In late 2006 Powis Parker Inc. released the new Fastback CP Binding Strip. The CP strip is designed as a solution for binding difficult to bind papers with the Fastback 15xs Binding Machine. The CP strip is designed for use with color copy and laser print papers up to 32# text. These color copy and laser print papers are often used in the workplace for reports, proposals, and other business documents. However, existing Powis Parker Fastback strips sometimes had difficulty binding these glossy paper stocks.

The new Powis Parker Fastback CP strip has a strip of center glue that is formulated for extremely aggressive adhesion. The Fastback CP strip works well with split sheets and coated paper but also creates a strong bind with smooth paper without using the Powis Edge splitter which is part of their high end photobook production cell. However, to obtain this strong bind the CP strip requires extra binding time (approximately 45 seconds).

The center adhesive on the new Fastback CP strips is thicker than the center adhesive on Fastback Super Strips. According to Powis Parker this has two primary benefits: First, pages bound with the Fastback CP Strip are not allowed to completely lay-flat creating a more sophisticated, signature look for the finished presentations. Second, the thicker glue of the Fastback CP Strip helps to protect the binding edge from the flex stress of page turning.

Although these new Fastback CP strips are effective in binding many types of paper that have proven difficult to bind in the past it is important to understand that the CP strip by itself does not solve the problems with binding glossy coated stocks and digital output. Additionally, the extended bind time and extra heat required by the new Fastback CP strips can sometimes cause printing along the binding edge to bleed. Thus, these strips are not recommended for prints with full bleeds that run to the binding edge of the document. Still, the best way to know if these new strips will work for your application is to simply have us bind a sample for you and see the results for yourself.

You can choose from four different colors of CP strips including: Black Fastback CP Strips, White Fastback CP Strips, Dark Blue Fastback CP Strips and Khaki Fastback CP Strips. These strips are packaged 75 strips per box and are available in two different thicknesses (narrow and medium). Khaki colored strips are slightly shorter than standard superstrips and are designed for finishing books using Fastback Hardcovers.

If you are considering these new innovative binding strips from Powis Parker it is essential that you first determine if your machine is compatible. All 15xs Fastback machines manufactured after 3/9/2006 were shipped with the new firmware and required adjustments to adequately run these new CP strips. However, if your Fastback Binding Machine is older you may need to upgrade it in order to run these strips. This new upgrade for the Fastback 15xs will allow you to run CP strips, will provide you with a faster binding cycle when using Super strips, will allow you to produce sharper edges when binding and will fix a firmware bug that prevented user strip wrap settings from being saved properly.