Ring Binder

Ring Binder

Ring binders (sometimes called files in Britain) are folders in which punched pieces of paper may be held by means of clamps running through the holes in the paper. These retainers are usually spring-loaded, frequently circular (some rings are D-shaped, others are actually rods), and may have additional latching systems.

Binders come in many standard sizes with respect to both capacity and paper size. Most countries use a two- or four-hole system for holding A4 sheets. The most common type in Canada and the United States is a three-ring system for letter size pages (8 1⁄₂ inches × 11 inches). A standard 8 1⁄₂ inch × 11 inch sheet of paper has three holes with spacing of 4 1⁄₄ inches. The lever arch system is particularly useful for larger amounts of paper. Many personal organizers and memorandum books use a six- or seven-hole system, including Filofax, the FranklinCovey Franklin Planner, and Day-Timer. These above mentioned systems have the rings on the left side of the papers as one opens the binder, but there are also binders that have the rings (concealed by the binder cover) at the top edge of the paper, reminiscent of a clipboard.

Most binder covers are made of three pieces, in the fashion of a hardback book, but are produced in many styles. Materials vary widely. Some vinyl binders have a clear pocket on the outside for cover pages, and many have pockets in the inner cover for loose papers, business cards, compact discs, etc. There are also zipper binders, which zip the binder up and keep papers from falling out. Some binders are stored in matching slipcases for greater protection; either with one slipcase per each binder, or one slipcase holding several binders.

It is also possible to insert the sheet of paper into a polypropylene sheet protector. The sheet protector already has the holes, so the document can be kept untouched and unwrinkled.