# Binders



## Supe (Jun 17, 2009)

My collection of 3 ring binders chock full-o-crap is rapidly accumulating on my shelf. I need them to be label-side out so I can see what I'm grabbing.

How the heck can I keep these things lined in a row, rather than have them collapsing on top of one another, giant wedge of cheese style?


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## roadwreck (Jun 17, 2009)

use smaller binders. Seriously, if the binder is almost full it's doesn't have such a pronounced wedge shape and you can stack lots together without much of an issue.


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## Paul S (Jun 17, 2009)

Get some metal book ends from Staples and use them as needed. I use several of these on each shelf to keep the books and binders where I want them to be.

Or maybe insert a foam block spacer inside the binder attached to the back cover so when the binder is closed the front and back are parallel?


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## Supe (Jun 17, 2009)

roadwreck said:


> use smaller binders. Seriously, if the binder is almost full it's doesn't have such a pronounced wedge shape and you can stack lots together without much of an issue.


Most of my bigger ones are full, but quite a few are manuals and such that I've put together using the very small binders, and they still close up that way.

The foam spacer isn't a bad idea, although it may pose a problem as they grow. Might have to go with the book end idea.


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## Desert Engineer (Jun 17, 2009)

I've seen people use a box on it's side or a milk crate on its side.


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## humner (Jun 18, 2009)

I took most of my binders apart. I purchased Acco prong fasteners. You can get them for all thicknesses. I bought the ones for 3". http://www.nextag.com/Prong-Fasteners-8-1-...B4C5BAB2F82BE95 . I then took cardstock, glued two together for the front cover and two for the back cover. Before gluing the front cover, I would print out the title page on it. I then bind the whole thing together. As a final touch, I would print a binding on cardstock too and lay it over the prong fasteners front to back. Using elmers white glue. Does not hurt to run the glue into the seams on the binding edge. Lay the new book on its binding so the glue does not run into your pages, yes it can happen, once. Doing this method I reduced my library size down from 4 long milk crates down to 3 milk crates. I would also recommend repunching the holes closer to the edge so it will not be too hard to read by having to try to break the book open for inner wording.


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## Supe (Jun 18, 2009)

I'll have to dig through our supply closet and see if we have anything like that here.


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## Capt Worley PE (Jun 18, 2009)

Supe: Liberator of office supplies!!!


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## geofs_PE (Jun 18, 2009)

I've used post-binders similar to these to archive information:

http://www.eofficedirect.com/PLEO61602/Var...-Blue.html--kFC

These expand from 1" to 6" so you can add to it until it's full.


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## Supe (Jun 18, 2009)

Capt Worley PE said:


> Supe: Liberator of office supplies!!!



Hey, I have to make up for being underpaid somehow, right?

geofs: Those are neat, but good lord, $20 a piece?!


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## geofs_PE (Jun 18, 2009)

> geofs: Those are neat, but good lord, $20 a piece?!



My former employer bought a box of them and I grabbed a couple to archive some of my stuff. Yeah, they are pretty expensive but they hold a lot (1500 pages).


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## MA_PE (Jun 18, 2009)

The problem I have encountered with either the post or the acco style is that if you use the reference often you can "open" to the pages (like you can with a ring binder) conveniently and if you're in the center of the stack it's tough to read anything in near the spine. "Pushing" the pages to see more of the page usually results in the pages ripping at the binding holes.

These are good for archives or infrequently used documents but I don't like them for typical references.

just my :2cents: .


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## humner (Jun 18, 2009)

MA_PE said:


> The problem I have encountered with either the post or the acco style is that if you use the reference often you can "open" to the pages (like you can with a ring binder) conveniently and if you're in the center of the stack it's tough to read anything in near the spine. "Pushing" the pages to see more of the page usually results in the pages ripping at the binding holes.
> These are good for archives or infrequently used documents but I don't like them for typical references.
> 
> just my :2cents: .


That is why I posted to punch new holes closer to the spine. Does work.


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