| Inches | Millimeters | Sheets of paper | |
|---|---|---|---|
| " | 4 mm | 16 | |
| " | 6 mm | 25 | |
| " | 8 mm | 40 | |
| " | 10 mm | 55 | |
| " | 11 mm | 70 | |
| " | 12 mm | 85 | |
| " | 14 mm | 100 | |
| " | 16 mm | 125 | |
| " | 20 mm | 150 | |
| " | 22 mm | 175 | |
| 1" | 25 mm | 200 | |
| " | 28 mm | 250 | |
| " | 32 mm | 275 | |
| " | 38 mm | 325 | |
| " | 45 mm | 375 | |
| 2" | 51 mm | 425 |
Comb binding (sometimes referred to as "cerlox" or "surelox" binding) is one of many ways to bind pages together into a book. This method uses round plastic spines with 19 rings (for US Letter size) or 21 rings (for A4 size) and a hole puncher that makes rectangular holes. Comb binding is sometimes referred to as plastic comb binding or spiral comb binding.
To bind a document, the user first punches holes in the paper with a specialized hole punch. Pages must be punched a few at a time with most of these machines. If hard covers are desired, they must be punched as well. In bulk applications, a paper drilling machine may be used.
Then the user chooses a spine size that will match the document. Standard sizes are NaNinches (for 16 sheets of 20# paper) up to 2inches (for 425 sheets). Spine lengths are generally 11inches to match the length of letter-size paper.
The rings on the spine open and insert into the holes in the page, then rest against the body of the spine, resulting in a closure that can be opened again for making changes to the book.
With this bind, the book lies flat but cannot be opened 360 degrees. For a book that can be opened such that the covers touch, a spine that does not have an obstructive body, such as a coil binding, is a better option.