Luckily, there are no tariffs on fresh air from Canada and no tariffs when we trade smiles.
Very Merry Christmas to all. Big Bad Wolf require Tariffs to be paid on Children’s Toys.
How can I make flowers last longer?
How to Make Flowers Last Longer: Practical Tips and Alternatives
Flowers have long been cherished as meaningful gifts that brighten spaces and express emotions—from love and friendship to sympathy and celebration. However, fresh flowers have a fleeting beauty, and their delicate nature can sometimes turn a lovely gesture into a fleeting moment. For those who want their floral gifts to endure or who need practical alternatives, understanding how to extend the life of flowers—and when to consider options like paper flowers—is essential.
Extending the Life of Fresh Flowers
To make fresh-cut flowers last longer, start with a clean vase and fresh water. Trim the stems at an angle and remove any leaves that will sit below the waterline to prevent bacterial growth. Changing the water every two days, keeping flowers away from direct sunlight and heat, and avoiding ripening fruit nearby can significantly slow wilting. Refrigerating flowers overnight can also prolong their freshness.
Choosing flower varieties that naturally last longer helps, too. Chrysanthemums, carnations, orchids, and sunflowers are noted for their sturdiness and resilience compared to more delicate blooms like tulips or daffodils.
Paper Flowers: A Stylish and Allergy-Friendly Alternative
For recipients with allergies or sensitivities, or simply for occasions where longevity and convenience prevail, paper flowers offer a charming solution. Unlike fresh flowers, they require no water, never wilt, and can last indefinitely as keepsakes. Thoughtfully crafted paper blooms can capture the elegance of roses, the cheerfulness of sunflowers, or the understated grace of orchids, making them ideal for gifting when practicality is paramount.
While fresh flowers often carry a stronger emotional impact, paper flowers excel in situations like hospital visits with restrictions, long-distance deliveries, or when the giver desires a gift that remains as a lasting memento.
Choosing the Right Flowers for the Occasion
Understanding flower symbolism enriches the gifting experience.
- Red roses signal passionate love,
- Yellow roses denote friendship, and
- Pink roses convey admiration.
- Lilies symbolize purity and renewal and are frequently chosen for sympathy, while
- Sunflowers radiate joy and optimism—perfect for birthdays or cheering up a friend.
- For birthday celebrations, bright and lively arrangements featuring daisies, tulips, or
- mixed wildflowers feel festive and heartfelt.
- On anniversaries, classic red roses or elegant orchids communicate romance and strength.
- Sympathy bouquets typically favor white lilies and chrysanthemums to express reverence and condolence.
Personalizing Your Floral Gift
Adding a personal note, selecting the recipient’s favorite colors, or pairing flowers with complementary gifts like chocolates or books can elevate the impact of any bouquet. Being considerate of allergies and preferences is equally important to ensure the gift brings joy and not discomfort.
Conclusion
Whether you opt for fresh blooms or beautiful paper flowers, thoughtful flower gifting balances tradition, symbolism, and practical concerns. By harnessing simple care tips or embracing artful alternatives, you can ensure that your floral gifts remain delightful and meaningful—long after petals would naturally fade.
Is Theft Legal in United States? You may be surprised. Yes It is.
Thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2006 eBay decision, big corporations can take a product developed by you and copy it without your consent or compensation. (It’s supposed to be good for “society”-Apparently good for the society of thieves)
To serve their “Vacation Donors,” the Supreme Court wiggled a way to transfer your wealth to the BIG cheese. Also, in direct defiance of the US Constitution’s Patent and Copyright Clause, they invented a clever way to introduce a ban on patents in the form of so-called “Judicial exceptions,” proclaiming certain technological patents as “ineligible” for a US Patent. Why do they do that? Do I need to elaborate on its connection to the area of interest of Big Tech?
You can patent certain technologies anywhere in the world, but not in the US. That’s why China is ahead of the US in technological development.
- The United States is witnessing a troubling decline in individual property rights due to a series of Supreme Court decisions and legislative actions heavily influenced by corporate interests, particularly from the tech industry.
- The landmark 2006 eBay ruling permits corporations to copy patented products without the inventor’s consent or compensation, essentially legalizing theft by Big Corporations.
- Additionally, civil forfeiture laws enacted in the late 1970s allow law enforcement to confiscate personal property—such as cars, cash, or homes—without requiring evidence or formal charges against individuals.
- Legislation like PERA and PREVAIL further threaten these rights by dismantling protections for property owners. Citizens must recognize these developments and advocate for the preservation of their property rights, fundamental to societal integrity.
You may read more about PERA & PREVAIL at https://usinventor.org/
ACT NOW. Sign the petition below to protect your interests.
.
The Paper Flower – Shopping for flowers to send to your Valentine
Shopping for flowers to send to your valentine, you may find a well-received and frankly less expensive option than the traditional full-fledged floral bouquet. Colorful, easy to mail in a flat envelope for a few cents. The Pop-up Flower.
There are a few designers ready to deliver a nice Colorful Paper flower. Of course, writing this and looking at the scene from my point of view, I have some bias and also a designer’s experience.
Watch out for:
- Size. Being involved previously in the design of Glass Christmas Ornaments, one thing will remain forever in my mind. The surprised remarks of clients looking for the first time:” THEY ARE SO BIG”. Our manufacturer, located in Poland, kept sending big samples because there was a legend about US customers preferring BIG. While quality glass ornaments tend to be quite expensive, size still matters.
- Very few people have the space to store them throughout the year. Big pop-up bouquets can be quite welcome at first, but due to the space they take up to display, they are withering in the eyes of the recipient and are disposed of rather quickly. Practicality matters.
- In my eyes, the focus should be on staying power. Detail, finish, and overall quality always help. People appreciate the craftsmanship and remember the sender. Of course, the kind of aesthetics you are going to choose from is only yours, and there is plenty to choose from. Not only the Flowers. For example, our Amelia Earhart’s pop-up paper airplane found its use as a boy’s Party Invitation.
- Be Prepared. Probably every man on Earth was reprimanded and enjoyed a couple of Silent Days because he forgot some anniversary date. My idea to prevent such a disaster is to have a Gift stashed for emergency measures. Pop-ups are perfect. Always Fresh, Easy to hide in a fold of a book. During one of our shows, we displayed a sign: How many birthdays, anniversaries, and Valentines are you facing this year? Arm yourself. It helped, since many people bought multiple pop-ups from us.
- Pop-ups are more than a flat postcard; not easy to forget or ignore.
- To help you out, below is a list of a few makers I prefer. I’m not necessarily focusing on Flowers.
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GRAPHICS3inc.com, Probably OLDEST in the US. They make pop-up cards powered up with rubber bands. Selling mostly to business Customers. Repeat business, since any business that has tried, enjoys double-digit response rates.
(They do not have many flower-related designs, but the originality and quality are the TOP)
SANTORO
https://www.santoro-london.com/
An extensive selection of various types of Pop-up Cards that you are not going to find anywhere else.
Me&McQ 3D Cards & Pop Up Cards
PaperBee.net
Or you can use SmartPaperCuts.com
To reach us.
We focus on Flowers, adding currently some Victorian-style Christmas Paper Ornaments. Ornaments because we enjoy Christmas. Paper is not breakable like glass, and delivers a similar experience when properly done.
There is much, much more, as you probably already discovered.
Like the Love popups, Fresh Cut paper, Pop-life, etc.
The reason I am not listing them here is that I am looking for the top quality, not the Vietnam, China-originated mass production stuff, which is sometimes quite nicely made but not very original. With designs based on 99.9% of the so-called Parallel Fold, or Trellis construction. Like the one shown on the right side.
When it comes to quality design, you may notice that, for example, all FreshCut pop-ups are photographed from the very front, to maintain the illusion of the 3-dimensional shape. The side view reveals the flats. They are exactly the issues I, as a designer, must pay attention to maintain a certain quality. Of course, if you like the look, go for it. I prefer to be “picky”
If you think I should list all, regardless of the overall quality, please let me know.
Jacek @ alfac.us
The popularity of paper flowers, no doubt, is growing, since recently I saw in Rome a few Paper pop-up bouquets made by an Italian company, claiming that they were the first to come up with such an idea. Good for them.
3 Ring Binder alternatives – Do you know the BEST?
Among many Ring Binder alternatives, there is one you probably do not know about: Ringless Binder. Searching for the beast, you are going to encounter a bunch of pretenders in a few shapes, like, for example, boxes posing as binders, clamps in every style and shape, trying your patience and fingers. So-called Data Binders, consisting of covers embellished with metal rails and armed with steel wires to clamp and keep. And a few others. Some, like, for example, strip binders, reside only in the EU. Some are in Japan and elsewhere.
The Ringless binder was born in Chicago, like the known to adepts, Chicago Screws, and is vying for our attention. It is a mind-boggling contraption consisting of simply a sheet of material with some cuts in both covers, forming two sets of flexible ties. No sign of metal clamps, prongs, or rings. You use it, you bind the sheet of paper, and then you forget about its existence. It is unobtrusive, thin like a piece of tear-resistant paper, and flexible. And it works, keeping in its basic version up to 350 pages, or 800 in its spineless version. No pretenses, just work.
Is it popular among its peers? As a newcomer sporting a thin, muscular silhouette, he is not welcomed among the heavyweights, fatso’s dominating the market. After investing 133 years of his life, The 3 Ring Binder certainly is not happy.
Ringless Binder is looking for work. It may be a perfect match for you.
The practical aspects of paper notebooks
- Regardless of the number of electronic devices we use, paper is inescapable.
- For example, a bunch of documents generated by a real estate agent is not going to be handed to you with an iPod or a flash/USB drive.
- Same with many other industries. Banks, Insurance companies, loans, etc.
- There is, of course, a DocuSign, and competition, but every professional is going to tell you to keep the printed paper documents since the hard drives, etc., may not survive a long period.
- Probably you already regret that you did not print some family photos, lost already in the junk space of disposed of and dead memory discs.
- That’s why we offer the latest, modern rendition of the Grandpa Ring binder – RINGLESS BINDER. Using paper, you are not going to lose much; you can always scan and OCR your notes.
Our song, a light-hearted reminder, explores the practical aspects of paper notebooks.
Some people will recommend a Compendium notebook. Why do you need a paper notebook?
Here is the answer.
Our everyday pursuit of new electronic devices is not changing the fundamental facts about real physical interaction with writing materials and the obvious benefits it offers.
No tired eyesight, no screen glare, no compatibility issues, and no battery running out.
If you spend your working life in front of a computer, you may reach a point where it is simply no longer possible to continue. In my experience, Pinhole lenses provide relief by reducing reflections and the amount of light.
And this is the point at which we require a digital detox.
It is more pressing and real than most of us would think.
Christmas is gone and Grinch is well
My Christmas tree is full of ornaments.
- All of them are memories not of better times, but better hopes not marred by the view of the Grinch spirit dominating today the landscape of North Pool (pardon North America).
- Regardless of whom you voted for, everybody has to eat.
- The HOPE I had created a company designing glass Christmas Ornaments, and subsequently dealt with an economic downturn during our last Great Depression, in 2008, which led to its closure and the start of a new business.
- This hope is not gone, lingering somewhere in my mind, not willing at any price to give up. A parade of Grinch-like figures decorating this nation’s prominent display doesn’t pay attention to ants like me and you. I have the hope, but you?
- Sedition is the only word that comes to mind when I watch reports about tariffs imposed by an unstable individual who has already declared six bankruptcies and who is supposedly supposed to fix our economy.
Popups undying love. Pop-up lovers at bestpopupbooks.com
As long as they exist, popups enjoy undying love. New generations of fans confess to it all the time. From time to time, I discover a new one. But like in real life, you have to approach the object of your desires with caution. Otherwise, you risk rejection.
This is what happened to one of the enthusiasts around 10 years ago. I still remember his enthusiastic advertising campaign. Listings of his pop-ups are to be attached to the top of gift packages and the pop-up book development. Then, after a year or so, he disappeared.
I learned my lesson at the same time as my designs enjoyed quite a warm welcome during the “National stationery show.” 2010 Still, even though I collected a few orders when shipping time came, nobody accepted the orders. In 2010, the industry was still in turmoil, with more than 50% of small retailers going out of business.
I switched to more appropriate time ventures and spent some time developing new document binding technology. (Ring-less binder eliminating metal rings and other metals from the ring binders. It works well, and now I am looking for a licensee. Still dealing with paper. During the last few years, I have seen a resurgence of interest in pop-ups. A good example is the bestpopupbooks.com doing a great job introducing paper engineering enthusiasts to the world of paper engineering enthusiasts.
I am the King and the Pope. Donald Trump singing a song.
Not all of our paintings have live content on YouTube, but we hope to change that.
Current events force everybody to have their point of view. Here with a humorous side. We publish it because we all deserve a few-second break from the constant stream of messages about the coming doom. Nobody should be surprised if you remember the “First Coming” and the unsuccessful attempt to raise our Health Insurance costs by $14,000 per person per year by killing Obamacare without a replacement plan. Luckily, John McCain saved the GOP from itself. Unfortunately, he is gone….
Ring binder in the world of paper: My notebook.
A ring binder has no place among notebooks. My notebook is quite unusual.
- It is not a notebook per se.
- It is a binder, but without the rings.
- The designer replaced rings with ties.
- In addition, since the ties are flat and really unobtrusive, he managed to add a second set of ties to the front page. With this unique arrangement, I can divide the paperwork into sections.
Since there are no rings, the designer calls it a “Ringless Binder.”
One of the ringless binder fans. Mrs. Page likes it so much that she dedicated a song. She doesn’t care about Tablets, since, as she says:
- No Tablet shall last as long as Papyrus or Leonardo’s drawing done on paper.
- Paper shall outlast anything. No fumbling with switches, no battery or software problems.
- No energy expended.
- No difficulties with eyesight after prolonged use.
- Green.
You may try it yourself. Ringless Binder.
St Nick singing about Tariffs girls and boys will pay for their toys
Depicted in one of our pop-up cards, St. Nick decided to show his skills in the pop-up songs. As of today, his message is quite relevant. Especially when the Grinch is trying to expand his powers. Only 1-2 dolls per girl are OK for Grinch? Even if you decide not to see our St. Nick in person, you can still send a link to this short video to your friends to pop up a smile during these rather dark times.
Ring Binder Problem? Ringless binder solves them!
Why we bother with Binders? Regardless of the digitizing effort, we see around, paper documents are irreplaceable. No iPad will last for decades. We went already through the CD-era, and most of the discs you still store are inaccessible. Same with hard drives. People recognize the drawbacks of new technologies.
Let’s compare: Ring Binder. Heap of vinyl combined with a complicated metal mechanism vs. Ringless Binder, a sheet of paper with a simple arrangement of flexible ties.
In the below illustration, the Ring Binder is empty but still takes more space than full ringless binders using adjustable ties instead of rings. Who needs the Rings?
| Ring Binder | Ringless Binder |
| Misaligned Rings | Ties replace rings |
| Rings are always in the way of the hand trying to reach the opposite page, | Hard to notice Ties. Ties are flexible and low profile. |
| No way to flip through the pages quickly, | A breeze to Flip through the pages |
| Hard to store. Empty or full, Big Spine takes the same space. | Never exceeds the thickness of the bonded documents more than the thickness of the paper it is made from. |
| Brick-like handling comfort | Flexible |
| Hard inflexible covers | Cut from a sheet of paper. |
| You must specify the thickness and choose one from several sizes. | A basic Bind-book takes up to 350 pages, or you use a Spineless bind book to bind any amount of pages from 0 to 800. |
| In the Bindbook, You may divide your paperwork into separate sections. | |
| Replacing the vinyl cover with a craft paper finish doesn’t make the product eco-friendly. | Eco-friendly. Requires only 20% of the weight of material needed to produce a comparable ring binder. |
Can you imagine a simpler binder? A plain sheet of paper with few invisible cuts. Cut imaginatively. No rings. No complicated metal mechanism, and it binds hole-punched documents anyway. Of course, we do not show detail in this illustration for obvious reasons.
Divide your paperwork with three spines bind-book
Requiem for the Lady / Painting “Dissolving in Covid-19”
“Floating through the Covid” Everybody remembers the feeling of hanging in space without ends and borders. Waiting for the time to end during COVID-19, I painted the Lady Hanging in the air. Dissolving in the COVID-19.
And Now she is gone. Olivia took her home. I still remember my dream which prompted me to create the image. The floating around time I spend to create it in the best form I can. And now all my effort in creating is in possession of Olivia hands. I hope they are going to be happy together. As a creator, as a parent, I understand that our kids must grow and be on their own. But….
By, By, The Covid lady.
Jacek
Kisses from the Sky – song by Angel-pop-up card
Our Angel-pop-up card decided to sing.
- No one could stop her, so here she is.
- In this world of morbid events we have experienced lately, we hope it will bring a smile to your face.
- You may E-Mail the link to your VALENTINE.
Eco-Friendly Binders with No Rings to replace Ring Binder?
Are you looking for Eco-friendly Binder?
A quick search on the internet reveals a few Kraft paper-finished Binders with the Eco description attached to them.
I wonder why we call them ECO.
Because of lack of better option?
The Vinyl or other Plastic covers are replaced with paper. But the complicated metal mechanism presenting the sharp tooths of metal rings is still there— and the heavy covers and the mechanism weigh a lot. Plus, there is a never-ending headache: What size should I buy?
| 0.5″? | 1″? | 1.5″? | 2″? | 3″? |
What would you do presented with a binder without all the above headaches?
Ringless binders with tabs
This Binder reduces 80% of the materials and waste used for the Ring Binders.
No Spine and NO Rings still perform the same function and are much more pleasing because of their flexibility.
They come in two Flavors.
| 0-2″ Multi-binder. Two sets of ties bind two sets of paperwork. | 0-3″ up to 6″ Spineless binder |
 |
 |
Both weigh around 2 ounces and are cut from a flexible sheet of tear-resistant paper.
The Eco trend is here to stay.
Visit us at SmartPaperCuts.com or ETSY.
how many school supplies does your child really need in Idaho?
I recently read a post by KAT, Idaho’s proud parent of a school-age daughter.
There are funny questions about the availability of medical help for kids carrying backpacks heavier than themselves, the number of 3-ring binders of all sizes littering her closets, and the abundance of other school supplies lingering in her house.
Very few people take on this subject since most of us take the reality as it is without a word of protest. There is no alternative, they think. Even if they would go outside marching with signs protesting the terror of school supply reality, there is not to hope much somebody will help.
Years ago, when going to school, I used one copybook, always starting with the first page during each lesson and tearing it out to have it new and fresh for new upcoming subjects. How did I get away with that? God only knows what smart kids can do to survive school.
My creative use of paper did not end there.
Being always a fan of paper and paper-made things, I won the school competition by constructing a Steam engine model from paper. At my older age, I concluded that paper printing and distributing flyers and papers about communist government activity was a good idea.
The fate of similar Paper addicts followed…
So being an expert on “PAPER, or rather paper addict, ” I can offer KAT advice.
Do not use Ring Binders. Instead of the long selections of Colors and sizes and misaligned rings and Spines dominating your landscape, use a “ringless Binder.”
I devised it as another paper to hold the leaflets. Yes, a Single sheet of paper with a few ties cut into the covers holding any number of pages and not exceeding the thickness of the stack, not even a fraction of the inch like the ring binder spines DO.
No metal rings, parts, heavy covers, and spines. Just a plain Flat sheet of tear-resistant paper.
It is an ECO-friendly contraption eliminating 80% of the material normally used in a ring binder.
It will reduce the stacks of used and unused binders to a few discreet pages in your situation.
I am sure your kids will love the fact that the Ring binders are gone and, no doubt, will finish off the ringless binders very quickly, so there will be no residue left in your closets after school years. They are Eco – recyclable.
Can you imagine? You do not tear apart pages anymore.
You can remove and replace them in quite an orderly fashion. I wish I had one years ago.
And they are Flexible and Soft to the touch.
Jacek
The Paper Addict.
Visit us at SmartPaperCuts.com or on ETSY
Why choose No Ring Binder?
You may think I am talking about a ghost since no product is available to fit this description. But you may be wrong.
There is one using ties instead of rings.
Recently I read an article hailing the advantages of 2 rings binders over three rings binders. According to the author, with two rings is easier to flip through the pages. The author also extensively discusses the benefits of the ” light-touch lever-arch mechanism with an easy-grip rubber handle.” There is also “A unique ball-and-socket ring closure” and “locking bar mechanism” The description is long and complicated enough to fall asleep before you finish the sentence.
You may skip all this boredom and go straight to the no doubt more sexy “NO RING BINDER.“
It is SIMPLE. Cover with a couple of ties cut into it.
IT IS EASY TO FLIP THROUGH THE PAGES like a notebook since it has no sticking-out rings.
As an additional benefit, I should mention that the basic version of the NO RING or RINGLESS Binder comes with two sets of ties, each assigned to the left edge of the respective cover. It is possible because the FLAT ties don’t stick out of the cover plane, even one millimeter/fraction of an inch. So, You may divide your paperwork. For example, Your calendar/organizer on the left and your notes on the right.
It is a unique solution, Notebook, and Binder in ONE.
If you are in doubt, check the video below.
The Binder shown in this video is a “Single Spine” (single set of ties) capable of handling up to 150 pages.
Two spines (two sets of ties) Binder’s main purpose is to handle up to 350 pages of your paperwork. And then there is the
Spineless version, capable of handling from 1-800 pages. One sizes takes all without the ring binder headache forcing you to choose one of the several sizes (1/2″,1″,1.5″, etc.)
Try One.
With no rings, there is no Spine.
Would you use Ring Binder, or Ring-less binder?
Have you ever received a dirty look from a fellow you just handed a collection of papers kept together with staples?
The wire not flattened enough by the stapler hurts.
Bloody fingers do not add to the positive impression of your offer.
It seems stingy. Didn’t it?
But being serious, how many of us were forced to use ring binders as early as in school and hate the brick-like contraptions? The rings are always in the way of your hand reaching the opposite page and the spine. The spine sticks out like a mountain, blocking the view and taking up your storage space even if it’s half empty.
You may collect the full display of negative emotions toward Ring Binders here and there when searching the internet and blogs dealing with organizers. Teachers and students share their solutions to avoid and replace the infamous Ring-binder. They discuss: the disc-bound notebooks, Chicago screws, metal prongs, and a variety of other solutions designed with one goal in mind: to make it FLAT.
The rest of the adult population seems to have given up their hopes, seeing no solutions.
But there is a Ring-less binder developed in Chicago. It contains no metal parts of any sort visible among competing solutions. Cut from a flat sheet of reinforced paper. No sticking out pieces, rings, or prongs. Nothing can hurt your fingers, and it binds any number of leaflets effortlessly. One universal size replaces the usual selection of ring binders designed for a specific number of sheets.
When I asked the designer why he spent his time designing solutions for the office supply industry when every CEO is eyeing electronic files and computers as replacements for paper documents, he said:
A piece of paper can last for hundreds of years without a power source. Can you find a similar hard drive? You print your family pictures to preserve them on paper. How many have you lost when kept in memory of your electronic devices? Of course, electronics have their role, but they are not solutions for everything.
Kids still go to school, and we all use tons of paper. We need a hard copy here and there. Where would I keep my records when all my hard drives for the last ten years are gone? I do not have to worry about compatibility or power supply with paper. Plus the cost. It is just a fraction of a penny per page.
There is a future for paper, but not everybody has enough imagination to see it. Certainly, it is time to offer something better than the museum quality 133year-old contraption (ring binder) created at the time the first steam engines entered the world. For those paying attention, it is clear that the public is searching for a replacement.
The big behemoths of industry in the US have no interest in upending their already existing sales and offer a simpler, less expensive, and very competitive to their offer product. As you probably know, competition in the US died under several decisions of the Supreme Court promoting the interest of Big tech. Infringers who have no interest in promoting competition to their well-established offerings. That is why many new products already available elsewhere will never have any chance of showing up in the US. As an inventor, I have bigger hopes in the EU since there is no anti-patent Big Tech lobby and no PTAB invalidating 84% of all nationally issued patents. In the US, small companies are quickly extinguished by big tech moneyed competition and domestic or Chinese infringers. At a certain point, when you see all roadblocks in the US, you start to think: What we inventors do here is out of desperation, not hope, knowing full well that we should look to have a startup and hope to survive elsewhere outside the US.
I know well the plight of independent inventors in the US.
The Supreme Court has made several inventions: “Patent ineligible” in direct defiance of Congress-made statutes and the U.S. Constitution’s Article I, Section 8, Clause 8. Plus, there is PTAB. Established by the 2011 Leahy Smith American invention Act, patent review board is known as the “Patents Killer squad.” PTAB is invalidating 84% of issued USPTO patents at the request of the competition. For people looking for more info, you should start searching for information about “Efficient Infringement,” describing how big US and Chinese corporations kill competitive startups in the US.
Suppose you wonder why you can have patents for certain types of technology abroad when, in the US, it is forbidden. I think the answer is clear. Big Tech doesn’t want competition.
We wish the designers good luck finding their future – but Abroad?
Do we wonder why 50% of foreign fillers in the German Patent office are from the US? With the EU unitary patent court and a pan-European patent on the horizon, the outflow from the US may only increase.
Do you need more information? There is a movie, INNOVATION RACE, explaining the basics. How China is winning the race we are losing.
It would help if you considered it your patriotic duty to support HR 5874, Senator Massie’s RALIA bill, by tossing away all the misgivings of the Supreme Court into the US patent law and creating conditions to restore US competitiveness.
Sorry, I should write about the Fellow with a bleeding finger handling my paperwork, but… More blood comes from other directions.
J.T.
The Guide to the best Ring-less Binders
The idea of a Ringless binder is an expression of desire by people craving a binder without the pain of the rings. The actual product, PER SE, did not exist for the last 133 years since the Rings were invented. The expression is mainly used by young people still hoping to find an alternative to a ring binder, and is sometimes used by marketers who are aware of that.
And there are attempts to right the wrong in the ring binder:
-
It did not escape the attention of designers at the five-star ACCO Brands, creating Flex Binder. “It acts like a notebook and binder. The plastic cover folds back over the rings to lie flat like a notebook. Substitute designers used Ties made from steel wire covered with plastic as rings. 1 1/2″ rings hold up to 300 sheets.” Yes, you may call it Ring-less, but the metal wire seems like an overkill, not fulfilling the promise of a flat binder. By addressing the fixed dimension problem of a ring binder, the product is sought after among students in the US.
From our point of view, being assembled with steel wire and other heavy components, it is overkill to use pounds of steel to bind ounces of paper. Still quite cumbersome to handle, almost like it’s an older brother ring binder.
The second iteration of the Ring-less Binder is available in the EU. Not universally known among users and sold
under different names:“Strip-Binder“ or “Loop File”
- I think the lack of one easily recognizable name leads to struggle in the market. Four major companies in the EU produce it. You may bind up to 30-50 pages max, and it is flat and quite handy, but the plastic prongs tend to bend uncontrollably when used extensively, rendering the whole thing useless.
From our experience point of view, this is quite a handy gadget, but as users report, it doesn’t last very long. -
3. Sold in the EU. Q-Connect Transfer File 35 mm Capacity Foolscap Buff or “Transfer Spring File.”
- Spring binder for secure storage and reorganization of documents
- Spring clip mechanism: insert and remove papers quickly
anywhere - The compressor bar keeps records neat
- Easy access to files for quick reorganization
- It fits A4 and foolscap documents
- Capacity: 35mm. (1.37″)
With a maximum capacity of about 240 pages, it serves the user better than the “Loop file.”
- Then there are the springs and the metal mechanism that make it flat impossible.
ACCO Presstex Hanging Data Binder, 12″ x 8.5″, 6″ thick
The 6″ (15.5cm) (to carry 11 pounds / 5kg) of paper is Impressive but complicated. Online reviews indicate that not every user can follow assembly directions.
Then we have the mavericks.
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Fastykula “FASTYKULA “The impossible-to-pronounce name describes the binder used in archives in Poland.
It binds several pages perfectly flat thanks to an uncomplicated combination of Covers and ribbons. We like its lack of pretense—a simple and effective solution.
The last on our list today is the “Ringless Binder.”
Made from a tear-resistant, flexible sheet of paper, it no doubt fits the ringless description, delivering the same utility as a ring binder with ties instead of rings. The big spine covering the rings is gone, and the empty or full binder is always flat without the added pleasure of dealing with the spine present in ring binders.
There is one more big difference between Ringless Binder and the rest,
Ringless binders may have more than one spine.
Thanks to the flat, unobtrusive profile of the binding ties, it increases the number of bound documents and allows multiple spines to divide papers into separate sections. A remarkable phenomenon in the office world. It comes in various versions.
1) Binder
2) Multibinder Two Spines 350 pages
3) Universal Binder, two Spines, 350 pages. It has additional ties, allowing it to be used to bind two holes punched paper. (Prong binder)
4) Spineless Binder, 800 pages plus
We think this unknown “Ringless Binder,” “bind book,” “multi-binder,” or whatever name its designer applies, is the easiest to use of all the listed above.
* It delivers the Binder – notebook combination most users are searching for. (No sticking out rings)
* Delivers the additional new benefit of a second spine, allowing the user to divide the paperwork.
* Its one-size Spineless Version replaces the whole gamut of different thicknesses of ring binders. Being able to bind continuously any number of pages from 1-800 (No need to estimate what thickness of ring binder I should use)
* Since it eliminates all metal parts and 80% of the weight of materials used for comparable ring binders is ECO-Friendly.
How to find it? You may Google Ringless Binder. Among the results, you will find some links.
Sold on Etsy and PaperBee.net
Most manufacturers dress ring binders in Kraft paper finish and claim it is ECO-Friendly. Eliminating the poisonous vinyl, Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) from covers is a step in the right direction, but what about the Metal parts? Here we have a product delivering full functionality using only 20% of the materials used by competing solutions and eliminating steel/metal parts with a high carbon footprint.
ring binder notebook
Ring Binder Notebook
The three words are like a mantra, always repeating wherever I am looking.
From what I see. In simple translation, the three words are expressions of incompatible wishes. No Ring binder will pass as a notebook.
Yet you can find sellers offering something that appears to be Gun forced marriages. Except ONE. The Ringless binder!
New kid on the block. Good-looking, Slim and thin (like most youngsters), have no Big belly hiding the Rings. Instead, Flexible ties emerge from a flat sheet of tearproof paper. They fashion colorful covers with sometimes animal images, which is Good for youngsters. Finally, they can take their favorite pet to school and will not be chastised for that. One of them fashions a Title “Supreme Cat grab folder.”
As the designer/artist explains. It is in honor of the US Supreme Court Judges grabbing whatever they can from our rights like, for example, the right to possess fruits of our labor (Oil States VS Green energy April 24, 2018) In essence:” You are an Inventor, You build something, You spend time and money and to your surprise, it belongs not to you it is own by the government.” As the designer claims the “Supreme Cat grab folder” grabs the leaflets with the same zeal as the Supreme Court grabs our rights.
But seriously. It does.
“Ringless binder” keeps up to 350 pages attached to two sets of ties.
The ties are cut into the left edges of the covers. Ties are flat and unobtrusive. Thanks to such an arrangement there is no need to have the big bulky spine so present in any Ring Binder. The two sets of papers are shifted away from the spine leaving enough space for it to remain flat.
Flat and flexible Is easy to carry around if you use it as a portfolio filler. NO RINGS!!!
Try one. The long-suffered pain of dealing with the brick-like ring binder will be gone in no time. It has siblings like the “Spineless Binder” singlehandedly managing up to 800 pages in a single shot instead of the range of thicknesses employed by the ring binders. Simplify your life.
