Personalized books can be bound several ways. Two popular ways involve either heavy-duty staples or a binding machine. Both methods produce a solidly-bound book. My opinion is that a binding machine that costs $125 or more is an unnecessary expense, plus it is a large item that is not convenient to carry when making books on location.
A heavy-duty stapler can be purchased at any office supply store for under $30 and it takes up very little space.