What does Pitch Mean?

“Pitch” means: Holes Per Inch. For example: if you have a 2:1 pitch, that means there are two holes along the spine of your project for every inch.

There are different pitches for a few reasons. For some, it is a simple visual appeal--for example with coil binding. Coil binding has a 43 hole option and a 44 hole, although both have a pitch of 4:1(more holes on the page, but the same ratio per inch). They even use the same 4:1 coil to bind the pages together. One of the main things to look for when comparing pitches is to look at how large the bindings are.  With 2:1 twin loop wire there are options to fit up to 300 sheets (1 ½” spines). The 3:1 wire only supports spines up to 9/16” (about 120 sheets). So, in this example, if you are going to create larger projects you wouldn’t want to purchase a 3:1 machine.

Wondering what pitch is used by each binding style.  Here is a quick cheat sheet for reference.

Coil - 4:1 is most common (5:1, 3:1, 2.5:1, 6mm and Turbocoil are available)

Wire - 3:1 for smaller sizes and 2:1 for larger sizes

Velobind - 1:1 (one hole per inch)

Proclick - 3:1

Plastic Combs - 9/16” hole spacing (19 rectangular holes on an 11” document)

Zipbind - Same as plastic comb

Komtrack - Same as plastic comb

Our Recommendation: 

Go with a pitch that will work with the size of projects you think you’ll be making.  If you need something smaller or larger than what you choose, then purchase some prepunched paper and a small box of another pitch size for those few projects and bind them using the same machine.

Key Points:

“Pitch” means holes per inch.

When choosing a pitch, choose the ones you think will best fit your sized projects.

Purchase prepunched paper of another pitch and a small box of binding spines for those few projects that differ in size from your average project.