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September 2003: Index Tabs  Ring binders are a great solution for consolidating a large amount of information that must be referenced often and changed frequently. That means many ring binders are filled with much more paper and inserts than a bound book. Organizing that information in an attractive, easy-to-use fashion can be quite a challenge, but user-friendly index tabs are a great way to solve that problem. Index tabs require careful planning in order to appear correctly. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when designing your tabs: Properly calculate tab size: Tabs are typically designed to appear evenly in banks (or rows). As the number of tabs in a bank increases, the size of each tab decreases. To determine tab size, start by subtracting 1/2” from both the top and bottom of the length of the indexed sheet. Then divide the remainder by the number of tabs desired. On an 11” sheet, for example, subtracting 1/2” from both the top and bottom will give you 10 inches of actual tabbing space. These 10 inches are then divided by the number of tabs required. For a bank of 4 tabs, each tab should be 2-1/2” long (10 ÷ 4). For a bank of 5 tabs, each tab should be 2” long.
Tab copy considerations: Tab copy should appear centered across the width of the tab. To determine proper copy placement, subtract 1/16” from each edge of the tab to make sure the copy will fit properly. In addition, subtract 1/32” from the bottom of the tab and then position your copy for best appearance. This extra margin ensures that your copy won’t be obscured by the sheets the tab divides. Want Mylar with that?: Mylar reinforcement can be placed at both the spine edge and tab area for extra reinforcement in high-abuse tab applications - a good possibility with most ring binder applications. Mylar is also available in many colors to complement the design of your binder. When planning tabs for Mylar reinforcement, be sure to use only wax-free inks and coatings to ensure proper adhesion. Also, let Eckhart & Company help you select tab stock. Overly-porous stocks may allow air pockets to form during Mylar application.
At Eckhart and Company, we can incorporate index tabs into any loose-leaf or custom ring binder project. Our “under-one-roof” production capabilities allow us to handle the full range of production for these projects, so give us a call to see how we can improve your next project with index tabs.
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