documents.

Features and Benefits of Wire-O Binding

1) Wire-O binding allows for the 360 degree rotation of a book's cover and pages. This means a book will be able to fold completely back upon itself. This feature not only makes the book more compact to handle, it also enables the book to take up less space while being referencing on a desk or table.

2) The pages and cover of a Wire-O book turn freely with no resistance or tension in the spine. So once a book is opened to a specific page, the book will stay put without the need to continually hold it open. Hence, Wire-O binding is a good fit for repair manuals, study guides, cookbooks, books of sheet music, or any other type of book that would benefit from the convenience of hands-free referencing.

3) Wire-O books can be produced in short, medium, or long production runs.

4) Wire-O books can be bound on any edge. Though the left edge is most common, books can also be bound along the top edge so that the pages flip upward, such as frequently seen on pocket-sized booklets or easel-style books.

An assortment of colorful Wire-O binding spines — *Wire-O spines are available in a variety of colors and metallic finishes*

5) Wire-O is an excellent binding choice for free-standing flip books and desk calendars. It is also an ideal choice for binding multi-page wall calendars because it allows the pages to hang perfectly flat against the wall.

6) The Wire-O binding spines are available in a range of complementary colors, including metallic finishes such as gold, silver, and bronze.

7) The spine elements come in various sizes to accommodate different page counts. The loop diameters range from 1/4" to 1-1/4". The 1/4" diameter spines can bind as few as two sheets of paper and the 1-1/4" diameter spine has enough capacity for a page stack up to 1-1/8" thick. To ensure adequate strength, the larger loop diameters are made with thicker wire.

8) Index tabs and section dividers work exceptionally well with Wire-O bound books.

9) The Wire-O binding method adds style and a unique appearance to printed book projects.

10) Wire-O Binding is an economical binding option that offers great value and functionality.

A book with a bronze Wire-O spine and foil stamping on the cover — *A bronze Wire-O spine complements this book's foil-stamped cover*

Do you have an upcoming Book Project?

Color Vision specializes in custom book printing. So whether you are looking to print Wire-O bound books or any other style of book, give us a call at 800-543-6299 to discuss your project.

Or, if you prefer to receive a quotation by email, simply fill out our Quote Request form with your project's specifications and we will prepare a custom quote for you.

As always, we hope to hear from you soon and look forward to assisting with your printing and binding needs!