Shopping from the US? Visit our US store for proper prices and shipping. Choralex Compact
Product Description
The Choralex Compact is uniquely a singer's folder (in contrast to our deluxe versions of The Black Folder, designed for both singers and conductors).
We've shaved 10% off the weight of the nearest comparable "Black Folder" version, and trimmed the size and concert configuration width down just a bit so you're not so crowded when you're performing with too many people packed on too few risers. The back panel is one-piece construction as opposed to 3 panels stitched together. The spine is thicker and more durable, more rounded and comfortable, and with special deep grooves that allow the material to flex around the hinge. Those grooves also help to dissipate perspiration from your hand if you're performing under hot stage lights.
We've put a second pencil holder on the left side, and included one of our most popular options, the clear pocket for programs, in the base model. All this comes at a price under the cost of the deluxe Black Folder. The Choralex Compact still holds A4 and US letter and common score sizes easily and has room for a ring adaptor or double cords as well. In fact, the capacity inside is wider, so we're now including a 1-inch (2.5 cm) diameter 3-ring adaptor when the ring option is chosen.
Specifications & Key Features
- dimensions (WxH): (10 3/8 x 12 3/4)in. or (264 x 324)mm
- incredibly light and strong at 12.5 oz. (355g)
- pencil holders - at both left and right
- cross strap at base
- detachable so the folder can be opened wide
- angles in when closed to become a bookmark
- durable, lightweight black leatherette
- clear pocket at left
- wide inner aluminum hinge with elasticized cords to hold scores
- corner protectors
- business card pocket with name card
- expandable surplus music pocket at right
- holds North American and International paper sizes
- hand strap at back
- opens to approx. 17 inches wide in concert configuration
Compare Choir Folders
| Comparison of features and options in our family of choral music folders: | The Black Folder (standard) | The Black Folder (deluxe) | Ringbinder | CHORALEX Compact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Oh, wow!" light weight | good | good | better | best |
| Ambidextrous rear hand strap | y | y | y | y |
| Slim size when open in concert | - | - | y | y |
| Two pencil holders | y | y | y | y |
| Bottom strap design allows use as a bookmark, during a bow | y | y | y | y |
| Bottom strap outer attachment avoids scraped page turns | y | y | y | y |
| Bottom strap design allows more room inside | y | y | y | y |
| Bottom strap unbuttons to open folder wide | - | y | y | y |
| Folder can lie essentially flat e.g. for director | - | y | y | - |
| Two storage pockets expanding on all 3 sides | y | y | - | - |
| Curved pocket at right expanding at 1 edge | - | - | y | y |
| Clear pocket through which to read program order | o | o | y | y |
| 3/4" ring adaptor | o | o | - | o |
| 1" ring adaptor | - | - | y | o |
| 1-touch tab opener and patented interlock to prevent ring mis-alignment | - | - | y | - |
| Deep grained leatherette lets hand breathe comfortably for hours | y | y | y | y |
| One-piece core flexes from creases only (no breakable plastic welds like others' folders) | - | - | y | y |
| Name card and name card pocket always included in cost | y | y | y | y |
| Comes with 10 cords, each to hold one score | y | y | - | y |
| Double cords to maximum of 20 | o | o | - | o |
| Corner protectors | y | y | y | y |
| Radius edges all around inner hinge, to avoid sharp corners | y | y | - | y |
| Much larger rivets, to keep straps tight for decades | y | y | y | y |
| Double-headed rivets to further increase durability | y | y | y | y |
| Choir name imprints on group orders at $2 / folder or less | o | o | o | o |
| Singer's name imprints at $5 / folder | o | o | o | o |
| Logo imprinting in gold, other colors, or just heat-impressed: "blind debossed" | o | o | o | o |
Product Summary
- Choralex Compact
Volume Discounts
Music folder discounts apply per item at a quantity of 15 and higher.
- A 4% discount applies to items at quantity 15-34.
- A 6% discount applies to items at quantity 35-49.
- A 8% discount applies to items at quantity 50-74.
- A 10% discount applies to items at quantity 75-124.
- An 11% discount applies to items at quantity 125-199.
- A 12% discount applies to items at quantity 200 and higher.
Most accessories (lights, PocketTones, etc.) have the same item discount pricing, and only a few higher-value accessories have different discount structures as specifically noted.
3-Ring Adaptors
The removable three-ring adaptor is a handy option some times. It comes installed, and attaches using the cords that are already in your folder. You can add one, or two ring adaptors - you might want to hold the first half of a concert program in one, and have the other half ready in your second adaptor ready to quickly swap in at intermission, so you can spend the time chatting about the performance instead of fussing with paper. People who sing in more than one choir can also keep music separate. Attaching the adaptor to the folder with the cords adds security but is not required, you can just drop an adaptor with your set of music into your folder and be ready to go.
Clear Pockets and Extra Cords
More Cords: Double the standard number of elastic cords.
The standard number of cords is 10. You can purchase a cord upgrade to 20, if you think that your usual number of scores in a concert will be more than 10.
This does not increase the size of the folder; the extra cords are simply affixed along the existing notches in the hinge so that each of the original strands becomes a double strand. The cords are like tiny Bungee® cords, with many rubber lengths encased in a woven synthetic sheath. They're strong and durable.
Clear Leaflet Pockets: Large clear plastic pocket affixed right on the front of the left inside expandable pocket.
Information is visible through the transparent pocket... you no longer need to pull your concert programme out of a pocket to find (and show the audience that you don't know) what you're singing next...it's easily accessible to read through the plastic with this handy option.
This is for
- Directors to hold rehearsal planning notes
- Church choirs - for singers to hold service leaflets
- For any singers, to hold programme containing concert order and/or special directions for changes in choir standing position, etc.
- Storing name tags
This pocket keeps the information secure, visible through the plastic, and right at the front to be discreetly accessible...
Number Imprinting
Track your valuable new assets with permanent foil-stamped numbering.
- This allows for easier organization,
- is less expensive than imprinting singer's names, and
- lets you determine, without any question, who to bill if a choir folder goes missing!
The standard numbering location is the top right corner of the front of the folder, the font is 36 pt. Times Roman, and the usual colour is gold.
Blind debossing (imprinting the numbers into the folder without any colour) is an option at no additional cost, and other customized locations are possible.
Standard costs:
$0 setup, $2 per stamped folder.
At 50 and more, $1.75 per folder.
Custom locations: +$1.00
There is a $5 minimum numbering charge with standard settings.
Text Imprinting
Economy Text Imprinting
Economy Text imprinting is imprinting with moveable type, ready for us to do in-house right away with no die-casting or logo etching processes to slow things down. Turnaround time is usually 1 to 3 business days. We offer both upper and lower case letters for excellent legibility, in either the standard 36 pt. Times Roman font, or in a script-like font called Brush which is a little more elegant.
The setup costs are minimal and the per-folder stamping cost is too; see the table below.
The usual location for choir name imprinting is centered, in the upper portion of the front of the folder, approximately 3 to 4 inches (8-10 cm) down from the top. The usual location for imprinting a singer or music director name is at the lower right front corner of the folder.
| Economy Text Pricing | Setup | Stamping cost per folder | Stamping cost when 50 or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| One line, maximum 30 characters | 3.00 | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Two lines, maximum 30 characters each | 6.00 | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Three lines, maximum 30 characters each | 12.00 | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Pricing for Extended line lengths up to 45 characters (any longer line requires a different press): | |||
| One line, over 30 characters | 6.00 | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Two lines, any one over 30 characters | 9.00 | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Three lines, any one over 30 characters | 15.00 | 2.50 | 2.00 |
Click a link in the table above which lists what you want, and you'll be directed to the correct form to enter your Economy Text imprinting details.
Die-cast Text Imprinting
Die-cast text imprinting uses type slugs cast from molten metal, and you have a greater flexibility in choice of size and font. We have 15 choices across various popular fonts. As you may expect, setup costs are higher and turnaround time is typically 3-6 business days. However, the per-folder stamping cost is the same. Die-cast text, therefore, is also a very reasonable choice for repetitive imprinting of choir names since the setup cost spreads out nicely across a choir-size order.
For a single order, where a singer chooses a font for their name which they really like from the choices below, the imprinting may cost more than the folder! However, given the quality and longevity of our folders, people do, and are very happy with the result. Given the higher setup cost compared to Economy text imprinting, we see this style of imprinting more often on individual orders which are gifts.
Note that if none of our listed fonts matches your existing typestyle, we can print anything in any font when it is done graphically as a logo (see the Logo imprinting section in the index at left).
Here are the font choices for Die-cast text imprinting:
N.B. Don't trust the screen or print size which you see to be precise, but rather, note that we have listed the point size of each font.
| Die-cast Text Pricing | Setup | Stamping cost per folder | Stamping cost when 50 or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| One line, maximum 30 characters | 30.00 | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Two lines, maximum 30 characters each | 40.00 | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Three lines, maximum 30 characters each | 50.00 | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Pricing for Extended line lengths up to 45 characters (any longer line requires a different press): | |||
| One line, over 30 characters | 40.00 | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Two lines, any one over 30 characters | 50.00 | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Three lines, any one over 30 characters | 60.00 | 2.50 | 2.00 |
Click a link in the table above that lists what you want, and you will be directed to the correct form to enter your Die-cast text imprinting details.
Imprint Locations:
- Mid-top front; centered
- Upper right front; right-justified
- Lower right front; right-justified
- Inside folder in upper top left
- Upper left back outer edge; left-justified
- Mid-top back; centered
- Lower left back outer edge; left-justified
Logo Imprinting
We can imprint your folders with a logo, or imprint any text layout in any font exactly as you want, because it is done as an image.
These can look amazingly elegant whether in colour (gold is the standard option) or blind debossed (i.e. indented using heat and pressure but no colour) into the folder.
Your image is printed to film then exposed under UV light on a coated plate, then etched, to produce the hot-stamping die which is carefully leveled on the press to produce an even imprint. There is a setup charge, then a stamping cost per folder.
The setup charge is based on area. Math is not your friend here, as you may recall that doubling the width of a square quadruples the area, and the cost. 1 inch=2.54cm for the metrically inclined; the print industry here still uses Imperial measurements.
Depending on the logo, you do want sufficiently large area to prevent fine detail from being obscured, or small detailed spaces filled in, when printing on the textured leatherette material. Our maximum imprint area without outsourcing is 5"x12" (or 12"x5") but logos with good line separation can be done very nicely at a 2x2 or 3x3 size, for example. Roughly 90% of the logos we print are between 4 and 12 square inches.
| Logo Image Pricing: (multiple lines singly spaced) |
Setup | Stamping cost per folder | Stamping cost when 50 or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 square inches or less (e.g. 2"x2.5") | 50.00 | 3.00 | 2.50 |
| More than 5 square inches: | $10/square inch | 3.00 | 2.50 |
Enter the specifications for your logo below as you load your order details into the shopping cart. Then E-mail your file (minimum resolution must be 300 dpi) to sales@musicfolder.com
Preferred format is PDF. EPS, TIFF, GIF, JPG may also be acceptable. The best place for logos is mid-top front, centered. Larger logos may have some positioning restrictions as the surface must be perfectly level, so we can't come too near the boundary of a pocket or its expanding edge below, for example.
- Mid-top front; centered
- Upper right front; right-justified
- Lower right front; right-justified
- Inside folder in upper top left
- Upper left back outer edge; left-justified
- Mid-top back; centered
- Lower left back outer edge; left-justified
Usual position for choir name imprinting is mid-top front center of the folder, and individuals at lower right front.