December 2003: Versatile Pocket Styles

Two key goals for almost any information packaging product are 1)Ensure that information is well organized and 2)Create a design that’s functional and attractive. One of the best ways to accomplish both objectives is by including a well-designed pocket on your product. Pockets add versatility and convenience to items like ring binders, point of purchase displays, book covers, tote boxes and carrying cases. They can be designed to hold many different products, including pamphlets, books, business cards, pens and pencils, CD and DVD discs, calculators and more.

At Eckhart and Company, we can produce pockets in a wide variety of styles, shapes and sizes to meet the needs of your products. We’ll focus here on pockets designed for placement in vinyl or turned-edge products. To get you started, here are a few helpful design and planning tips to keep in mind:

Pockets for vinyl products - Pockets designed for placement in vinyl-decorated products such as ring binders are primarily heat-sealed, which is the same method used to enclose the vinyl around the binder board. Sealed-in vinyl pockets are created during the binder sealing operation. For that reason, sealed in pockets must be sealed using a common seal at the spine and/or the perimeter. Vinyl pockets are typically designed to match the color of the binder. However, a clear vinyl pocket can display held items such as digital media discs or business cards.

If you’d prefer a custom-designed pocket, a pre-sealed vinyl pocket can be done in a separate operation and then attached to the binder. Pre-sealed pockets are created with a die, and can therefore take almost any shape. There are additional vinyl pocket possibilities. Slit pockets are created by simply cutting a slit into the vinyl, while gusseted pockets have extra capacity for holding thicker items.

Pockets for turned-edge products – A variety of pocket choices are also available for turned-edge products. As with a vinyl-decorated binder, a pre-sealed pocket can be added to turned-edge products by attaching the pocket to a vinyl coated paper, which is then used to line the product. Other options include forming a pocket from thick paper or thin board and attaching with glue, die cut slit style pockets and many more.

The Eckhart Advantage
Regardless of what size, color and shape pocket you need, Eckhart and Company can help you plan for eye-catching design and efficient production. As a single-source provider for a complete range of information packaging solutions, we can easily integrate pockets with your products.

Back Issues

• April 2004 Turn Your Binder into a Display Piece
• March 2004 Material Options
• February 2004 Ring Binder Solutions
• January 2004 Our Capabilties for 2004
• December 2003 Versatile Pocket Styles
• November 2003 Create Attractive Dust Jackets
• October 2003 Point-of-Purchase Displays
• September 2003 Make Products User Friendly with Index Tabs
• August 2003  The Advantages of Prototypes
• July 2003  Creating the Perfect Package
• June 2003  Mechanical Binding Cover Styles
• May 2003  Custom Ring Binders
• April 2003  Mechanical Binding Options
• March, 2003  Award Holders
• February, 2003  Slipcases, Slantcases & Boxed Sets
• January, 2003 Serving Our Customers
• December, 2002 Media Packaging Options
• November, 2002 Ring Metal Options
• October, 2002 Customized Binder Options
• September, 2002 Turned Edge Possibilities