Print Solutions Magazine, February 2005 -- Case Study: Binders

This Binder Is a Natural Fit

At a December launch party for a new line of organic cosmetics, more than 100 magazine editors and public relations moguls witnessed the merging of old and new. One of the country’s oldest drugstores, a Manhattan mainstay since opening in the 1830s, joined forces with a cosmetics company to introduce a new line of all-natural skin care products and makeup.

The drugstore and cosmetics company wanted a high-end marketing piece to reflect the apothecary’s respected history and the quality of the skin care products. They turned to Marvin Salzman, a New York distributor with a quarter century’s experience who specializes in the cosmetics industry. The binders and inside materials he provided were an ideal answer.

The customer ordered 125 post binders with wraparound covers to conceal the posts. The dark blue covers were coated with urethane. “It’s very soft, almost the feel of glove leather,” says Salzman, president of Custom Capabilities Inc. The drugstore’s logo was foil stamped in dark blue on the covers. Salzman says the blue-on-blue effect added a burnished quality to the 12 1/2 x 10-inch binders.

The binders, which were 1 1/4-inch thick, featured a vellum title page inside. This fine parchment paper included the drugstore’s logo. Recipients could see through to the second page, a sheet depicting 4-color photos of the organic cosmetic line. The remaining 20 pages were printed on 12 x 18-inch 65# cover stock, which was then folded, punched and placed in the binders. The pages presented the drugstore’s history, including information on its founders, ensuing generations of owners, celebrity customers and recent partnership with the cosmetics company.

Instead of standard dividers, the binders relied on five vellum envelopes to separate the sections. Each envelope was printed in one color with a description of the upcoming section, such as “History and Treasures.” Inserted in each envelope was a memento. For instance, one featured a reproduction of a prescription from the 1800s; another held a replica of a breakfast menu from the days when the drugstore offered countertop dining.

Creating such detailed, high-quality binders is exciting for Salzman, who began his distributorship 25 years ago by selling binders. Specializing in the cosmetics industry, he says he enjoys showing his creativity. “Not everything is dictated to me,” he says. “They come to me for advice, so I’m able to get creative.” But he’s also challenged, often by tight deadlines. The project for the drugstore and cosmetics company was no exception.

The customer called in mid-November to discuss the binders. While Salzman began working on the binder itself, the client gathered materials for the inside. The client provided Salzman an electronic file for the binder’s guts the day before Thanksgiving—just two weeks before the premiere party for its new cosmetics line.

The 800 MB file, created in Illustrator, presented numerous challenges, he says. Salzman relied on his printer, a local New York firm, to convert the file to QuarkXPress. Next, there were issues with the photos: The file contained 23 low-resolution photos unsuitable for high-end printing. Salzman worked with the customer, who replaced the photos with high-resolution scans. In addition, the margins on all 20 pages of the inside materials were not compatible with a post binder. All the text had to be moved three quarters of an inch to the left or right, depending if it was the front or back of the page, to accommodate the posts.

After three intense days of prepress work, the printer produced the binders and insides in one day. It stuffed the envelopes used as dividers by hand, collated and assembled the binders, and delivered them the day before the launch party. The client was thrilled with the binders and plans to order 2,000 to 5,000 more for stores nationwide that will carry the organic makeup. It also ordered five additional binders—this time with genuine leather covers—for the chairman of the cosmetics company.

—Susan Keen Flynn

“These aren’t products that typically go out for bids.”

Marvin Salzman, President

Custom Capabilities Inc., New York

Tips

Be prepared to weather the rocky economy. Presentation folders and binders, like many marketing materials, often are nixed by companies during tough economic times. But most companies turn back to quality marketing pieces when they realize their value. Marvin Salzman, president of Custom Capabilities Inc., a New York distributorship, sells to several cosmetics companies. With a rise in electronic technologies and a downturn in the economy, many of them transitioned sales literature to CDs. “They were going away from paper sales material,” says Salzman. “But buyers asked for it back.” He’s seen resurgence in presentation folders and binders.

Know your rings. If you’ve ever shopped for diamond rings, you know about the four “C”s (carat, cut, clarity and color). If you’re selling binders, brush up on “D”s—and other styles. Providing the right ring type and size is key to ensuring the binder functions smoothly. Three common ring types include round, straight-D (which looks like a backward letter “D”) and angle-D (with the straight line of the “D” on an angle). Standard ring sizes range from 1/2-inch to 4 inches. Most are made of brass, nickel or chrome and are available in a variety of colors.

Give turned-edge a turn. If your clients have high-end applications that require graphics, consider turned-edge binders. The covers of these binders, which can be constructed from leather, supported vinyl, canvas, paper and other materials, are wrapped around and glued to the binder’s board. With turned-edge binders, customers can feature 4-color, high-impact artwork on the covers that are offset, litho or digitally printed. In addition, turned-edge binders generally have a shelf-life two to three times longer than sealed vinyl binders.