Buying Guide for the Best Binders
Binders are fasteners that allow you to attach hundreds of pages easily. With the binders, you’ll not only secure the papers, but you’ll also organize them, so they’re more readable. Despite their simplicity, getting the perfect binder for managing your documents can be challenging, especially if you’re a perfectionist.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to buy the best binders for yourself. So, let’s get started!
Why Buy A Binder?
The answer is very straightforward. If you have tons of documents in your home or office and want to organize them, you should buy a binder. A binder will help you manage your files properly without harming them.
Also, binders are the most convenient accessories for organizing papers. You could use screw posts instead of binders, but these pose a different level of challenge, so we don’t recommend them.
What Should You Look For In A Binder?
Size
When it comes to the size, you’ll get a lot of options. Binders don’t only come in different sizes but different orientations as well. There are landscape-style binders, legal portraits, etc., in terms of orientation.
It comes down strictly to your needs. You don’t want a binder that’s too big for the materials you want to store. It will take up extra storage space. Also, larger binders are tougher to handle, and you don’t want that.
So, get a binder that fits your necessities ideally.
Volume
Secondly, consider how much paper you want the binder to store. You’ll need to choose this factor according to your needs. The binder’s volume depends significantly on the ring sizes and thickness.
You can find the thickness of the binder, usually labeled on the side. Some quality binders also mention the ring size, which makes it easier to determine how much paper you can store in it.
However, no binders tell you exactly how much material you can store in a binder. Each paper type has a different thickness. Also, some people store art materials or cards that are thicker than regular paper. Then again, the ring type plays a considerable role in determining the capacity. So, exactly how much you can store; depends on the documents you’ll be keeping.
If you want an estimate, there are specific charts that you can follow. We’ll be sharing one such chart for you that gives more or less an accurate appraisal.
| Ring Size | D-Ring | O-Ring |
| 5/8 | 150 | 100 |
| 1 | 225 | 200 |
| 1 ½ | 350 | 275 |
| 2 | 475 | 400 |
| 3 | 625 | 600 |
| 4 | 750 | N/A |
| 5 | 1000 | N/A |
| 6 | 1350 | N/A |
Looks
It is more or less a subjective factor. There are leather binders and plastic ones. They also come in various colors so you can choose as per your taste.
Quality Parts
The components of a binder can vary significantly in terms of quality. Although round rings are the least durable, it doesn’t mean that they’ll break or rust easily. The key is to get a binder with quality components that will last the test of time.
Versatility
The versatility of the binder depends mainly on the locking mechanism, and you get two options in this aspect. If you want a binder that you’ll be using to store materials and won’t have to replace or take any paper out later on, you’ll be good enough with a traditional binder with clips. These are tougher to open as you have to press on the clips long and hard until the rings open up.
Then there are touch binders. These are easier to open, and you can open them up with a single touch. If you’re making an instruction manual, report, or journal that you plan on changing in the future, you should get these.
Different Types of Binder Rings
More or less, we’ve all come across different sizes and shapes of binder rings in our lives. However, most people never look hard enough to know they are different. It may surprise you that there are other binder rings, and each type serves a different purpose.
In this section, we’ll discuss how each binder ring can benefit you, which will help you choose whichever’s right for you.
Round Rings
At first, we have the round rings. We’re discussing this first because round rings are considered the standard type for binder rings, and these are found most commonly. They usually measure from 0.5 to 3 inches.
There are multiple advantages of round rings. Firstly, they are affordable, which explains why they’re used in abundance. You should get round rings if you require binder rings regularly for organizing your notes or documents.
Also, these can be installed on a hardcover. It will add a layer of protection to your documents, which in turn will help in preservation. Finally, as the diameter varies greatly, you can choose from different size options when purchasing one.
That said, the round rings aren’t perfect. The first problem people usually face with these is that they can’t facilitate holding a ton of material. That is, they have a shallow bar to how much paper you can fit into one of these.
Secondly, they’re installed into back covers using rivets. The rivets tend to leave a mark after some use. While this may not be a big deal for many, this can heavily affect the arts. So, it’s something to be aware of if you’re planning on storing art materials in it.
Lastly, it gets comparatively tougher to flip the pages when the rings are mounted on a back cover. Also, it puts a lot of strain on the hinges, making the binding rings prone to damage.
Slanted D-Rings
Next up, we have slanted D-rings, also known as angled D-rings. These are shaped like an angled D, hence their name. While this isn’t as popular as round ring binders, it’s considered superior in specific ways.
Due to their unique construction and design, the slanted D-rings allow paper or cards to lie flat instead of arching and eventually folding near the end. So, you can store even the thinnest documents in these without any problem. Not only that, but these also allow you to store more papers or cards compared to round rings.
Also, these are considered much more durable than round rings. You can find these in a range of .5 to 5-inch sizes. The size of slanted D-rings is determined by measuring the length of the slant.
The only downside of slanted D-rings is that they are a bit more expensive to produce compared to round rings. It is one of the primary reasons why they aren’t used extensively. However, these are highly recommended for those who usually store delicate materials such as art designs, documents, etc.
Straight D-Rings
Lastly, we have straight D-ring binders. These are almost similar to angled D-rings but just aren’t slanted. While these may not seem different from angled D-rings, they offer certain benefits that neither angled D-rings nor round rings can provide.
The primary benefit of straight D-rings is that they can hold much more material than either of the types mentioned previously. Also, these are much more durable than other types of binders. The only drawback of the straight D-rings is that they’re the most expensive binders. So they may not be appropriate for daily use.
3 Ring Binders
So, now that we know about the types of binders let’s look at a product that consists of the binders and can help you. So, 3-ring binders were first patented in 1854 along with 2-ring binders, and Henry T. Sisson of Rhode Island filed it.
This design came from the idea that loose paper was hard to collect and organize. Although 2-ring and 3-ring binders were patented simultaneously, the 3-ring binders became more popular because they’re easier to handle, protect the paper better, and make the documents easy to read.
The key features of binders are mainly their thickness and ring type. The binder size also matters, but as it can be of any size, it’s more like an obvious factor everyone notices. Let’s discuss the thickness and ring type here.
You may check more about: Best Ring Binders Review In 2022
The thickness of 3-Ring Binders
3-ring binders can be as thick as 11 inches, but they usually start from 8.5 inches. As for their size, the universal size is 12 inches in length and 10 inches in width. However, they can be found in almost any size.
So, why does thickness matter? The thickness of the binder is proportional to the ring length. The thicker the binder, the more material can be stored in it. That being said, thin binders aren’t useless. While thick binders allow one to keep a lot of material over time, thin binders are perfect for creating a lab report or school report.
Ring Sizes and Types
We’ve already discussed how each type of ring can benefit you. Still, we’ll share a summary for your convenience. If you want to cheap out, go for round rings, but beware that the stored material can get damaged over time.
Those who want better storage capacity and to keep their materials in pristine condition should go for D-rings. Straight D-rings offer more accommodation but are more expensive. It’s essential to consider the ring length as it determines how thick the binder will be, meaning how much material you can fit into one depends entirely on the ring size.
How To Use A Three-Ring Binder
Using a three-ring binder is easy. If you’re planning to store materials in a three-ring binder, leave some space on the left-hand side of the papers. It will give you enough space to punch holes in the sides.
Now, take a hole puncher. Most hole punchers usually punch two holes. So, use it to punch two holes in the paper first, on the top and middle. Finally, use only one of the sides to punch a hole in the bottom. Before you use the hole puncher, use a pencil to mark points on the paper so the hole punches are aligned with the ring binders.
Once you punch the holes, look for a clip on the lower end of the metal strip where the rings are installed. Some binders might have this clip on the upper end as well. Press on to this, and the rings will open up. Slide the paper into the lower side of the rings while it’s facing upward, and you should be done!
FAQ
What Are D Ring Binders Used For?
We mainly use D-Ring binders to store essential documents or art materials. It’s because these are more durable, allow you to keep more material, and don’t affect the material as the round rings do.
Are D Ring Binders Better?
Yes, D-ring binders are considered better because they offer much more benefits than round-ring binders. Among the two D-ring binder types, straight D-ring binders are more beneficial. However, they’re more expensive as well.
What Are 3 Ring Binders Called?
3-ring binders are also called trio-binders. This name mainly comes from the Consortium of Tengwall and Two Associates, as it was named after them.
What Are The Most Durable 3-Ring Binders?
The most durable 3-ring binders would be those with straight D-ring binders. Binder ring durability is a crucial factor, as these can break easily if they’re made out of cheap stuff. You should get straight D-ring binders if you want the most durable binders.
However, if they’re too expensive for you, you should get angled D-ring binders. These are almost as durable as straight D-rings, but they’re cheaper than straight D-ring binders.
Conclusion
As you can see, binders come in all sizes, orientations, and rings. So, no matter what you require, you’ll get multiple options that you can choose from. The most crucial aspect of buying a binder is considering what you need. If you can do that right, you can get the best possible binder.
