Individualized custom binders

SpeedBinder can produce individualized custom, Full Color Binders. For three ring binders with impact, this is the way to go.

In this project, SpeedBinder produced a separate binder for each member of the Louisiana State University women's basketball team.

Be sure to ask about this special service when you call SpeedBinder for your 3 ring binder needs!

Moving Day At SpeedBinder!

Today is a big day for SpeedBinder: We are moving to our new, state of the art production facility!

SpeedBinder has experienced tremendous growth over the past two years. We believe this is because of our commitment to outstanding customer service, and dedication to the Internet marketplace. By working closely with our customers, we are able to bring "high touch" to the custom three ring binder business.

With our new facility, we are more than doubling our total square footage. We are also upgrading our customer service capability, with new phone systems, new computer networks, and a modernized work environment. All of these changes will help us serve our customers even better in the future.

We are very grateful for all of our loyal customers. We work hard to earn your trust and your business. In an industry where some of our competitors are struggling, SpeedBinder is growing. Thank you for your support! We look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come!

3 Ring Binders and World Trade

There is a lot of discussion in the news regarding international trade. Over the last several years, Chinese manufacturers have established a tremendous presence in the US market. Here at SpeedBinder, we have received several inquiries wanting to know more about where our 3 ring binders and other products are made.

SpeedBinder operates its primary manufacturing facility in Omaha, Nebraska. We are proud to say that our products are "Made in the USA"!

The majority of our supplies and raw materials are USA made as well. All of the chipboard in our binders is domestic, as is most of the vinyl. The only component that we routinely source from overseas is the ring metals. Those are all made in China.

We believe that this represents the best possible balance: Chinese manufacturers make the "commodity" item, and we use US materials and labor to make that commodity into a custom product.

Some binder companies are trying to source three ring binders from China. We have decided not to do this, and here's why: For custom projects, China can not compete with SpeedBinder on customer service, turn around time or quality. Simply put, we are better. For commodity binders (such as 1/2" clearview binders like you might find at Costco), Chinese manufacturers are indeed less expensive. However, SpeedBinder rarely sells based on price alone. We tell our customers that if low cost imported products will work for them, they should buy them. But if they need something special (different colors, etc), then they should stay with US manufacturing.

How 3 Ring Binders Are Made

SpeedBinder is a manufacturer of custom imprinted 3 ring binders. We make the binders from scratch in our own plant. Many times, customers have asked what our process is to make 3 ring binders. We thought this was a good opportunity to describe the process

This discussion will center on custom imprinted vinyl binders. Other styles (full color binders, custom imprinted poly binders) are similar.

There are four steps in the binder manufacturing process:

1) Material preparation: Three ring binders are constructed of vinyl and chipboard. SpeedBinder buys vinyl in large, 100 yard rolls. Chipboard is purchased in oversized sheet form. Both of these materials need to be prepared for the next step.

First, the vinyl is "sheeted out" and then trimmed to size. This is the step where rolls of vinyl are converted into sheets of vinyl. Here's a little fun fact: The rolls of vinyl used in the industry are 49" wide. That is not an arbitrary number: It is the exact width needed to get four binders worth of material out of each cut. No matter what size the binder (1", 2", etc), the vertical dimension is the same (a little under 12 inches). With 49 inches to work with, we can get four binders worth, and have a little extra left over for trimming.

Next, the chipboard is cut to the proper size. SpeedBinder uses a large, computer controlled paper cutter for this operation. Each cut is precisely controlled and automatically measured to the thousandths of an inch. The result is an extremely precist chipboard size, which results in a nice, tight fit in the binders. As a last step, the corners on the chipboard are rounded off in a special machine.

2) Heat seal: The next step in the process is heat seal. This is where the materials are stacked together, and then sealed at the edges to produce the shell for the binder.

The heat seal machines operate based on a large turntable. Operators work around the turntable, laying down the various pieces of the binders. As the table rotates, on of the stations has the actual heat seal press. This press is fitted with the appropriate die based on the specific binder being made. The die is warmed, then it is lowered onto the material. At that point, a high-power "radio frequency" circuit is activated, instantly heating the die and liquefying the vinyl. After about ten seconds, the power is turned off and the die raises. At that point, the excess material is pulled away, and a completed binder skin emerges.

3) Silk-screen: After the binders are heat sealed, they are silk screened. This is the process where the customer specific decoration is added.

SpeedBinder uses NorCote ultraviolet cure inks for our silk screen process. This ink is cured using a special conveyor belt dryer. By subjecting the ink to a burst of high intensity UV light, the ink is instantly dried. This allows the three ring binders to be handled immediately.

4) Riveting: After silk-screening, the ring metals are riveted into the binders.

There are numerous options for riveting: Standard rivets or concealed rivets, mount on spine or back cover, round or angle-D, etc. SpeedBinder does them all.

Once the riveting is complete, the binder is complete. They are then packaged and made ready for shipment.

We hope this description has been useful. Please feel free to call us at 888 338 0924 if you have any questions.

Catalog Binding Options

At SpeedBinder, many of our customers use custom looseleaf binders as their catalog publishing strategy. In this post, we try to describe some of the various binding options for catalog publication, and how looseleaf fits into the picture.

Publishing catalogs is expensive! Duplication and binding costs are significant, but don't overlook the base cost of preparing the camera ready artwork for each product. That cost is constant no matter what catalog publishing strategy you use.

Over the past ten years, we have seen a rise in the number of companies that are publishing catalogs on CD/DVD or on the Internet. Interestingly, we believe that that trend has peaked, and that more and more companies are returning to paper catalogs. The reasons are simple: Consider the typical "City Sales" counter at a distributor. If one manufacturer's product is in a paper catalog, and one is on CD or the Internet, who's catalog do you think the sales person will pull out to show to the customer? For general browsing, people still prefer paper!

For paper publication, there are three realistic binding options: Looseleaf, plastic binding, and perfect binding.

Plastic binding takes the form of GBC binding or spiral binding. It is useful for low volume jobs, where only a few hundred catalogs will be produced. It is economical and easy to do. Durability is mixed: GBC binding is prone to pull apart, and spiral can get caught and snagged.

There are two fundamental drawbacks with any form of plastic binding: First, the resulting book can not stand on its own. Second, there is no imprint on the spine of the book. Both of these mean that the plastic bound catalog has poor "shelf presence".

Perfect binding is the term used for binding that is similar to what you find in an ordinary paperback book. In sufficient quantity, it is very economical, although for smaller runs it can be quite expensive.

There are several drawbacks to perfect binding. The books will not stand on their own on a bookshelf, and it is impossible to replace individual pages. The entire catalog must be replaced for any change.

Looseleaf binders provide a flexible, long-term solution to all catalog publishing needs. The drawback to looseleaf is apparent: It costs more. But the advantages are many:

1. Looseleaf binders are free-standing. This means that your company name is on permanent display on your customer's bookshelf.
2. With looseleaf binders, you can add, remove and change pages quickly and easily. Many companies send a monthly or quarterly update packet to their customers and distributors. This promotes "front of mind" presence for the company.
3. Looseleaf binders lay flat and are easy to read.
4. Looseleaf binders are durable. In typical applications, custom vinyl looseleaf binders will last for years.

Taken as a whole, many companies are deciding to use looseleaf binders for their catalog applications. After the initial investment, they enjoy superior customer presence, superior flexibility, and lower long term costs.