MXPA97004025A - One piece separator printed by laser ray / it injection - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a one-piece separating assembly, which is folded along an edge for feeding in a laser printer, inkjet printer or photocopier, the separator comprising: a separating sheet having a joining edge, a region of binding edge of reduced thickness extending inwardly from the binding edge, and a main body having an integral flange extending outwardly, the separating sheet having a longitudinal bend line which it is inserted from and running substantially parallel to the joining edge, the joining edge region has a fold portion defined on one side by the joining edge and on the opposite side by the fold line, and a portion without bending; and a bonding edge reinforcing film that adheres to at least a portion of the bonding edge region, wherein the bending portion of the bonding edge region is doubled. on the fold line and the fold portion is easily glued with a single-use adhesive to the non-fold portion of the separate sheet

Description

SEPARATOR OF A PIECE PRINTED BY LASER RAY / INK INJECTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the field of index separators with tab for three-ring booklets and the like, and in particular to a tabbed separator through which the user can print personalized text using a normal laser printer, an ink jet printer, and ink, photocopier or other common printing device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The width of a separator with a normal index tab for a three-ring notebook containing 21.5 cm pre-punched paper sheets for notebooks is 22.8 x 27.9 cm (including the width of the flange). Unfortunately, many normal laser or inkjet printers or photocopiers can only accept rectangular sheets with a width of 21.5 cm. Accordingly, there has been a need for an assembly and accompanying method to conveniently print on the face and flange portion of a 22.8 x 27.9 cm spacer using a laser or inkjet printer, or photocopier, which has a restriction of 21.5 cm width One aspect has been to print on a normal 21.5 x 27.9 cm sheet, then adhere a pre-punched margin strip along one edge of the sheet. The sheet can then be inserted into a ringed joint. However, this provision is a bit inconvenient for the user for two reasons. First, for assemblies in which the margin strips are completely separated from the separator sheets, the user can store both components separately. The storage areas can get messy and the margin strips get lost. Secondly, the user must be very careful when attaching the pre-punched margin strip to the separator sheet. If the margin strip becomes misaligned, the user must re-position the strip or may even require disposal of the entire assembly, particularly if a permanent pressure sensitive adhesive is used over the margin. In addition, this arrangement is a bit unpleasant for the user because it takes time to remove a release liner from the margin strip and apply the margin strip to the separator. Common printers and copiers can have a thickness restriction, as well as a width restriction, due to the internal clearings and due to the tilt radii in the path of the sheet through those machines. Uneven thickness can cause twisting in the transport of the sheets through the printer and possibly a jam. Therefore, it is important to minimize non-uniform thickness over the entire assembly. Holm berg, patent of E. U.A. No. 4,447, 481 teaches that the assemblies for feeding common printers should have a substantially uniform thickness. It may be preferable to provide a laser-printable one-piece separator having the pre-punched margin portion already attached to or integral with the index separator sheet. In addition, there is a need for an easy-to-use printable index separator, which requires a minimum number of steps for printing and use.

In addition, there is a need for a separator, which may have dimensions of 21.5 x 27.9 cm or less for the printing stage, but which may be wider after printing, so that the flange will extend beyond of a width of 21.5 cm of sheet.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION Generally speaking, a one-piece separating assembly, which is bent along an edge for feeding to a laser printer, inkjet printer or photocopier has a separating sheet having a connecting edge. A region of longitudinal joint edge extends inwardly from the joint edge. The separator sheet also has a main body with a flange extending outwardly. The region of a binding edge has a portion without bending andadjacent to it and releasably attached to it, a bent portion. In accordance with other aspects of different embodiments of the present invention, a one piece spacer assembly may have a tie edge reinforcing film, which adheres to at least a portion of the joint edge region. A longitudinal fold line may also be included, which is inserted from and which runs parallel to the joining edge. The fold portion can be defined on one side through the joint edge and on the opposite side through the fold line. The bending portion may include one or more spaced ring apertures, so that the spacer may be inserted to a ring joint. The assembly may further include a flange reinforcement film member, which adheres to at least one surface of the flange. The flange or reinforcement film applied to the flange may have a coated surface that accepts laser printing, ink printing and photocopying. The fold portion of the spacer assembly can be reduced in thickness relative to the main body of the sheet. Similarly, the flange portion can be reduced in thickness, so that after lamination, the reinforced flange is comparable in thickness with the main body. According to a specific embodiment, a one piece spacer assembly can be bent over an edge to be fed to a printer. The separator may have a separating sheet, which has a binding edge and an engraved binding edge region extending inwardly from the binding edge. The separator sheet may also have a main body, which has an integral flange, which extends outwards. The separating sheet can have a fold line, which is inserted from and which runs parallel to the joining edge. The joint edge region may have a fold portion, which is defined on one side by the joint edge and on the other side by the fold line. The joint edge region may also have a portion without bending. The doubles portion may include separate ring openings. A binding edge reinforcement film may be adhered to at least a portion of the binding edge region. The fold portion of the binding edge region can be folded into the fold line, and the doubles portion can be releasably glued with a single-use adhesive to the non-fold portion. According to several additional aspects, the one piece spacer assembly may further include a flange reinforcement film member, which is adhered to at least one surface of the flange. The flange reinforcement film member may have a printable surface, which accepts laser, inkjet and photocopier printing. The bent separator assembly can have a width of approximately 20.9 cm, measured from the fold line towards the edge of the flange. Such dimensions allow a laser printer, which has a minimum margin of 1.27 cm to print 0.635 cm in from the flange edge. This provides a type of "false margin," which seems to exceed the minimum margin requirements of many laser printers. The tab can have a width of 0.952 cm with a corresponding main body width of 19.9 cm, so that a laser printer paper sensor, which requires a sheet size of at least 19.9 cm, will be able to perceive the assemble The binding edge reinforcement film can be stable in the presence of temperatures up to about 190.5-232.2 ° C that are generated within a laser printer. The fold line can be a marked line, or alternatively it can be separate indentations or even separate die cuts. In addition, the main body can have both a top sheet and a bottom sheet that are adhered therebetween. The upper and lower sheets can both be sheets of paper, sheets of plastic, or one of paper and another of plastic. A method for preparing printed index separators, from a laser printable or ink jet index separator, may be as follows. The index separators can have a sheet, which has a binding edge, a binding edge region extending inward from the binding edge, and a flange edge. The joint edge region may have a fold portion and a portion without bend. The method may include the following steps. A flange can be formed from the sheet, so that the flange extends from the flange edge. At least a portion of the joint edge region may be etched. The fold portion of the joint edge region can be bent over the non-fold portion of the joint edge region. The fold portion of the joint edge region may * be adhesively bonded to the non-fold portion of the joint edge region. The index separator can be fed to a laser printer, an inkjet printer, or a photocopier. You can print indications on the index tab. The fold portion of the joint edge region can be unfolded from the non-fold portion of the joint edge region. According to other steps, which can be included in the method, joint holes are formed in the joint edge region of the assembly. The fold portion of the joint edge region can be adhered to the non-fold portion of the joint edge region with a single-use adhesive. The flange can be reinforced with a flange reinforcement film having a laser-printable or ink-jet coating. At least a portion of the joint edge portion can be reinforced with a reinforcing film. A mark line can be provided in the joint edge region to adapt the flexion of the bend portion. The marking line may run parallel to the bonding edge, and the step of folding the bending portion of the bonding region may include folding the bending portion over the marking line. Other objects, aspects and advantages will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a laser-printable index separator having an index tab extending from one edge thereof, and a region edge with vents that can be bent; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken through section 2-2 of Figure 1, showing the unfolded, etched, binding edge and reinforcement index flange; Figure 3 is a top perspective view of the assembly of Figure 1 with the bend portion bent in the score line; Figure 4 is a sectional view taken through section 4-4 of Figure 3, showing the fold portion having been bent over the non-fold portion of the joint edge region; Figure 5 is a detailed sectional view of the bent joint edge region taken along section 5-5 of Figure 3; and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 2 showing an alternative embodiment of two sheets of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY Figure 1 illustrates a one piece spacer assembly which can be bent at the joint edge. The assembly is suitable for printing on laser printers, inkjet printers, photocopiers or other printers. The assembly 10 has a joining edge 12 and an integral, embossed binding edge region 14 extending inward toward the sheet from the joining edge. The assembly also has a main body 16 with an integral flange 18, which extends outwardly. A sheet of paper or cardboard 17 forms the structural basis of the entire spacer assembly 10. The joint edge region 14 can have a fold portion 20, which has spaced apart ring openings 22. The join edge region 14 it may also have a portion without bending 24. The bending portion 20 and the non-bending portion 24 are separated through a fold line 26, around which a bending portion 20 can be folded. The longitudinal bending line 26 it is inserted from and runs parallel to the joint edge 12. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the fold line is marked to improve the regularity and proper position of the fold. Said mark may be notches, cuts, or an individual indented line, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 is a sectional view taken through line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 2 shows that the bending portion 20 and the non-bending portion 24 of the joining edge region 14 are engraved or calendered. That is, the region of binding edge 14 is reduced in thickness a little relative to the main body portion 16. The region of binding edge 14 is also laminated with a reinforcing film 28, which is adhered to a surface of the joint edge region 14. Figure 2 also shows that the flange 18 is reinforced with a flange reinforcement film 30, which is adhered to both sides of the flange. In this case, the flange reinforcement film 30 is a symmetrical, adhesive coated member that bends and adheres to the flange in the line of symmetry of the reinforcing film member. The adhesive for the flange reinforcement film must be stable at temperatures of 232.2 ° C in order to remain stable in the environment with a high heat level of the laser printer or photocopier. Figure 2 further shows that the fold line 26 is an indentation line, which extends towards the separator sheet. Figure 3 illustrates the assembly of Figure 1, with the fold portion 20, which is also known as a fold flap, having been bent and adhesively glued to the non-fold portion 24. In this configuration, the assembly is ready to be fed to a laser printer, inkjet printer or photocopier. The printer will print on the flange 18 and / or the main body portion 16. The flange reinforcement film 30 can be provided with a laser-printable coating, which will receive indications of a variety of different printer. Figure 4 is a sectional view taken through section 4-4 of Figure 3. Figure 4 shows that the fold portion 20 is bent at the score line 26 and is glued with an adhesive layer 32 of single use to the non-fold portion 24. The purpose of this single-use adhesive layer 32 is to temporarily hold the fold portion 20 in the folded position of Figure 4, so that the assembly will pass through the printer without get stuck. In this bent configuration, the assembly is substantially flat and has a width of 20.9 cm measured from the edge of the bent portion towards the end edge of the index flange. Figure 4 also shows that the main body sheet may have a slightly reduced thickness in the flange 18 to help compensate for the thickness added to the flange reinforcement film 30. The reduction in thickness can be achieved with a normal calendering process. Figure 5 is a sectional view of the joint edge region taken along line 5-5 of Figure 3. Figure 5 shows that the engraving has reduced the thickness of the joint edge region, such as when bending portion 20 is doubled, the total thickness of the bent portion is approximately equal to the thickness of the main body of the sheet. Various embodiments of the present invention may have a greater or lesser degree of engraving. The general idea is to prevent the bent edge region from bulging upward to any substantial degree, thus causing a jam in the printer. However, the thickness of the bent portion may be slightly greater than the thickness of the main body. With respect to the materials, the following illustrative materials and dimensions are provided, for the purpose of illustration, but not of limitation. The assembly can be made from a single sheet of paper, which has a thickness of about 165.1 to 203.2 microns and about 22.8 cm wide. A suitable type of paper is Champion Paper Company with a base weight of 25.8 kilograms per 167.2 square meters. Various cartons and printable papers of various thicknesses are also acceptable. A suitable adhesive for gluing the lower tie portion 20 to the non-fold portion 24 is the adhesive 45858 Aqueous Fugitive Adhesive from Swift Adhesives Division of Reichhold Chemicals, Inc., of Reaearch Triangle Park, North Carolina. When moistened, this adhesive creates a good bond from paper to paper. However, when it dries, the joint will continue to remain until it is physically broken. Once the adhesive bond has been broken, as for example, after the user has unfolded the fold portion 20 from the non-fold portion 24 and breaks the adhesive seal, the dry adhesive is no longer tacky and will not stick to the adhesive. nothing. When it dries and is without glue, the adhesive is virtually imperceptible. The edge reinforcement film, which serves to reinforce the hole perforations 22, can be a strip with a thickness of 12.7-50.8 microns of transparent polyester film, coated on one side with a thermally active adhesive, which remains stable to temperatures between 190.5-232.2 ° C that can be generated inside a laser printer. Said film and suitable adhesive are available from Protect-AII, Inc. of Darien, Wisconsin. The flange reinforcement film, based on a polyester film of 12.7-50.8 microns, is coated on one side with heat activated adhesive, stable, to be attached to the flange portion of the separator sheet and on the other side with a coating that improves the ability of laser printing, inkjet or copier. A coating is available from Precision Coatings, I nc. of Walled Lake, Michigan. A number of companies have carried out the procedure of joining these reinforcement films to index separators, and the procedure is well known. One such company is Avery Dennison Specialty Products Division of Rolling Meadows, Illinois. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the edge reinforcement adhesive coating has a thickness of approximately 12.7 microns and the flange adhesive coating has a thickness of approximately 25.4, although thicker or thinner coatings may be used. It should be noted that both the edge and the flange reinforcement films must also be stable in the high temperature environment of today's laser printers. Consequently, the reinforcement films, coatings and adhesives must be stable at temperature, up to a temperature of approximately 232 ° C. However, if printers were developed that did not generate such temperatures, this requirement could be mitigated. With respect to the dimensions, in its non-bent position, the assembly can have a length of 27.9 cm by a width of 22.8 cm as measured from the joint edge 12 towards the most outward edge of the flange 18. The flange 18 can extend 1.27 cm out from the main body 16 and can have various lengths for various purposes, the common lengths being 8.2 cm for a group of three tabs, 4.7 cm for a group of five tabs and 3.1 for a group of eight tabs . The fold portion 20 may have a width of 1.90 cm such that, in the bent configuration, the assembly has a length of 27.9 cm by a width of 20.9 cm as measured from the folded edge toward the edge most outwardly of the eyelash. An advantage of having a folded spacer width of 20.9 cm refers to a limitation of some printers, which are unable to print within 1 .27 cm of the edges of a sheet with a width of 21.5 cm. This could prevent printing on a tab that exceeds only 1 .27 cm. A derivation of 0.635 cm possible with a narrower blade, effectively reduces this unprintable area to 0.635 cm, allowing printing on half of the flange. I ncrementando the width of the bent portion to 2.54 cm, the width of the folded separator is reduced to 20.32 cm, allowing printing on the entire flange. In this way, by increasing the width of the folded portion, the printable area on the flange is increased. A further consideration in choosing the width of the bent portion is the need to avoid the intersection of the holes 22, which extend a distance of approximately 1.27 cm from the joint edge. That is, the fold line should be inserted towards the main body from the inner edge of the holes 22. With all the considerations mentioned above in mind, a practical scale for the insertion of the marking line 26 is between about 1 .58 cm and 2.54 cm from the joint edge 12. The hole reinforcement film 28 (Figure 2) can cover an area that includes the mark line and which reinforces the assembly against break along the line brand and also improves the appearance of the product after unfolding. The thickness of the joint edge 14 is reduced compared to the main body of the separator sheet. This can be achieved by compressing the sheet, called engraving or calendering. Methods for etching papers and cartons, which typically use calendering devices having a calendering cylinder and an anvil roller between which the sheet is fed, are well known in the art. Ideally, the reduction in thickness will be more than 50% of the original thickness of the sheet, so that the reinforced and folded thickness could be equal to that of the original sheet. The difficulty of increasing the density of the paper beyond the density of the constituent fibers, however, limits the thickness reduction for a sheet of 165.1-203.2 microns to less than about 38.1-88.9 microns. This produces, after strengthening and bending, and thickness over the folded edge about 254-279.4 microns, which is close to the maximum thickness that most printers will tolerate. Although not perfectly coplanar, such sheets reliably will run through common laser and inkjet printers. If a higher degree of coplanar feature is desired, an alternative method can be used to create a thickness passage at the joint edge, wherein the body of the separator sheet is constructed as a sheet totaling a thickness of less than 254 microns. the main body of the sheet, and a sheet totaling a thickness of less than about 127 microns in the region of binding edge. In the embodiments shown, both the edge reinforcement film and the calendered or engraved film are made on the upper side of the separator. However, the engraving can be done on the back side of the separator, and the edge reinforcement film can also be provided on the back side. By placing the reinforcing film on the back of the assembly, there is a lamination from paper to paper, when the flap 20 is bent over the non-fold portion 24. This may be desirable in some embodiments. Figure 6 illustrates an alternative, laminated, two-fold embodiment, having a lower sheet 117 and an upper sheet 140 that is permanently adhered to the lower sheet. As with the previous embodiments, the embodiment of Figure 6 includes a joint edge region 114. However, the binding edge region 114 is a lower sheet extension 117 and is not normally engraved. The top sheet 140 is a little narrower than the bottom sheet 117, so that the top sheet 140 does not cover the joint edge region 114. The flange 118 extends outwardly from the main body of the separator, and is reinforced with a flange polyester 130 reinforcement film. The top sheet 140 and the bottom sheet 117 are typically bonded together with an adhesive that is stable against flow and degradation at high temperatures encountered in laser and copier printers. A suitable adhesive for laminating the two sheets together is Nicomelt L-2274, manufactured by Malcolm Nicol &; Co. other heat fusion adhesives may also be used, such as those sold under the commercial identification Bostik 4101. The binding edge region 114 includes a fold portion 120, a score fold line 126 and a non-fold portion. . As the embodiment of Figures 1-5, the manufacturer provides the embodiment of Figure 6 to the end user with a fold portion 120 bent over and adhered with a one-use adhesive to the non-fold portion 124. The top sheet 140 and the lower sheet 117 typically each have a thickness of about 76.2 to 101.6 microns and are made of paper. Alternatively, the top sheet 140 and / or the bottom sheet 117 can be made of polyester or other plastic. With at least one of the sheets that is made of strong plastic, there is less need to provide the binding edge reinforcement film 28, which is required for all paper forms. Preferably, the sheets 117 and 140 are both made of the same material, so that the separator will not be susceptible to curling when subjected to moisture conditions with changes. With the lower and upper sheets having approximately the same thickness, the separator has a substantially uniform thickness through the bent joint edge region and the main body of the separator. That is, there is no sudden increase in thickness at the junction of the bent portion and the main body, as there is typically in the form of a sheet shown in Figure 4. In conclusion, it should be understood that the above description, and the attached drawings refer to currently preferred embodiments. However, several changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In this way, by way of example and without limitation, any variety of materials can be used. For example, a thinner or thicker material may be used for the main portion of the separate sheet of laser-printable index. The flange 18 is generally integral with the main blade 16. However, the index flange 18 may be a separate component that is simply adhered to an edge of the assembly. The index tab 18 is shown in the Figures being on the right-hand side of the assembly. However, the flange 18 may be on other sides of the assembly. For example, embodiments of the present invention may be provided with tabs on top or bottom. The joint edge reinforcement 28 may extend over the entire width and length of the assembly. Alternatively, a second reinforcing layer of binding edge may be provided on the back side of the sheet. You can also provide assemblies of various dimensions. For example, some joints may have a width of only 12.7 cm and a length of 25.4 cm. The spacers can be appropriately dimensioned for use in said joint, or they can be sized to meet the requirements of any variety of other joints. In addition, the base sheet can be made of a plastic sheet stable at the temperature or polymer material. As another alternative, the flange portion can be formed by providing a pattern of micro-perforations, which define the flange edge and the flange portion. The assembly can be printed with micro-perforations still intact, so that a completely rectangular sheet is fed to the printer. The user will then be able to break the assembly along the microperforations to define a flange edge with a flange extending outwardly. Then, the user can discard the excess strip resulting from sheet material. It can be seen that "microperforations" typically refer to perforations, which have approximately 35 cuts and ties by 2.54 linear cm. "Microperforations" generally refers to perforations, which leave a substantially smooth edge when they break. Accordingly, it should be understood that the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, as set forth above, are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which should be inferred only from the following claims and their legal equivalence appropriately constructed, in Place of the given examples.

Claims (22)

1. - A one-piece separating assembly, which is folded along one edge for feeding to a laser printer, inkjet printer, or photocopier, the separator comprising: a separating sheet having a connecting edge, a region of binding edge of reduced thickness extending inwardly from the binding edge, and a main body having an integral flange, extending outwardly; a separating sheet having a longitudinal fold line, which is inserted from and which runs substantially parallel to said joining edge; said joining edge region having a fold portion defined on one side by said joining edge and on the opposite side by said joining line, and a portion without bending; and a bonding edge reinforcing film, which is adhered to at least a portion of the bonding edge region; wherein said bending portion of the joining edge region is bent in said bending line and said bending portion is releasably glued with a single-use adhesive to the non-bending portion of the separating sheet.

2. A one-piece spacer assembly according to claim 1, wherein the assembly further comprises a flange reinforcement film member adhered to at least one surface of the flange.

3. A one-piece spacer assembly according to claim 2, wherein said flange reinforcement film member has a printable surface, which accepts laser, inkjet and photocopier printing.

4. A one-piece spacer assembly according to claim 1, wherein said folded spacer assembly has a width between about 20.32 and 20.9 cm, measured from said bending line towards the edge of the flange, thus allowing a laser printer, which has a minimum margin of 1.27 cm to print, 0.635 cm or less inward from the edge of the flange.

5. A one-piece spacer assembly according to claim 1, wherein said bending portion includes a plurality of spaced apart ring openings. 6 - A one-piece separating assembly according to claim 1, wherein said binding edge reinforcement film is stable in the presence of temperatures of up to about 176.

6 ° C.

7. A one-piece spacer assembly according to claim 1, wherein said bending line is a m ark line.

8. A separating assembly of a single piece, which is folded along an edge for feeding to a laser printer, inkjet printer or photocopier, the separator comprising: a separating sheet having a connecting edge, a joint edge region extending inwardly from the joint edge, and a main body having an outwardly extending flange; said joining region having a fold portion and a non-bending portion adjacent to the bend portion, at least one of the bend portion and said portion without bending having a reduced thickness; wherein said bending portion of the joining edge region is bent over and is releasably glued to said portion without bending of reduced thickness.

9. A one-piece spacer assembly according to claim 8, wherein said assembly further comprises a tie-edge reinforcing film, which is adhered to at least a portion of the joint edge region.

10. A one-piece separating assembly according to claim 8, wherein said assembly further comprises a fold line, which is inserted from and which runs parallel to said joint edge.

11. A one-piece spacer assembly according to claim 10, wherein said bending portion is defined on one side by said joining edge and on the opposite side by said bending line.

12. A one-piece separating assembly according to claim 10, wherein said bending portion includes a plurality of spaced apart ring openings.

13. A one-piece spacer assembly according to claim 8, wherein said assembly further comprises a flange reinforcement film member adhered to at least one surface of said flange, the flange having a coated surface, which accepts laser printing, inkjet and photocopier.

14. A one-piece separating assembly according to claim 8, wherein said outwardly extending flange has a thickness, which is less than said main body.

15. - A one-piece spacer assembly according to claim 8, wherein said main body comprises an upper sheet and a lower sheet, said upper sheet and said lower sheet being adhered therebetween.

16. A one-piece separating assembly according to claim 15, wherein at least one of said upper sheet and said lower sheet is a sheet of plastic.

17. A method for preparing index separators printed from a sheet having a binding edge, a binding edge region of reduced thickness, extending inward from the binding edge, and a flange edge, said joining edge region having a bending portion and a non-bending portion, comprising the steps of: forming a flange of the sheet, such that said flange extends from said flange edge; reducing the thickness of at least a portion of the binding edge region; folding the bending portion of the binding edge region over the non-bending portion of the binding edge region; gluing the fold portion of the binding edge region to the non-fold portion of the binding edge region; feed the index separator to a laser printer, inkjet printer or photocopier; print the indications on the index tab; and unfolding the bending portion of the joining edge region from the non-bending portion of the binding edge region.

18. - A method according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises the step of forming bonding holes in said joining edge region.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein the step of adhering the bending portion of the joint edge region is achieved with a single-use adhesive.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises the step of reinforcing said flange with a flange reinforcing film having a printable coating.

21. A method according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises the step of reinforcing at least a portion of said joining edge region with a reinforcing film.

22. A method according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises the step of providing a longitudinal marking line in said joining edge region, said marking line running parallel to the binding edge, and wherein the step of folding the fold portion of the joint edge region includes folding the fold portion over at least said score line.