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The Black Folder

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Product Description

The Black Folder is a durable, lightweight, ergonomic folder with options available to suit a wide range of requirements. This is one of the best folders available for singers; an elegant lightweight folder at good value.

One of the more important features that differ our folders from other folders is the bottom strap, which is attached at the outside base of the folder. This gives three benefits: more room inside; page turns that don't scrape against the strap; and lastly, a bookmark: that bottom strap angles in at 45 degrees when closing the folder, to act as a bookmark for impromptu bows during concerts - with no panic at the next upbeat - because you're on the right page when the folder opens again.

The folder has a comfortable hand strap at back for you to hold it securely, and the deeply-textured leatherette aids in dissipating perspiration from your hand if you are performing under hot stage lights. A lightweight aluminum hinge is riveted securely inside, to give the folder superior rigidity and durability, and all folders come with a minimum of 10 lengths of elasticized cord. You can slide your music behind the cords to hold it in concert order, impossible to drop, and faster to find during rehearsal. Extra cords and ring adaptors for hole-punched paper are also available, click on 'Order Now' to see options.

Expandable pockets store surplus music. All folders include a name card pocket and name card, and hold US Letter and A4 and all common score sizes with ease. Larger works or hymnals can rest in the folder, sure not to slip out because of the bottom strap, or you can put multiple cords in different places in the music to flip to that point or to skip sections quickly.

Finally, a popular option is a clear pocket that overlays the existing left pocket. You can read your concert program or church service bulletin through the transparent pocket, instead of having to pull it up to see the lower portion of the page. It's also handy for notes such as changes in standing order and rehearsal plans for directors. Photos, especially from choirs that tour, tend to end up in that clear pocket too.

Specifications & Key Features

  • Dimensions (width x height): (10 7/8 x 12 7/8)in. or (276 x 327)mm
  • Weight: 13.9 oz. (395g)
  • Two pencil holders
  • Cross strap at the base of the folder
    • Angles in when closed to become a bookmark for mid-concert bow
  • Durable, lightweight black leatherette
  • Wide inner aluminum hinge with elasticized cords to hold scores
  • Metal corner protectors to protect from wear and tear
  • Business card pocket with name card
  • Expandable pockets
  • Holds North American and international paper sizes
  • Hand strap on the back for secure grip

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) - (stitched center) - (stitched center) 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 ($5 imprint minimum) o o o o
Logo imprinting in gold, other colors, or just heat-impressed: "blind debossed" o o o o
Legend: (y) yes; (-) no or n/a; (o) option
The Black Folder

Choose Options & Complete Order

Bonus: receive a discount when you order 15 or more folders! Learn More

Folder Model

What's the Difference?

Removable Ring Adaptors

Learn More
2-ring Adaptors
Quantity: None One Two
Diameter: 19mm
3-ring Adaptors
Quantity: None One Two
Diameter: 19mm
4-ring Adaptors
Quantity: None One Two
Diameter: 19mm
4-ring Swedish Adaptors
Quantity: None One Two
Diameter: 19mm

Other Options

Learn More

Add Folder Numbering

What is folder numbering?

Text Imprinting

What is text imprinting?
Imprinting Type:

Logo Imprinting

What is logo imprinting?

Product Summary

  • Standard model

Volume discounts available $25.25 each


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.

Standard vs. Deluxe Models

The bottom strap on the Deluxe model can detach from a button, to allow the folder to open flat.

The bottom strap on the Standard model is permanently attached at both sides, so the standard folder can't open flat.

The bottom strap helps by relieving pressure from needing to squeeze the sides of the folder, when holding a full concert's weight of music. This greatly relieves tension in the hand and arm too, during long concerts with lots of music.

With attached bottom straps, all singers' folders will open to an equal angle on stage and look very professional. Furthermore, the outside base attachment position means that the strap can fold inward to function as a bookmark and keep your page, after a mid-concert bow.

Obviously, conductors and accompanists will want the deluxe version which opens flat, and singers often want this too - it's a little easier to load music in the retaining cords when flat, and some singers need to put their folder flat on stands. Lastly, it's a little easier when practising at a piano at home to put the whole folder on the piano, than to take out music from a standard folder which only opens to the ideal angle in concert.

Statistically, two people choose the deluxe for every one choosing the standard.

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 Double Cords

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...

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.

Folder 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.
Tip: enter the total quantity of folders to be numbered first, to get an accurate per-folder cost in the Product Summary.

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 an elegant script-like font called Brush.

The setup costs are minimal and the per-folder stamping cost is also low; 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 One-time 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

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 stamping cost per-folder is the same. Die-cast text, therefore, is also a very reasonable choice for repetitive imprinting of choir names since the somewhat higher setup cost spreads out nicely across a choir-size order.

For a single folder order, where a singer chooses a font for their name which they really like from the die-cast text 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 (details are in next folder customization tab for logos).

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

Imprint Locations:

  1. Mid-top front; centered
  2. Upper right front; right-justified
  3. Lower right front; right-justified
  4. Inside folder in upper top left
  5. Upper left back outer edge; left-justified
  6. Mid-top back; centered
  7. 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 as you choose your folder options. 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.

  1. Mid-top front; centered
  2. Upper right front; right-justified
  3. Lower right front; right-justified
  4. Inside folder in upper top left
  5. Upper left back outer edge; left-justified
  6. Mid-top back; centered
  7. 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.