Have you ever seen a document bound with Fastback? Documents bound with Fastback usually have a colored strip along the spine that glues the cover and the pages in place. These colored strips are available in a number of different lengths and sizes to fit a huge variety of document types. Documents bound with Fastback have lay flat properties, do not require any punching and allow you to use your own custom printed covers. However, Fastback binding requires a Powis Parker Fastback binding machine. This article is designed to provide a quick introduction to Powis Parker Fastback Binding Machines. There are three primary machines available ...

1. The Powis Parker Fastback 8x is the most affordable binding machine that Powis Parker makes. The Fastback 8x Binding Machine retails for about $2000 and uses a special type of binding strip called the LX strip. LX binding strips are available in two widths (narrow and medium). Narrow LX strips are designed for binding documents that are up to 1/2" thick (125 pages). Medium LX strips are designed for binding documents that are up to 1" Thick (250 pages). LX strips are available in a number of colors including Black, Dark Gray, White, Dark Blue, Bright Blue, Purple, Jade Green, Dark Green, Red, Maroon, and Yellow. LX-Composition strips have the look and feel of leatherette and match Fastback Compositions covers. Additionally, Fastback makes several specialty strips for the 8x including Perfectback Lay Flat and Pressure Sensitive Strips as well as Photo Pro Strips for use with the Fastback Studio Photobook System.

2. The Powis Parker Fastback Model 11 binding machine is designed for higher volume users than the 8x and retails for approximately $3400. The Fastback Model 11 is ideal for users who need a more durable machine than the Fastback 8x but don't want to spend the extra money on the Fastback 15xs. The Model 11 is only designed for use with Narrow strips for documents up to 1/2" thick (125 pages). The most common strips used with the Fastback Model 11 are Super Strips. Fastback Super Strips are available in sixteen different colors including: Black, Dark Gray, Light Gray, White, Dark Blue, Bright Blue, Teal, Lapis, Purple, Jade Green, Dark Green, Red, Maroon, Light Brown, Dark Brown and Yellow.

3. The Powis Parker Fastback 15xs is the workhorse of the Powis Parker Fastback line of binding machines. The Fastback 15xs is capable of binding documents using Narrow, Medium and Wide Strips. Narrow strips are designed for binding documents up to 1/2" thick. Medium strips are designed for binding documents up to 1" thick and Wide strips are designed for binding documents up to 1-1/2" thick. The 15xs is capable of using Fastback Super Strips (available in 16 colors), Fastback Composition Strips (available in 7 colors), Fastback CP Strips, Fastback Perfectback Strips and Fastback Speed Strips. The Powis Parker Fastback 15xs is faster than the Model 11 or the 8x and is incredibly versatile allowing the user to do short run perfect binding, and bind documents that are legal sized (both the 8x and Model 11 are only capable of binding documents up to 11" in length). The Fastback 15xs retails for approximately $5200.

In addition to these three binding machines, Powis Parker also makes a number of support products for the Fastback binding line including their Powis Printer, Foilfast Printer, Hard Cover Guide, Fastback Stitcher and the Fastback Scoring Device.