There are few, if any, more polished and professional looking documents than those created with Powis Parker's Fastback System. Of all of Parker's, machines, the most commonly used Fastback machine on the market is the FB15xs. This versatile machine is capable of binding documents from two to 350 pages, or an inch and a half thick, in as little as fifteen seconds time. This, along with the fact that there is no punching involved in the binding process, makes Powis Parker's FB15xs one of the quickest and most easy to use binding systems available. Here is a short guide in the use of the FB15xs.

1. Make all the book block's pages square, and then square them with the front and back covers.

2. To ensure that the heated glue will make contact with all of the books pages, you must fan the pages of the book block.

3. Then, you will want to insert the book block into the opening that is on top of the machine. You must ensure that the book is positioned so that it is flush to the right of the machine, and as always, that the pages are perfectly square.

4. Push the large green button, closing the clamp.

5. The FB15xs will detect the size of the book you are binding and will display which size of binding strip you should use. You then insert the strip into the opening on the right side of the machine, and the FB15xs will take over the process from there.

6. Once the book has been run through the machine, place it on the convenient cooling rack, and allow the heated adhesive to cool down for a bit.

7. When the book is cool to the touch, you may remove it, and it is ready for use.

The Fastback system is, as we've stated, one of the easiest and most elegant binding systems available. There are, however, some limitations that you should be aware of.

1. Though any cover stock can be used with the system, due to the high temperature used by the heating element, some types of clear poly and plastic covers can become warped during the process. There are, however, several types of clear covers that are designed to take the heat and can be used.

2. Most thermal binding systems have problems with some of the glossier papers, and the Fastback is no exception. Though users have come up with a few solutions, such as sanding the edges of the paper so the glue sticks better, the best solution for this kind of paper appears to be to staple the biding edge before binding.

3. Some printers use a certain kind of oil during the toner transfer process. This toner oil can cause similar problems as glossy pages. This especially true if you have pages that are printed with a full-bleed. Again, the best solution appears to be stapling the binding edges.

4. Another problem is that large numbers of changes are not possible with thermal binding. The Fastback does have a system in place for the addition or deletion of a few pages here and there. However, larger edits won't work well with the Fastback system.