I have had many of my piano books coil bound, and like you say, it's so helpful. Did you have your covers laminated at STaples as well, and if so, what was the cost of that? Thanks!
I just called my local Staples and they said it is now illegal for them to cut the binding off a book without the author's permission. This is a new law intended to stop books from being copied.
What country are you in? As far as I know, there is no US law that prevents you from unbinding a book. Stores may implement their own individual policies to prevent things like this, but you should just be able to call around and eventually find someone that will help you.
I had to copyrighted sheet music books spiral bound and their spines cut by Staples about 2 months ago, so maybe the associate you dealt with was unfamiliar with the process or just didn't want to go through the hassle? There are laws against defacing us government issued money, but I think you can do whatever you want to a book. The only copyright issue I ever encountered was when I wanted to print something off of I am IMSLP, and a non-staples print shop needed to make sure that it wasn't copyrighted.
Hi Jesse, I think I can hear the antique, out-of-print, book lovers cringing at the thought of chopping the spine from an 1847 version of Edward Walsh's Irish Popular Songs. I notice that a couple of book sellers are now providing access to the pdf of books that people have purchased physical copies of. It would cost a little more, but many office places will print and spiral-bind from a pdf. I have found purchase of books like '101 Irish Songs' quite disappointing because the versions of songs in them do not match the version I am expecting to hear (e.g. a Clancy Brothers or Dubliner's version). When I am looking for a song now I usually go to mudcat.org and pick from the 3-4 versions available. Good luck with inspiring your son to take up your passion for traditional music, I am using the 'constant exposure' approach with my kids, lots of bodhran's, ukuleles, tin whistles and a harp strategically placed around the house.
Hi...I know I'm coming to this topic very late, but I thought I'd add my experience here. Some print shops will do the spiral binding, yes, but not all will print from a PDF for you. They claim it's due to copyright ownership or something. Some years ago, it was a Staples that claimed that to me. And hah, it was a Cubase (software) user manual, not even sheet music or anything. Anyhow, I just print the book on my own laserjet printer and take it to the print shop for binding. Just be sure to print in duplex (2-sided) so you don't waste paper. I don't have the covers laminated though. Instead, I just have a clear cover sheet placed on top, along with a stiff sheet for the back of the book. For those of you who have excellent eyesight, you might consider having a ream of 8.5 X 11 paper cut in half, and then printing on that size. It ends up costing you only half for paper and ink. I don't do that anymore, because I don't like squinting when I'm trying to read a software or keyboard user manual. They do make spiral-binding punches and the spiral plastic or metal thingies too, for those who would like to just DIY the whole thing from start to finish.
