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From inserts the size of pennies to RTA folded marketing pieces the world of miniture pharmacutical folding is huge! |
Last month, we covered the general commercial segment of small format folding. Today, we’re turning our attention to a cousin of this post-press market, pharmaceutical folding.
The US demand for pharmaceutical products is very large. Not surprisingly, there are laws governing the dispensing of pharmaceutical information, and this has spawned a boon for the small format printing industry. Pharmaceutical insert (PI) volume is, frankly speaking, huge. As long as government regulations remain unchanged, our prediction is that demand for this specialty folding style will continue to grow.
What is Pharmaceutical Folding?
PIs are the printed pieces accompanying pills and other medicine. There are two types of PIs; the first is the material you’ll find in any prescription or over-the-counter drug you purchase. The second is the collateral material used by pharmaceutical companies used to market their products, usually affixed to promotional materials. While both are subject to good manufacturing practices, the former is held to the highest possible standard for quality and readability.
Typically, PIs are small format folded pieces printed on 27#, 30# or 33# offset. The thinness of this stock weight class allows for a large number of panels to be folded into a very small area. The most common final folded size is 1-1/8” x 3”. The number of panels within the insert and associated folding sequences can vary considerably.
Most PIs are closed with permanent glue because this reduces the chance of jamming high speed inserting/onserting packaging equipment further down the manufacturing chain. Most PI designs call for multiple panels to be left blank where glue is applied so readability isn’t impaired. When the end user opens a permanently glued piece, product fibers will tear, making the blank panels a necessity.
RTA Folds
The most common pharmaceutical fold is the RTA (right turn angle) folding sequence. Since this is a patented fold, make sure your bindery is legally allowed to produce the RTA style folding sequence you need.
(For more information on the appearance and uses of RTA folds, click HERE. Or, for more information directly from the Pharmaceutical Printed Literature Association, visit them at http://www.pplaonline.org.)
The Rickard Bindery Advantage
With 107 years of post press experience, Rickard Bindery is the right choice for your next PI project. Our advantage for you includes:
- A fleet of nearly two dozen small format, miniature and PI folding machines
- The legal right to convert PIs with RTA folding sequences.
- The ability to fold panels as small as 7/16-inch.
- Multiple glue heads compatible with small format folding machinery
- A convenient, centralized location in Chicago, IL.
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