Comb binding has a greater chance at being damaged than spiral binding. However, this binding holds adjoining pages more firmly than spiral binding. While pages lie flat with comb binding, they are not allowed to double back. Such binding is costly if there are many pages.
Spiral binding is made of plastic or wire and allows the pages to lay flat, as well as double over. Calendars and notebooks often use this type of coil binding. More pages cannot be added once a document is spiral bound. The spirals may also be crushed if handled in a rough manner. The coils are usually 1/4 to 2 inches in diameter.
In wire-o binding, pages are held together by a double-loop wire placed through holes on the left edges of a document. Not only do pages lie flat with this type of binding, they also turn 360 degrees. The binding comes in a variety of colors and its loops measure 3/16 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Adding new pages and writing on the document spine are not permissible with this binding.