Staples Print on Demand Binding Review

About a year ago, Staples began to offer a coverbinding service. This binding service is similar to book binding. Here we will cover specifically the POD (Print On Demand) and Ambassador variety.

Both of these services are secure bindings that can have printed covers. The POD is a entirely white sheet that goes over your document (think of a soft cover book), and the cover can be printed (but not the back). Ambassador is similar, but this is hardcover. The entire cover is black, and there is a medium sized space on front where a cover can be applied.

POD binding can be done quickly in store (as long as it does not exceed what the 1" binding can hold), while Ambassador has to be sent to their Hub facility for binding. Let's look at POD first to see how good it really is.

By the process used to print the covers, it would be incredibly difficult to print both back and front covers (they place it in the machine and just print, however since it is 11"x17 1/2" it cannot line up properly) so the front is all that is done. After the printing is finished, the binding is applied via heat, so the glue in the spine melts slightly enough to coat your pages, and after a few minutes it is cool and dry. As stated before, your document cannot go beyond the 1" spine, or else they will have to send it out. 1" hold around 200 pages, so if your document is more than that, expect to have it sent to their Hub center (a larger Staples printing center where they have better and larger machines) with a turnaround of a few days to a week.

As all the other coverbinding materials, this is sturdy and function. The printed cover usually comes out well, and it is definitely worth the few extra dollars.

Now, the Ambassador binding has to be sent out regardless of size. This binding is amazing for books, presentations, and college master's or doctorate thesis reports. The cover is hard and incredibly sturdy, but more than that the aesthetic beats out the softer bindings Staples offers.

Both of these bindings are great. They are pricier than normal binding, the POD is usually $7 and Ambassador about $11, but for very important documents it truly helps their power. If you have the extra money I truly suggest them.