While seeking inspiration for this column, I spread out in front of me a bunch of jobs we've done with our pharmaceutical folders. What a range-of the twenty or so samples, only one was actually an insert for a drug product. Just a few examples: there's a coupon for a cross-promotion from a major supermarket chain; a toothbrush/fast-food restaurant public service promotion (buy a toothbrush, support the charity); the clue sheet for solving a complicated, five-sided puzzle; and a tiny, little instruction book for a local credit union's telephone transaction service. And they're all just so darn cute!
Yet, for all their charm, I'm still amazed that such large sheets of paper can be folded down to such tiny sizes. How do they do that? Since joining Seattle Bindery, I've learned the miracle of the pharmaceutical folder. As the name implies, these mini-folders were originally designed for the pharmaceutical industry. However, they are widely used for printed products in many other industries-from entertainment, toy and cosmetics to high-tech, electronics and retail. Remarkable for its versatility, the equipment can fold an 8.5" x 11" sheet down to a size small enough to be inserted into a little box of film.
Many printers overlook these multi-folded products because they mistakenly assume they are limited to the pharmaceutical industry, aren't cost-effective and are too complicated to produce. These perceptions have driven many from a market niche that fits neatly alongside other commercial products.
Let me set the record straight. But first, some terms.
Inserts and outserts. The FDA technically defines those micro-type instruction sheets as labels. However, we call them inserts and outserts. These product information sheets (P.I.s, for short) can be one of the most complex pieces we manufacture: They have to contain volumes of legally required information and be small enough to fit into even the smallest package. Quite a challenge.
So, how do we meet the challenge? Having the right equipment is essential, since we must be able to not only guarantee accuracy in production, we have to do so at a competitive price. For example, there's a Rotoflex that automatically, and at high speed, 100% inspects and certifies printing throughout the press run. This press can find faults in missing copy, barcode placement as well as in ink density.
Beyond pharmaceuticals. While outserts are generally confined to the pharmaceutical industry, inserts, which don't need gluing, are needed by many diverse industries. They range in colors and sizes and typically have long run lengths, all of which should make them an attractive product line for commercial printers. Here are more details about projects we've done that illustrate the versatility of the pharmaceutical folder.
- A 4-color cents-off coupon for a large retailer had a run-length of 500,000 and was folded to insert into a film box. Soon after that job, we did a 2 million-plus run of an instructions sheet for a bio-medical product.
- A product information sheet for a manufacturer of a mini-tape measurer started with a flat sheet size of 5" x 1.5" and was accordion-folded to 1.25" x 1.5" to fit into the product's packaging.
- An elegant hang-tag for designer chocolate with a gold-embossed border and logo arrived 3-up and was trimmed to 3" x 1.5" and then folded to 1.5" x 1.5".
- A 4-color mail-in rebate coupon for a vitamin line, folded from 3" x 3" to 1.5" x 1.5".
These examples should alert you to the fact that there are multiple uses for this specialized equipment-uses that are natural extensions to products clients are already using you to print and finish.
No room for error. Next to having the right equipment, having well-established and compatible quality control systems is vital to any successful client-supplier relationship. However, particularly when specifying jobs using a pharmaceutical folder-with its extremely exacting tolerances-printer and finisher must not only have their own internal controls, they also have to be able to meld these systems so their respective operations are seamless and flawless.
As always, the upfront work involved in job preparation and communication between you, your vendor and your client is a critical factor in getting top quality product delivered to meet your specifications and deadlines. Help your customers ensure success by coordinating with the bindery early in the job preparation stage. The more you tell your finisher about how the product will be used, the better job the finisher can do in quoting and planning.
So take a second look at the packaging in all those tiny, little boxes you buy. Whether aspirin, chocolate, film, toothpaste, tape measures, games, vitamins-you might discover some new opportunities. Remember, good things come in small packages.
Milt Vine is president of Seattle Bindery, a post-production house specializing in
custom index tabbing in addition to bindery services including plastic spiral, Wire-O®
and perfect binding; folding; stitching; scoring; perforating and trimming services for
the trade. You can reach Milt at 206/682-2558 ©1997, Seattle Bindery.