How Paper Binders Can Benefit Your Business

How Paper Binders Can Benefit Your Business? The digital age was welcomed with open arms at first, when every new tech innovation brought a fresh wave of excitement. But more than a decade in, we’re being inundated with countless digital messages each day. This digital overload is exactly why consumers are now beginning to appreciate everything that print marketing has to offer. In fact, 3 of our 5 most recommended marketing materials are printed—not digital.

Paper binders are one of the most effective printed materials a business can use. With their astounding versatility and their ability to present lots of content at once, paper binders are print marketing’s answer to the digital age. Here’s what makes them so special—and why you should use them to promote your business.

Benefits of Paper Binders

1. Versatile designs

If you’re not familiar with commercial printing, hang onto your hats. You’re about to get a crash course in printing techniques, because paper binders can be printed in virtually any way you want—including textured methods that create cool 3D effects. You can emboss or deboss your design to create a raised or indented pattern. This encourages clients to interact with the design, because the unique texture will catch their attention.

You can also try foil stamping to add some shiny metallic elements to your brand’s logo. Most printers offer a wide variety of foil colors to choose from, so you can find one that matches your color branding.

If you need the print job to exactly match your brand colors, opt for PMS inks; these pre-mixed colors are also perfect for creating simple patterns, gradients, or large areas of colors. Or, try our personal favorite: CMYK printing. These original inks let you create amazing photographic designs or highly detailed visuals to help your paper binder engage clients’ imaginations.

2. Custom die-cuts

Most people think binders only come in standard sizes and shapes, like the ones you see in your local office supply store. But the truth is that paper binders are actually highly customizable. They come in more than a dozen original die-cuts, so you can choose to add pockets, info flaps, or other features to make your design special. For instance, you can find designs that have only one pocket attached to the front or back panel. There are even paper binders that have custom media pockets for DVDs, CDs, brochures, or flash drives. This lets you include digital elements in your printed marketing kit, giving you the best of both worlds.

3. Specialty coatings

Paper binders have another unique advantage: you can apply specialty coatings to the surface of the paper stock. The coatings have two purposes. Strong laminate coatings’ main jobs to protect the paper stock from ripping, damage, or liquid spills. But they also create cool textures that give your clients a strong sensory branding experience. Gloss lamination, for instance, is extremely sleek to the touch; soft-touch lamination has a more velvety feel. Each one of these coatings engages the senses of touch and sight at the same time, which can help clients, remember your brand.

4. Small ring sizes

When you buy binders at an office supply store, you’ll typically only see 2 or 3 large ring sizes available. That can be a big problem because—if your marketing materials don’t fill up these large rings—your papers can slip and slide inside the binder. That makes them more likely to get ripped or wrinkled and makes your presentation look unprofessional.

That’s not the case with custom paper binders; they come in small ring sizes like ½” or ¾” that are hard to find in stores. These smaller ring sizes let you create binder designs that are fitted to the size of your marketing kit. This keeps your papers safe, prevents them from ripping, and gives the entire packet a cleaner, more tailored look that’s sure to impress your clients.

5. Accessories

You may not realize it, but accessories are just as important to your marketing materials as they are to the fashion world. Luckily, you can deck out your paper binders with an array of accessories. One great way to do that is to select custom index tabs that match your binder’s exterior design for a unified look throughout your marketing kit. These dividers also separate your binder’s contents into easy-to-manage sections, helping you present information in a logical order.

Another option is to include smaller print media like brochures, sells sheets, business cards, or even promotional items like a branded ink pen. These trendy print marketing materials work in tandem with your paper binder, providing clients with information about your brand in a variety of ways. This helps hold their interest and makes them more likely to reach out to you later.

6. Portability

Paper binders are very lightweight, making them easy to carry or transport them from one place to another. You can take advantage of this by bringing binders to tradeshows or networking events and handing them out to your connections. Since the binders are so light, it won’t be any trouble at all for you to bring them to the event or for recipients to carry them around. They’re also perfect for business people who are always on the go. You can easily take a paper binder to a meeting, without adding extra weight to your briefcase.

7. Eco-friendliness

Paper binders are eco-friendly at every stage of their life cycles. Many are manufactured using recycled paper—and you can recycle them again when you’re finished using them. The U.S. produces over 250 million tons of solid waste every single year according to the Environmental Protection Agency, so when you invest in paper binders, you’re setting yourself up to help the ecosystem and reduce the amount of waste humans produce every year.

And there’s an added bonus: using sustainable marketing materials actually makes your brand more appealing to clients. Today’s consumers are concerned about the planet and want to make sure they’re taking care of it, so they gravitate toward businesses who share those interests.