Backs of binders

Choose the right spine for your needs

Deciding which type of binder spine is best for your use can feel overwhelming. With all the formats, materials and colours, and add-ons like magnetic locks, corner clips and cords, it can be hard to know where to start.

But when it comes to the spine of the cover itself, it's actually simple - there are only two basic variants: curved or hinged.

Bigad binder

A creased cover is made with a strongly compressed line in the cardboard that allows it to be folded without risking cracks. A major advantage of a creased cover is that it is made in a single piece, which provides stability and durability. It is also generally more cost-effective to produce. A disadvantage is that some stresses may remain in the material, which may mean that the spine of the cover does not lie completely flat when open or completely closed when closed.

There are different variants of the beaded spine:

unicellular
ambiguous
rounded.

Single berth

A single-page binder has a single crease on either side of the spine, with the cardboard bending 90 degrees in each crease. This maximises the exposure area and provides a clear transition between the spine and the page. The downside is that it can put more strain on the material and make it more difficult to maintain the open and closed positions of the cover.

Double-coloured

A double-backed binder has two binders on each side of the spine, making four binders in total (2×2). This gives a softer feel and makes it easier to open and close the binder spine. Because you have two beads on each side of the back, the angle between the beads is 45 degrees. This makes the spine less susceptible to edge bumps, and the stress on the cardboard core is not as great as on a single-fold binder, where the cardboard is only folded at 45 degrees between each fold.

Rounded

A round-backed binder has a number of beads along its spine, and the number of beads depends on the width of the spine you choose for your binder. This variant expands in width as you get a semi-circular spine, giving the binder spine a unique and unusual design.

Hanging binder (binder with steps)

A suspension binder consists of three separate parts: spine, front cover and back cover. These parts are held together by a cover material. The space between these pieces is called the "web." This design allows the spine to lie completely flat when open and completely closed when closed. One disadvantage, however, is that this type of binder can be somewhat more expensive to produce compared to the scalloped version.

Choose the right spine for your needs

When choosing a binder spine, consider which design and functionality is best suited to your needs, and consider the different advantages and disadvantages between the two main types - curved and hinged.