A European Hinged binder (Euro Hinge) is defined based on the shape of the spine, formed by compressing board with a mechanical hinger. The 3 types of spines available are: Flat, Semi and Round Back. Euro-hinged binders are popular because 4-color process artwork can run across the spine hinges with no interruption to graphics. They are built with one piece of board that increases durability.

Measure horizontally across the inside diameter of the metal ring.

Measure along the straight edge of the metal ring from just before and just after the curve.

Measure along the straight edge of the metal ring from just before and just after the curve.

Gauge.

Point.

Trojan and Qa-Can-Vin.

Round corners.

Square corners.

Screen-print spot Pantone color, foil stamp and/or deboss, appliqué, offset/litho, and direct digital.

We stock French Calf and Suedene (Suede) vinyls; however, many other finishes are available to order.

Both clear overlay and pictorial binders have a clear piece of vinyl on the outside of the binder. Clear overlay binders have an opening at the top, allowing easy insertion and removal of cover sheets. Pictorial binders are permanently sealed at the top, providing more protection to the cover sheet.

Clear, glossy overlay is the only material choice for stock binders. Custom binders can be produced in a number of ways, including orange peel or matte clear.

Select the 11 x 8 ½” sheet size. In the binder industry, the binding or punched side measurement is listed first. If the punched side was on the 8 ½ ” side, it would be listed as 8 ½ x 11” sheet.

Clear, glossy overlay is the only material choice for stock binders. Custom binders can be produced in a number of ways, including orange peel or matte clear.

Many different materials are available that can withstand rough environments and temperature extremes, but the most durable is polyethylene. Called “poly” at Binders.com (VIP/ATC), this material is made to resist water, grease, and anything else you can throw at it. Poly can be produced in a variety of colors, thicknesses, and finishes.

Yes, we are happy to assist with product development, design, and other creative elements. We have specialists available just for this purpose.

Our standard line screen is 65 LPI (lines per inch). When printing small areas of halftones with fine detail, we may choose to use a higher LPI line screen in order to achieve better detail.

150 LPI.

We recommend solid tints between 15% and 85% and gradients between 5% and 95%.

In the process of screen printing, specks and flaws in printing large panels are easily visible. In some cases we recommend printing an additional lighter shade of the same solid color.

A bleed is when artwork or printing falls off the edge of the finished product. In the case of binders, artwork through the spine hinges is also considered a bleed. A bleed requires printing on oversize material and then trimming, welding, or wrapping afterwards.

5/16” for vinyl binders, 5/8” for casemade/turned edge products, and 1/8” for paper prints. Refer to product templates for specifications.

It depends on the product. We can bleed foil on paper and casemade/turned edge products. We cannot bleed foil off vinyl products.

When colors overlap or adjoin, the more opaque color must overlap the less opaque color to allow for movement on printing press equipment. Hence, the more opaque color “traps” the less opaque color. For standard offset printing on paper, a trap of about .03 pt. is required. For screen printing on vinyl, a minimum trap of .9 pt. is required.

No, you don’t have to set traps. We will check your files and adjust traps to meet our requirements.

When a light color is screen printed on a dark base material, white ink can be applied first and then overprinted with a light color. Using this method, we can produce a clean bright color on darker substrates. The white ink is made thinner (choked) and the lighter color is made slightly fatter (spread) to ensure proper registration on press. The finished product will have a slightly darker outline around artwork where lighter ink prints over darker base material. Not all artwork can be printed using this method. All artwork must be approved by our art department prior to production.

An appliqué is a method of applying decoration onto vinyl products. A special die is made by combining a cutting die and a sealing die into the shape of supplied artwork. Using this special die, a piece of vinyl is then heat-sealed onto a base vinyl—sealing the shape of the artwork onto the base vinyl. The excess surrounding vinyl is then removed, leaving the shape of the artwork. Not all artwork can be reproduced using this method due to the nature of the appliqué creation process. For this reason, all artwork must be approved by our art department prior to production.

Both clear overlay and pictorial binders have a clear piece of vinyl on the outside of the binder. Clear overlay binders have an opening at the top, allowing easy insertion and removal of cover sheets. Pictorial binders are permanently sealed at the top, providing more protection to the cover sheet.

Very bold type and artwork does not work well with foil stamping due to the nature of the process. Types smaller than 12 point can be problematic—especially bold types. Bold type can run together, preventing small openings in the type from appearing in the finished product. When reverse type is used in foil stamping, the type must be open and bold in order to prevent plugging; roman types should be avoided. Solid areas exceeding 3 square inches should also be avoided because of difficulty getting consistent foil coverage.

Heavy coverage is when 50% or more of the binder is covered with ink.

Yes. Binders.com (VIP/ATC) offers a digital email proof, a paper fax proof, or a full-size laser-printed copy. For 4-color process orders, we provide an actual size color match proof after digital proof is approved. These proofs are provided at no additional cost. We also provide color smears (known as ink draw-downs in the printing industry) at no additional cost.

We offer pre-production proofs that represent actual finished products. These require a special quote.

Stock product templates are available online in .eps and .pdf format. Additionally, Binders.com (VIP/ATC) will supply templates for custom products.

Vinyl binders are made using vinyl material surrounding a board placed in between the cover and liner materials. The vinyl is then heat-sealed with special dies in a dielectric machine, which uses heat and radio frequency waves to form a seal. This process requires no gluing.

Casemade binders are generally made with a paper, cloth, leather, or canvas outer material that is glued to an unfinished board. The outer material wraps around the board edges, which is then covered by a liner glued to inside of the board. Vinyl binders have boards that are completely surrounded by vinyl, which is heat-sealed by a process that does not require glue.

Poly binders are made with a hard plastic type material called polyethylene. The binders are made by die-cutting the shape of the binder and then scoring the spine hinges to create a backbone. Poly binders are extremely durable and can withstand high temperatures.

Many decorative options are available, including screen-print, foil stamp, stamp/deboss, blind deboss, appliqué, offset/litho printing, and digital printing. Not all of these processes are suitable for every project, so check with the creative team at Binders.com to see which techniques best fit your needs.

Casemade binders have the following decoration options: screen print, foil stamp, stamp/deboss, blind deboss, offset/litho, digital printing.

Vinyl binders have the following decoration options: screen print, foil stamp, stamp/deboss, blind deboss, offset/litho, digital printing (clear overlays), appliqué, appliqué entrapments.

Poly binders have the following decoration options: screen print, foil stamp, offset/litho (on thinner gauges).

The main function of our assembly department is to insert metals into binders. The team also assembles latches, handles, and other production involving hardware onto binders.

Rivets, used to fasten the ring mechanism to the binder, appear as 2 small round pieces of metal on the outside of the spine or back cover of binders. Standard rivets are 5/16” in diameter. Rivets are normally mounted on the spine or back cover and can be hidden or exposed on the outside, depending on the type of binder. If rivets are exposed, printed artwork must be at least ¼” away from the rivets to avoid interference or overlap.

Prong bushing metal does not require rivets. This metal is designed to fasten to boards without the use of rivets, allowing the binder design to stretch uninterrupted across the cover.

Both clear overlay and pictorial binders have a clear piece of vinyl on the outside of the binder. Clear overlay binders have an opening at the top, allowing easy insertion and removal of cover sheets. Pictorial binders are permanently sealed at the top, providing more protection to the cover sheet.

This is also sometimes referred to a “draw-down.” It is a printed sample of customer-selected ink color and material options for customer review prior to production.

No, there is not a charge. Color smears can usually be completed within 24 to 48 hours.

Crathern.

Casemade binders are considered handcrafted when they are constructed without automated equipment. Handcrafted casemade binders are created by hand using front, spine, and back boards.

Flat, semi (euro-4), and round.

Yes, we have Project Manager at our plant in Vincent, Alabama and NAPCO, North Carolina, to guide and follow your order through production.