3.8 Completion of the Technical Report
3.8.5 Copying, Binding or Stapling the Technical Report
Copying, binding or stapling and distribution of the Technical Report is the last step in the network plan for the creation of Technical Reports, Fig.3.32.
If you want to distribute or publish your Technical Report online, you have to save the final version of your data again in PDF (or HTML) format and send thefiles to your webmaster.
If you want to distribute or publish your Technical Report in hardcopy form, it has to be copied or printedfirst. In most cases, it will be copied, because the print run is small.
All copies shall be made on the same copying paper. This is also true, if several authors work together to create the Technical Report. One single exception is admitted: There are color copies in your Technical Report. In this case, there is usually different paper required because of the different copying process for color copies and therefore it is admitted.
After copying, the report is bound. This makes a readable document of it, which— depending on the number of pages and binding type—can have the character of a script, booklet or book.
In the copy-shop, you should stay a while in case there are open questions. There might be questions like: Shall we align the cover sheet a little different or enlarge it a little?
Which plastic spiral (comb) or binding wire or fabric tape is desired? Which cardboard with which surface structure and color shall we use? etc.
The following stapling and binding types are available:
– staple/paper-clip
– saddle-stitching (=binding type of journals) – plastic folder
– filing fastener (=plastic stripes with holes and metal tongues) – spring binder
– spring strip
Accept and analyse the task
Check or create the title
Design a 4-point- structure
Design a 10-point- structure
Create text, figures, tables
Develop detailed structure Search, Read, Cite literature
Proofread and enter correc- tions
Print ori- ginals or PDF/end check
Copy, bind and distribute report
Fig. 3.32 Network plan for creating Technical Reports: copy, bind and distribute the report
– file binder – ring binder
– comb binding (spiral binding with plastic spirals) – wire-O binding (spiral binding with wire spirals) – staple binding
– cold adhesive binding – hot adhesive binding – hardcover binding
These stapling and binding types differ a lot in price and handling properties. To select the best suited binding for the current purpose, we want to list those points atfirst, which have to be done before the binding, and then we shortly describe the properties (advantages/disadvantages) of the various bindings. For determining the binding type, you should speak with your customer or supervisor.
To be done before the binding
If you want to bind swing-outs (=figures, tables or lists, which are wider or larger than DIN A4): are the bends on the right and at the bottom far enough away from the paper edges (5 mm), so that they do not fall into pieces when the report is sheared? When the report is shaken in the copy-shop, they have to make sure that the pages with the swing-outs move into the binding area correctly! This is especially important for adhesive bindings. Problems can be avoided, if you let them bind a DIN A4 carrier page into the report and glue the swing-out(s) onto the carrier page(s) after the binding.
If you have drawings, tables,figures or lists, which are larger than DIN A4, you have to decide and keep in mind the following points:
Swing-outs to the bottom should be folded and glued as shown in Fig.3.33.
Shall copies of drawings be bound into the Technical Report?
– Drawings in DIN A2 and DIN A3 can be reduced to DIN A4 with the copier without problems and normally bound.
– Larger drawings should be reduced with a copier by maximum two DIN steps (e.g.
DIN A0 to DIN A2). Then fold the copies to the normal paper size DIN A4 according to DIN 824, see image below.
– The unfolded original drawings are always handed in in a folder or roll.
If there are DIN A3 drawings in landscape format or swing-outs to the right, you can decide, whether you want to bind them into the report or combine them eventually together with drawings of other size(s) in a file folder. If the drawings shall be bound
carrier page
swing-out to the bo om Fig. 3.33 Folding of a
swing-out to the bottom
together with the report, fold them as shown in Fig.3.34. The security distance assures, that the pages of the Technical Report can easily be turned. If you bind this drawing as swing-out into the report, the security distance helps, that the swing-out is not destroyed during shearing,
If you want to fold larger drawings according to DIN 824, you can only present them in afile binder. They cannot be bound by staple binding, cold or hot adhesive binding, or hardcover binding, because the drawings folded according to DIN 824 would be cut into many pieces, when the volume is cut forfinishing the binding.
If the drawings shall not be bound into the report, but presented in afile binder, fold them according to DIN 824, Form A as shown in Fig. 3.35.
The folded drawing (or plan or table orfigure) must be unfoldable and refoldable while it is still bound in thefile binder. Plastic adhesive reinforcing rings are recommended. You will find more details regarding folding the paper formats DIN A0, A1, A2, and A3 in DIN 824, esp. exact dimensions.
If you want to glue in photos, copied images or images from other printed materials (newspapers, journals, brochures etc.), please do that before binding!
If you want to use sheet protectors, make sure to use a type that has three closed sides with the open side at the top.
Sheet protectors can only be used together with the binding types plastic folder,filing fastener,file binder and ring binder. Sheet protectors cannot be bound into staple binding, the adhesive bindings and hardcover binding, because they would be destroyed during shearing.
Did you sign yourself the declaration in lieu of an oath after the copying with a document-proof pencil (e.g. ballpen or pen)? All copies must be manually signed.
The binding types staple/paper-clip, filing fastener and spring strip do not provide a container for the sheets of paper. If you have decided to use staple or paper-clip, you can
security distance center line
bend the right part to the le here bend the upper part to the right here evtl. tle block
Fig. 3.34 Folding a DIN A3 drawing or a swing-out to the right to DIN A4
Advantage of this folding type according to DIN 824:
The tle block is completely visible.
+ 5 – 3 +10
297– 5
210 Fig. 3.35 Folding a DIN A1
drawing to DIN A4
hand in the documents in a sheet-protector (one or two sides open). In case of filing fastener and spring strip the first and last“sheet”can eventually be a (semi-)transparent plastic or cardboard sheet or a plastic cover. That creates a more tidy impression and protects the paper.
For the binding types plastic binder, spring binder, file binder and ring binder you should not hand in used containers (with signs of wear).
Often it is useful to bind bulky appendix material like brochures, corporate publica- tions, measuring protocols, program listings, electric plans, wiring diagrams, technical drawings etc. in a separate file binder or to bind them separately. This separate binder belongs to the report. The documents are listed in the list of references. These documents are also added to the table of contents of the Technical Report with the note“(in separate binder)”. If you would have to list many documents with that note, it is better to split the table of contents into one for volume 1 and one for volume 2. Both tables of contents are then included into both volumes of the Technical Report.
Now the properties of the various binding types are described.
Staple/paper-clip
Advantages: Extremely cheap, after removing the staple or paper-clip the documents can be punched and integrated into the filing system, copying with paper feed is easily possible.
Disadvantages: Only suited for thin documents, to read the inner pages you have to bend the corners. If there are many documents with staples or paper-clips in a folder, the upper left corner becomes very thick.
Saddle-stitching (two staples in the back of a brochure)
Advantages: This binding is used for journals, brochures and booklets of any type, is extremely cheap and requires, that the Technical Report has been reduced during copying (from DIN A4 to DIN A5) and copied double-sided.
Disadvantages: This binding is created with a stapler with longer arm, then the com- plete report is folded once in the middle. It is possible to process max. 20 sheets (80 pages) with this binding type. If you want to copy the bound report later, you have to manually turn the pages and put the report onto the copier, if the binding shall not be opened.
Plastic folder
Advantages: This binding is very cheap and easy to be done. Sheet protectors can easily be integrated. With this binding type you can bind up to about 100 sheets; if there are more sheets, the report becomes more and more difficult to handle.
Disadvantages: To read the inner pages, you have to bend the pages to the left, because otherwise the report would not stay opened when lying on a table. The metal tongues are often sharp-edged, if the report is read more often, the holes become frayed. Since the binding can be opened easily, copying with paper feed is easily possible, as long as the holes are not too frayed. Therefore this binding type is only suited for your own docu- ments or for unimportant purposes.
Filing fastener
Advantages: Filing fasteners are much cheaper than plastic binders. The handling of the bound documents is comparable with plastic binders.
Disadvantages: Thefiling fastener does not provide a container for the sheets, it is only possible tofile thefiling fastener with its cardboard or plastic stripe, onto which the bound sheets arefixed, into afile binder. Filing fasteners are not suited to present your Technical Report in an optically attractive way. Therefore this binding type is only suited for your own documents or for unimportant purposes.
Spring binder
Advantages: Spring binders are available in different variations. The sheets are not pun- ched, but put into a protecting plastic cover and clamped together with a plastic bar with a groove (=spring strip). The spring strips are available in different thicknesses. If the sheets shall not be punched, but still presented in an optically attractive form, this binding type is suited well (like sheet protectors). Further copies can be made easily with paper feed.
Disadvantages: The number of sheets is limited to about 30 to 40 sheets. sheet pro- tectors are hard to clamp, because they are too smooth. The bound report does not stay opened. It shuts itself again.
Spring strip
Advantages: The spring strip is similar to the spring binder, but it is much cheaper, because it does not have a plastic cover.
Disadvantages: The spring strip does not provide a container for the sheets. It only provides a losable connection of the sheets.
File binder
Advantages: You can turn the pages well, the pages remain opened, sheet protectors can be integrated easily, copies can easily be made with paper feed, it is possible to bind comparatively many sheets (in 8 cm file binders you can bind up to 500 sheets without staples and paper-clips).
Disadvantages: File binders usually need much space on the shelves and are rather bulky in opened state. Besides, if you often turn the pages, the holes may become frayed.
The only countermeasure is to stick on plastic adhesive reinforcing rings.
File binders are not very attractive for presentation purposes. Therefore select a dif- ferent binding type for your Technical Report and use afile binder only for an appendix (or several appendices) with brochures, manufacturer catalogues, corporate publications, measuring protocols, program listings, drawings, plots or copies of your drawings which are larger than DIN A3 and folded to DIN A4 according to DIN 824.
Originals on transparency paper are never folded! They are stored and transported in drawing folders or rolls. During meetings the originals can be fixed at a clamping or magnetic bar at the wall in the meeting room (but even there plots or copies are better/safer).
Ring binder
Advantages: Ring binders have for metal rings in Europe and three metal rings in the US which can be opened to insert or take out punched sheets of paper. They provide an optically attractive presentation of smaller Technical Reports. Commonly sheet protectors
are used and the sheets are inserted into the protectors (three sides closed, top side open), so that you can read the pages like in a book. Then the pages with odd page numbers should appear on right sides and the pages with even page numbers on left sides (like in a book).
Disadvantages: Ring binders are usually more expensive thanfile binders. Inserting the sheets into the sheet protectors takes effort!
Comb binding (spiral binding with plastic spiral)
Advantages: This binding type is relatively compact and cheap. You can put a sticky label with the name of the report (and eventually author) onto the plastic spiral/comb and the sheets stay opened when the report is lying on a table, you can turn the pages of the bound report around nearly completely. With appropriate spirals/combs this binding type can bind up to about 500 sheets.
Disadvantages: The sheets must be aligned carefully before they are punched and during punching, they must be laid against the stop bar of the machine with care, so that the holes are not too near to the paper edge and tear off. Caution! Do not punch too many sheets at the same time. If you need too much force for punching, the machine might be damaged!
Commonly a transparent cover (thicker than overhead slides) is used on top of the title leaf. Caution! This sheet must be punched separately in any case. Otherwise, the trans- parent cover and the paper sheets move against each other and the punching is irreparably wrong.
In the copy-shop, the sheets are shaken on a machine. There it is also possible to shear the bound Technical Report at the right edge, because the sheets are not lying exactly on top of each other, but they adopt to the curvature of the spiral/comb.
If the spiral/comb is not large enough, the sheets are bent near the rectangular binding holes and then you cannot turn the pages very easily any more. However, if the spiral/comb is much thicker than the Technical Report, then the report does not stand well on the shelves.
The plastic spirals/combs are often sharp-edged at the corners. You should round off sharp corners with a pair of scissors before using the comb. If you do not have a machine for creating the binding (i.e. punching and opening and closing the combs), you can only make copies by manually turning the pages and putting the report onto the copier.
Wire-O binding (spiral binding with wire spirals)
Advantages: The wire-O binding is even more compact than the comb binding and about equal in price, but the sheets do not bend so easily when turning the pages, because the binding holes are round. With this binding type, books can be turned around completely.
Therefore, this binding type is well suited for manuals. With this binding type, you can bind up to about 350 sheets.
Disadvantages: Putting a sticky label with the name of the report (and eventually the author) is not possible. The information regarding a transparent plastic cover sheet given under comb binding is valid here as well. For wire-O binding it is also true, that you can hurt yourself (here at the wire) at the upper and lower edge of the report. Chamfer sharp edges with afile. Copies can only be made by manually turning the pages and putting the report onto the copier.
Staple binding
Advantages: This binding type is a little cheaper than the spiral bindings. The stack of sheets is shaken with a machine. Thenfive staples are twinged through the stack and bent on the other side. Then a fabric tape is attached to the binding, which covers the staples, a small stripe on the front and rear side and the spine. Then the book is sheared with the hydraulic shear at the three open edges. This binding type is extremely stable. The impression is created, that you are holding a real book in your hands. Due to the stability and the attractive appearance, this binding type can be recommended for Technical Reports. For theses and smaller reports during a study course, the staple binding is the most common binding type. With this binding type, you can bind up to about 200 sheets.
Disadvantages: The sheets/the book does not stay opened when lying on a table.
Therefore in most cases only the front sides of the pages are printed. Copies can only be made by manually turning the pages and putting the report onto the copier.
Cold adhesive binding
Advantages: This binding type is a little cheaper than the spiral bindings. The stack of sheets is shaken with a machine. Then the spine is covered with cold glue, which needs to dry for one to two days. Then a fabric tape is attached to the binding, which covers a small stripe on the front and rear side and the spine. Alternatively, a printed cardboard envelope can be attached, which covers the front side, the spine and the rear side. In this case, you can easily write onto the spine whatever you like. Then the book is sheared with the hydraulic shear at the three open edges. The impression is created, that you are holding a real book in your hands. With this binding type, you can bind nearly any number of sheets. Due to the possibility, that you can also bind thick books and use a cardboard envelope as well as due to the attractive appearance this binding type can be recom- mended for Technical Reports.
Disadvantages: Depending on the stiffness of the glue, the sheets do not stay opened when the report is lying on a table. Copies can only be made by manually turning the pages and putting the report onto the copier. This binding type is not very stable. It happens often, that a few pages fall out of the glue, especially when the report is copied.
Hot adhesive binding
Advantages: For this binding type, the sheets are put into a folder/an envelope, which has a hard stripe of glue in the spine. The folder/envelope is put into a machine which heats up the glue so that it is pasty. Then the folder/envelope with the sheets is taken out, and the spine is stuck onto a hard underground, so that the paper sinks even deeper into the glue.
Now the glue needs to cool for a few minutes to become hard again. This binding type is very attractive for smaller reports, e.g. seminar documentations.
Disadvantages: See disadvantages of cold adhesive binding.
Hardcover binding
Advantages: This binding type is the“most valuable”binding type. It is stable, the sheets of the book remain opened, when the book is lying on a table and they do not fall out of the book. The pages are sheared and the cover can be printed or embossed as you like.
Disadvantages: This binding type is very expensive. Therefore, it is usually out of choice for Technical Reports. The only exception might be one copy of a thesis that is