When it comes to plastic comb binding
machines, it's hard to go wrong with a machine from General Binding
Corporation (GBC). They're one of the oldest and most respected office
machine manufacturers in the country and they're constantly coming up
with new ideas. This commitment to innovation can be seen in one of
their newest models, the CombBind C450e electric plastic comb binding
machine, which offers an abundance of new features that haven't been
seen in a plastic comb binding machine before. This is a wonderful new
device that should fulfill the binding needs of most small or
medium-sized offices. The GBC CombBind C450e comb binding machine is
capable of punching up to 25 sheets of 20 lb. paper at once, and it can
bind booklets that are up to two inches thick (approximately 450 pages
long). This machine has brand new auto-centering technology that can
help save you time because you won't need to fiddle with the paper edge
guide before you punch your paper - it will be perfectly aligned every
time you punch. And this machine also has a document separator that
assists you in determining the right number of sheets you can punch.
This is a great feature because it'll help you punch as many sheets as
possible per lift, but not so many that you'll jam up the machine and
then have to spend time cleaning up the mess. The C450e is very
user-friendly and utilizes push-button technology for easy operation,
plus you can use either plastic combs or GBC ZipBind spines, so you
have a couple of different binding options.
The C450e has a couple of drawbacks, but they probably won't be
deal-breakers. First, the machine lacks an adjustable depth of margin
control, so you can't control where the holes in your pages go. The
machine doesn't have disengageable dies either, which means you can't
create custom-sized booklets. You'll only be able to create
letter-sized documents (8.5" x 11") because the C450e doesn't have an
open throat, thus you can't bind documents that are legal- or A4-sized.
(That's definitely a bummer.) The C450e has a rotary comb opener which
isn't necessarily bad, per se, it's just that it takes a little bit
longer to operate than a comb opener with a handle, so it'll add a
couple of extra seconds to your production time. More experienced users
might find that frustrating, but binding newbies will definitely
appreciate how easy it is to use the comb opener.
Overall, the GBC CombBind C450e is a good machine for binding
letter-sized documents and it should please small and medium-sized
business users. It's the perfect comb binding machine for new users,
thanks to the auto-centering and document separation features. Even if
you're a more advanced user, you'll still be able to appreciate how
easy it is to use the machine, as well as how much time you'll save
during the binding process. Kudos to GBC for making such a cool machine
with such revolutionary new features.
