The product that started the pocket media revolution was the Z Card as produced in Runcorn from the early 1990s. The product is well-known throughout the world and has been seen in many different guises since its introduction. Basically, it follows a very similar format to a traditional map – a folded paper sheet fastened inside a heavier cover. The broCard from Wakefield is a similar product which is also not unlike a traditional map – except that the Z Card and the broCard are usually only credit-card-sized.

Since the patent on Z Cards expired, lots of printers have jumped on the bandwagon and who are we to buck the trend? Just to be different and to give our product a unique identity, we call our version a Little Big Card.

As far as Whitney Woods is concerned, the Z Card is the original and definitive printed pocket media product. Developed on behalf of an international airline company as a way to distribute A4 literature without it ending up littering the floors of airport lounges, the Z card proved that this handy pocket media product would be retained by the recipient. Since the early 1990s, Z cards have been produced as advertising and marketing tools for a myriad of companies.

The outer cards are printed in 4 colour process on 350gsm card with a gloss laminate finish, whilst the folded inners are printed on 80gsm bond paper. The basic choice is between an 18-panel version and a slightly longer 24-panel version.

Whitney Woods can make Swatch Cards in a variety of shapes and sizes but by far the most popular shape and size is credit card size with rounded corners. It is this size that qualifies the product as an example of pocket and wallet media. There can be as many cards as you like in the swatch but usually our customers plump for a number lower than ten. The example in the still photo above shows a credit card size swatch with six cards. The cards are held together by a single metal eyelet at the top left corner which allows the cards to open up in a fan-like manner.

 As the credit-card-size is now very commonplace it lends itself to being printed with almost any type of graphics and copy. The most common use is to produce a set of information cards which are usually presented with one subject per card. It could be information on cars, on holiday accommodation, student courses, different recipes, medical treatments – the choices are multitudinous.

 The cards can be printed on one or both sides, they measure 85 x 54mm, the same size as an ordinary credit card and they are usually printed on 350gsm silk artboard. We are used to handling requests for custom-made items of different sizes and on different grades of paper and board stock.

Pocket sized products have proved to be a very effective form of successful guerrilla marketing – handouts that don’t get thrown away. Here are two terrific examples.

The Foldilocks Card from Whitney Woods is an example of printed pocket media - a neat little marketing product that fits easily in your pocket, purse, handbag or wallet. It can be custom made to a variety of sizes but by far the most popular is credit card sized. The Foldilocks Card gets its name from the simple facts that it folds and it locks! The fold in a concertina type and the locking device is a simple tab / slot arrangement.

The Foldilocks card can be used for a variety of marketing functions. Each card can be perforated which is perfect for tear-off vouchers or coupons to encourage loyalty purchases. It is great a diary of events – a series of sports fixtures for example. Other example of the product’s versatility might include its use as a pop group tour dates calendar, venues for a travelling road show or an agenda for a conference or corporate function.

Whitney Woods can make Starburst products in a number of formats but for inclusion in the pocket and handbag media section we have chosen to highlight the credit-card-size option. Even at this size there are a few style variations on offer. A 2-panel cover is the most simple option and this creates a credit card size product as shown in the “POW” video. This will easily fit into your pocket, purse, wallet or handbag. A 4-panel cover can create a double starburst display which is credit card size when closed as shown in a video at the foot of this page. A 3-panel cover creates a product similar to the black one in the other video at the foot of this page – except that the example in the video is size A6. All three options are classed as pocket and handbag media.

The actual fold-out display will capture your customer’s attention. It is a unique folding action that has been around for hundred’s of years but which never fails to impress as it opens like a starburst to a size that is approximately twice the size of the open cover. This is pocket media at its most innovative.

It is surprising what can be done with a simple wire spring. It took only a little imagination to utilise a spring in the manufacture of these wobbly bits interactive pop-up cards to transform an everyday object into something memorable and that is exactly what you need for your direct mail promotions. The die-cut feature on the front of the card is what captures the imagination and provides the interaction. However, whilst our examples are fun greeting cards there is nothing to say that the die cut couldn’t be your best selling product. It could easily be a box of breakfast cereal, a spray polish, a bottle of pop, a mountain bike - anything goes with an interactive pop up card such as this.

You will be surprised at how much interest is created by this very simple pop-up engineering device. The wobbly cards will be passed around your customer’s office for everyone to have a wobble. They really are very amusing and highly interactive. Another important point that is well worth considering is that there might be added mileage in a product promotion if you were to plump for a standard greeting card size. These often have the option of matching coloured envelopes at a fraction of the price of regular commercial coloured envelopes. This is an important consideration not only for marketing budgets but also for the added interest and anticipation that a coloured envelope generates in each morning’s stack of business mail. All in all, a card with a wobbly die-cut could provide a fun answer to the tricky problem of trying to find something different for your next promotion.

The actual V-fold pop-up is created by a die-cut printed piece that is affixed to the left and right of the centrefold. Opening the card creates the lift. However, it is the die-cut which creates the pop-up feature in pop-up print and that can be in virtually any shape that you like. Your best-selling product could be a box of cornflakes, a motor car, a computer or a pair of shoes but pretty well any shape can be die-cut to your custom shape. However, we should make one important point here - simple shapes work the best in pop-up printing. There is no point spending money on a really intricate cutter as it is the lifting action which attracts attention. Our motto in pop-up engineering is - keep it simple, keep it affordable, keep it effective.

The V Fold pop-up allows quite a few variations to create different effects in pop-up printing. For example, the pop-up feature can lean forwards, backwards or it can be upright when the card is fully open. The V fold can be situated at the bottom of the centrefold or towards the top, depending on the effect that you want to create. It can be off-set from the centre to create a lean to the left or the right and there are double V-fold possibilities for more intricate effects. The pop-up cards are usually printed in 4-colour process on 350gsm silk artboard.

The “V-fold” is probably the most common example of pop-up printing and there is a good reason for that. Although the v-fold is a very simple pop-up technique it gives a terrific display with a very dramatic lift. These points are vital in promotional mail as they create focus and impact, drawing your customer’s attention to the focal point of your B2B marketing campaign. The fact that the “V-fold” is a fairly simple mechanism also helps to keep the assembly costs down which will help your pop-up printing budget.