With the right artwork, professional printing, and the correct calendar binding, you can create a promotional calendar that stands out. It’s the best way to keep your business’s name in front of potential buyers every day, so make the most of it.
- Why Calendar Binding Matters
- Calendar Promotion Is a Great Idea for Any Business
- Why Calendar Binding Matters
- Saddle Stitch Wall Calendar Binding
- Spiral Binding Wall Calendar Binding
- Desk Calendar Wire Binding
- Desk Pad Calendar Binding
- Saddle Stitch Desk Calendar Binding
- Calendars are Time-Tested and Reliable Marketing Tools
- Get Your Calendars Printed
Why Calendar Binding Matters
The right choice of calendar binding can affect how your calendar looks, feels, and displays artwork. It can also make a difference in the printing and shipping costs. Here’s a guide to getting calendar binding right.
Calendar Promotion Is a Great Idea for Any Business
A calendar is one of the top marketing tools for any business. You get a high rate of return for your investment. Check out these facts about calendars:
- Studies find that most people believe a great-looking calendar is a sign of a successful company.
- Promotional calendars get over 1,000 looks over the year.
- 75% of calendar owners put them in a prime spot in their home.
- More than 50% of people keep promotional items that they consider high in quality.
Look around, and you’ll see promotional calendars everywhere. Why not make your name the one everybody sees all year long? The right calendar and the right calendar binding will make your name stick in people’s memory.
Why Calendar Binding Matters
Once you’ve decided that a promotional calendar is the right choice, you have other choices to make. Key among these is your choice of calendar binding. Binding affects the way people use the calendar, how it looks, and where it can be placed.
If you want to print a desk calendar, your calendar binding options will differ from the ones you’d chose for a wall calendar. The calendar size is another factor in the choice of binding type.
Typically, a wall calendar has a hole in the top center of each page that makes it easy to hang the calendar on a wall. However, different calendars work best with different bindings. Here are some common binding choices that can work for most promotional calendars.
Saddle Stitch Wall Calendar Binding
Saddle stitch involves folded pages that are stapled or stitched together. This is the most common calendar binding type. It works for any calendar where you want a clean, uncluttered look. Wall calendars with saddle stitching look unobtrusive while hanging, and they allow the artwork and calendar pages to pop.
Because it’s lightweight, a saddle-stitched calendar binding is inexpensive to mail in bulk quantities. It’s easy and affordable to ship boxes of these calendars with you to promotional events, trade shows, and conventions.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Lightweight for mailing or shipping
- Can travel with you
- Provide a clean look
- Allow artwork to take center stage
- Visually appealing
- Great for themed calendars
- Easy to store
- Range of sizes available
Cons:
- Don’t lay flat on a desk
- Not as sturdy as other binding types
Spiral Binding Wall Calendar Binding
A spiral coil calendar has wire or coil calendar binding that allows the pages to flip over completely. Usually, the calendar has a hanging hole. This versatile style can sit on a desk or hang on the wall. In this style, each page has a month on it, divided into squares.
One key difference between coil or wire calendars and saddle-stitched calendars is that the wire binding makes only one page visible at a time. Typically, these calendars have only a little artwork or small graphic elements. Spiral calendars ae versatile, but they don’t have the same visual appeal of saddle-stitched calendars.
Pros:
- Can be used on a wall or desk
- Will lay flat when open
- Great for jotting notes or reminders
- Come in a variety of sizes
- Sturdy and versatile
Cons:
- More expensive to mail or ship
- Bulky and difficult to store
- Not as visually appealing as saddle-stitched calendars
Desk Calendar Wire Binding
A wire-bound desk calendar is a smaller version of the hanging wire-bound calendar. It is a practical option for small spaces and for people who want to have immediate, easily visible reminders of what’s ahead that day or month.
A desk calendar is a small calendar that sits on a corner of a desk or a bookshelf. Its small size may not leave much room for artwork or for taking notes, but it provides a quick reference for busy workers.
Pros:
- Small and lightweight
- Can also lay flat on a desk when opened
- May double as a journal
Cons:
- May not have room for artwork
- Wire binding can be bulky and hard to store
- Expensive to ship and mail
Desk Pad Calendar Binding
Desk pads are so popular as office stationery that they’re considered essential equipment, like staplers, pens, and mouse pads. When creating calendar pads for giveaways, you’ll have an opportunity to get your name and company in front of the user every single day.
Desk pads are highly practical. They have a sturdy base—sometimes called a blotter–with two folder edges that allow the calendar pad to remain in place on a flat surface. The folder corners may be plastic, vinyl, or sturdy cardboard. Each page shows the current month divided into days. A desk pad may also have space on the side for a to-do list or notes. When the month ends, the user pulls off the page and reveals the next month.
Get professional help with desk pad binding
Desk pads are simple, but they come in standard sizes and should be printed on good-quality paper to avoid bleeding through to the next page. They tend to get heavy use from notes, doodling, and appointment setting, not to mention spilled drinks, bumps, and other work-related incidents.
To make the calendar pages easy to remove, talk to your printing company about binding with an adhesive. This should be strong enough to keep the pad together while still making it easy to tear off each page.
Desk pads are an outstanding marketing tool. Because they require high-quality materials and expert printing, they can cost more than other calendar types.
Pros:
- In-demand product
- Most people enjoy using them
- Considered standard office equipment
- Will get daily use
- Your name appears every day for a full year
Cons:
- Must use high-quality, durable paper
- Need to buy or supply the blotter pads
- More limited sizes
- Must be professionally printed
Saddle Stitch Desk Calendar Binding
A smaller version of the wall calendar, this is a compact calendar that folds into a box or triangle shape that fits on a desk. Some of these calendars are designed to open into a two-page spread that features the calendar days on one page and artwork or notes on the other. They have the same advantages as saddle-stitched wall calendars with the disadvantages of their smaller size.
If you like the idea of a smaller desktop calendar, consider printing a promotional planner. Planners are an outstanding promotional gift. Many professionals enjoy using them as a daily appointment reminder and progress tracker. Best of all, they are easy and affordable to print.
Calendars are Time-Tested and Reliable Marketing Tools
Many businesses use promotional calendars, planners, and journals. They work because they’re appreciated by everyone who receives them. Everyone needs a calendar, and attractive print calendars are used more than digital ones.
Calendars improve memory
There are good reasons for this. According to a study from the University of Tokyo, taking notes on a paper calendar improves your memory more than taking the same notes on a digital calendar. Paper calendars also make it possible to see your entire day, week, or month immediately.
Digital calendars have the edge when it comes to accessibility—they can be read anywhere on a smartphone—and the ability to share your calendar with others. For most professionals, a combination of both forms works well.
They’re attractive
People enjoy hanging calendars that are paired with beautiful artwork. To make a stronger impact with your promotional calendar, use attractive pictures paired with your company name, logo, and contact information.
Calendars last all year
Unlike brochures and catalogs that may stick around for a few weeks, a calendar is on the wall every day, and it hangs around for a full year. That’s 365 days of promoting your company name, usually in a prominent spot.
Get Your Calendars Printed
At Dazzle Printing, we know what it takes to print great-looking, useful calendars for any business. Contact us today for a free estimate.
