Reviewing the GBC C450e Comb Binding Machine

When it comes to plastic comb binding machines, it's hard to go wrong with a machine from General Binding Corporation (GBC). They're one of the oldest and most respected office machine manufacturers in the country and they're constantly coming up with new ideas. This commitment to innovation can be seen in one of their newest models, the CombBind C450e electric plastic comb binding machine, which offers an abundance of new features that haven't been seen in a plastic comb binding machine before. This is a wonderful new device that should fulfill the binding needs of most small or medium-sized offices. The GBC CombBind C450e comb binding machine is capable of punching up to 25 sheets of 20 lb. paper at once, and it can bind booklets that are up to two inches thick (approximately 450 pages long). This machine has brand new auto-centering technology that can help save you time because you won't need to fiddle with the paper edge guide before you punch your paper - it will be perfectly aligned every time you punch. And this machine also has a document separator that assists you in determining the right number of sheets you can punch. This is a great feature because it'll help you punch as many sheets as possible per lift, but not so many that you'll jam up the machine and then have to spend time cleaning up the mess. The C450e is very user-friendly and utilizes push-button technology for easy operation, plus you can use either plastic combs or GBC ZipBind spines, so you have a couple of different binding options.

The C450e has a couple of drawbacks, but they probably won't be deal-breakers. First, the machine lacks an adjustable depth of margin control, so you can't control where the holes in your pages go. The machine doesn't have disengageable dies either, which means you can't create custom-sized booklets. You'll only be able to create letter-sized documents (8.5" x 11") because the C450e doesn't have an open throat, thus you can't bind documents that are legal- or A4-sized. (That's definitely a bummer.) The C450e has a rotary comb opener which isn't necessarily bad, per se, it's just that it takes a little bit longer to operate than a comb opener with a handle, so it'll add a couple of extra seconds to your production time. More experienced users might find that frustrating, but binding newbies will definitely appreciate how easy it is to use the comb opener.

Overall, the GBC CombBind C450e is a good machine for binding letter-sized documents and it should please small and medium-sized business users. It's the perfect comb binding machine for new users, thanks to the auto-centering and document separation features. Even if you're a more advanced user, you'll still be able to appreciate how easy it is to use the machine, as well as how much time you'll save during the binding process. Kudos to GBC for making such a cool machine with such revolutionary new features.