Hey, what are you thinking?
We’re not talking about drinking; this is a discussion about targeting the printing and bindery business surrounding the alcohol industry. Your friends at Rickard Bindery have noticed many of our jobs are related to well … spirits.
String Tying
Each year, millions of string tied bottle hangers are produced for the alcohol industry. Pieces are typically nicely printed small format products designed to influence consumers at point-of-purchase. Wines and liquors are the most common beneficiaries of string tying, but occasionally we’ve seen string tied pieces hung from larger bottles of beer and premium olive oils and soy sauces. (OK, we’ll keep it on alcohol from here.)
Here are some pointers to keep in mind to make your next string tying project a winner:
- Don’t punch into type
- The standard hole size for string tying is 5/32” diameter.
- Allow 1/8” safety zone away from the hole to assure that important copy isn’t punched.
- Hole placement is important: Most string tied products are punched in a corner. Holes typically start 1/8” from each edge and extend 9/32” into the sheet. These dimensions can vary, so please consult with your bindery representative prior to committing ink to paper.
- Important dimensions to remember include:
- Maximum flat size: 5-3/4” wide x 8” long
- Minimum flat size: 1-1/2” square
- Maximum stock thickness: Up to 1/16” thick
- Minimum stock thickness: 0.004.”
- Coated, cover-weight stocks work best.
The printed piece hanging from a string draping any kind of bottle comes in four styles:
Single piece. A single unfolded panel hanging from a string is an elegant understated way to get your message to a consumer.
Folded pieces. When one panel isn’t enough, a 4-, 6- or 8-page small format piece punched in one corner adds more printed space. If 6-page design is selected, make sure the inside panel is short enough to clear the punched hole, which usually extends 5/16-inch.
Stitched Booklet. Since the spine of a small format piece is short, usually there’s only room for a single stitch. Since the smallest stitching heads are 1-3/4” wide, any multiple up format with a backbone of less than 1-3/4” would have to allow for an additional margin between books to reach the minimum of 1-3/4”. As with all saddle stitched products, shingling of the inside signatures remains a constant issue even at such small sizes. Don’t forget to account for shingling in your layouts.
Pasted booklet. A cost effective alternative to saddle stitching is pasting a booklet of 6, 8, 12 or 16 pages. Leave ample gluing margins. Like any other binding method, be sure to keep copy away from the binding edge so it isn’t obscured. Leave at least a 3/8” margin between the backbone and the copy. While 8- and 12-page booklet layouts pose few problems, tricky 6- and 16-page layouts require proper planning Let Rickard Bindery help you plan your string tied pasted booklets early in the design phase to minimize production problems.
Neck Hangers (Neckers)
An alternative to string tying is a die cut bottleneck hanger, usually referred to as a “necker.” Neckers can come in single hole or double hole styles. Since die cutting is involved, necker designs can incorporate miniature folded panels, creativity limited only by imagination. A while back, we produced a liquor bottle necker with fourteen folded panels, each one reserved for a different recipes.
If your bottlenecker design has a “starburst” die cut neck opening, ask your bindery about nick placement. However, try to avoid starbursts when possible because edges catch, which increases spoilage and slows production rates.
Collateral Materials
Some alcoholic products have excellent accompanying collateral materials, all available for bidding to spirited printers. We’ve produced self-mailers, brochures, fliers, booklets, annual reports and just about any other collateral piece you can think of for the liquor industry.
PS. What does a printer say after having too much to drink? I’m louped.
The Rickard Advantage:
With two dedicated string tying machines & 3 shift operation, Rickard Bindery has the capacity and expertise to handle large and small jobs. Combined with our miniature folding, gluing and saddle stitching capabilities, string tying is part of a complete small-format production solution at Rickard Bindery. Contact us anytime to discuss your project parameters and to put our experience to work for you.
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