• When binding documents with Unibind it is important to choose the right size of spine to match the thickness of your pages.
• If you choose a spine that is too small then the pages won't fit into the steel channel. On the other hand if you use a spine that is too large the pages will be loose and your bound presentation will look funny.
• One way to choose the right size spine is to simply take a ruler and carefully measure the thickness of your book in millimeters. However, this can be tricky.
• The Unibind Spine Measurer is designed to make this process easier so that you always choose the right size of spine for your document.

Strengths / Features:

• The Unibind Spine Measurer is small, lightweight and portable. It is constructed of a heavy duty clear plastic and only weighs a few ounces. It has a small hole in the side to help you grab onto it and it can comfortably fit into your pocket.
• Although it would be nice if Unibind would include this tool in the box with their binding equipment it is nice to see that this tool is so inexpensive. With a price tag of about five dollars, it is priced so that any size of organization can afford it.
• The spine measurer is simple to use. All you need to do is assemble the book that you want to bind and slide it into triangle shaped spine measurer. When the pages of your book won't go any further then you look at the markings on measuring device and round up. It is that easy.
• The Unibind spine measuring device even has dual measurement markings to help you make sure that you choose the right size of spine. You can measure the book by looking to see where the pages of your documents meet with triangle. You can also look on the back side of the unit to see how high your stack of paper measures. The dual measurement features are nice for checking your measurements before ordering spines or covers.

Weaknesses / Limitations:

• The Unibind spine measurer is nice, small and convenient. However, it is also easily misplaced or lost. The fact that it can easily fit in a pocket and only weighs a few ounces is great until someone mistakenly walks away with your measuring tool. Many organizations choose to have two or three of these on hand just in case one mysteriously disappears.
• In order to use this tool you really need to have your document assembled and ready to bind. Unfortunately, many organizations order their supplies before they assemble their documents. There isn't really any simple solution to this problem. If you need to order supplies before you know what you will want to bind you can always use your spine measurer as a guideline or create mock-ups of your deliverables and measure those.
• The only other limitation of the Unibind spine measurer is that it is only as accurate as the person who is using it. If you use too much force and push your pages into the document you may not get an accurate reading. You want your pages to be snug when insert them and somewhat compressed. Just don't cut it too close otherwise it may be hard to get all of the pages into your steel spine.

Recommendation:

• With a price tag of only five dollars this is a great little device that every Unibind owner should have.
• It is simple to use, durable, portable and can help you make sure that you order and use the right size of spines for your documents.
• Just be careful that your spine measurer doesn't walk away or end up in someone's desk somewhere and you will be fine.