Helpful Tips

This Month's Topic: Annual Reports
December 2003

The annual report is the most visible piece many publicly-traded companies will distribute all year. That’s why it must combine attractive design with top-quality craftsmanship. As if that weren’t enough, annual reports must be produced under an accelerated schedule to meet stringent SEC filing deadlines.

At Allied Bindery, we specialize in helping printers and their customers meet these demanding requirements through careful planning, flexible scheduling and efficient, high-quality production. Here are a few planning tips to help you get started:

• Select an appropriate binding style – Adhesive binding is perhaps the most popular binding style for annual reports, and there are several styles to choose from. While standard perfect binding is suitable for many annual report applications, PUR binding is ideal for reports printed with full bleeds or contain heavy coatings. Tape binding gives reports a unique touch by dressing up the spine with colored cloth. If layflat properties are of utmost importance on your reports, layflat adhesive binding will allow them to easily stay open on a tabletop.

• Create a distinctive cover - The cover is the first thing the board of directors will see, so it must make a good impression! At Allied Bindery, we offer a wide variety of cover design options. For example, a gate fold cover allows for extra panels or pockets on the inside front and back covers. Die cut windows on the cover can be designed to register to an image underneath, while foil stamping and embossing will make the company logo look more distinctive than ever.

• Jazz up your reports - Creative design touches aren’t limited to the cover. Foldouts can be used to display graphs and financial charts, while multiple stocks, short sheets and index tabs are all distinctive ways to denote different sections.

The Allied Advantage
Having plenty of design and production options is only part of the successful annual report solution. At Allied Bindery, we let you rest easy by also offering flexible production schedules and ISO 9001-certified quality-control procedures. Our two high speed, state-of-the-art perfect binders allow us to perform a variety of adhesive binding styles under the tightest turnaround times. In addition, our strict makeready and production procedures ensure that your annual reports receive “white glove” attention.