Two Minute Tuesday – Custom Binding Without Breaking The Bank

Custom |ˈkəstəm| adjective 1 made or done to order for a particular customer: a custom guitar. 2 insanely expensive compared to standard products!

OK, so I made up the second definition, but isn’t it true? My wife wanted to get those wooden farmhouse-style shades for our front windows. At first glance, they weren’t all that expensive…until we realized that our windows weren’t considered a ‘standard size’. The prices suddenly doubled and even tripled, putting them well outside of our budgeted amount.

Needless to day, we’ve learned to live with our miniblinds.

Custom products can be just as pricey in the printing industry; but there are some tricks that can save you time and plenty of money. With just a little extra effort, you can make plenty of custom products on your own. Here are a few examples:

Custom-Size Lamination Pouches – got a job that doesn’t quite fit in a standard pouch, but still want those nice rounded corners? Buy a standard-size pouch that is a little larger and use a corner rounder to cut the product to size.

Custom-Color Padding Compound – we carry white and red padding compound, but what if you want green, black or blue? Just take our standard white padding compound and add water-based food coloring.

Custom-Size Binding Elements – got a job that is less that the standard 11” length? Why pay a cutting fee? Use a pair of scissors (or in the case of wire, wire cutting pliers) and cut your own book to size. This works for most binding supplies.

Custom-Size Screw Posts – use screw post extensions for sizes that are in-between the standard sizes that are offered.

These are just a few options that can save you time and money. Can you think of any other custom tips that you would like to share?