Unpunched Index Tabs (No Holes)

The deciding question is who makes the holes and when. If anything happens to the sheet after the tabs leave us, order them solid:

• A bindery will drill, coil or wire-bind after insertion — the punch pattern has to match the book block, not a standard three-hole
• Post, screw or Chicago-screw binding, where hole spacing is set by the hardware
• Comb, velo or spiral binding, punched as part of the binding operation
• Two-hole, five-hole, European or any non-US pattern
• The book will be trimmed again after insertion — a tab cut to size and trimmed twice loses its extension
• Loose reference sets, presentation inserts and shelf files that never go into rings at all

There is a structural reason beyond binding method. Holes remove material from the binding edge, and that edge is what carries the sheet every time a page is turned. An unpunched divider has nothing removed, so nothing to tear between the holes — the failure that turns a divider into loose paper.

This matters most in sets that get handled daily. If a set will be drilled later anyway, drilling it once, correctly, for the binding it actually goes into beats punching it twice.

Straight answer, because this is where suppliers get vague. The online designer offers two choices: unpunched, or standard 3-hole punching sized for a US three-ring binder. Those price instantly.

Any other pattern — two-hole, five-hole, European spacing, post or screw spacing, or a pattern matched to a specific book block — is custom work at our plant rather than a self-serve option. Send the quote form the pattern or a sample and we will set it up with you. We manufacture the tabs; we do not bind books, so the binding itself stays with you or your bindery.

Unpunched changes one thing only. All the rest of the specification is unaffected: any cut from 1/2 to 1/15, paper on 90# or 110# index stock with optional Mylar reinforcing, or solid .015 poly, 19 Mylar colors or 11 poly colors, one- or two-sided printing, and collated sets in your section order.

Mylar reinforcing is worth a thought on unpunched sets. Reinforcing protects the tab extension, which is a different edge from the binding edge — so a set can be both unpunched and reinforced, and for a book that will be handled for years, that combination is the durable one.

Minimum 25 sets with volume pricing past 1,000. Paper produces in about 5 business days from proof approval, poly in about 15. Purchase orders accepted by email with Net-30 invoicing, and we can ship directly to your bindery — just tell us where.

One request that saves a reprint: if the sheet will be drilled or trimmed after insertion, say so on the order. We will confirm the extension and edge allowance against what your bindery needs before the job runs.