Does Your Business use Handwritten Forms? Explore the Improved Function and Convenience of Padded Forms in a Wraparound Cover

Carbonless forms (aka NCR forms) provide a quick and inexpensive method for creating multiple copies of an original document. This is why carbonless technology is very popular in the world of business, particularly for handwritten forms that are filled out manually with an ink pen.

Examples of carbonless forms include proposals, contracts, invoices, sales receipts, requisitions, work orders, purchase orders, delivery documents, checklists, contest entries, and virtually any other document that requires multiple copies.

Example of multi-part forms bound into a pad with wraparound cover (left). The cover can be slipped under each form to act as a backing sheet (right). This prevents the handwritten data from transferring to subsequent forms.

To make carbonless forms more convenient to use, many businesses order their forms bound into pads. For example, each pad might contain 25 or 50 multi-part forms. The pads are held together by flexible adhesive or staples along one edge. The adhesive (or staples) binds the stack of forms together, but allows individual sheets to be removed as needed. Padded forms usually incorporate a chipboard backer for rigidity.

Most of the time, every ply within the form is perforated for ease of removal from the pad. However, in some cases, the last ply of each form is not perforated. This allows a copy of each completed form to remain attached to the pad. For added durability, this last ply is often made of thicker stock than the others.

It is recommended that padded forms be wrapped in a heavy cardstock cover. This wrap-around cover is designed to slip behind each form to prevent the impression of the pen from transferring any data to the form beneath it.

Furthermore, padded forms are commonly assigned sequential numbers to facilitate easy reference and enhance accounting control. Each form is allocated a distinctive and unique number, typically printed in red ink for clear visibility. This numbering system serves the purpose of convenient identification and allows for efficient tracking and management of the forms.

Carbonless forms are available in a variety of configurations, with the most common being 2-part, 3-part and 4-part forms. Also, the sheets that make up a carbonless form are often a different color - white, canary, pink, goldenrod, etc. - to clearly identify the original (topmost sheet) and each subsequent copy.

If you have any questions about custom-printed carbonless forms give Formax Printing a call at 866-367-6221. Or, if you have an upcoming project and would like a quote, click here to submit our easy quote request form. As always, we look forward to assisting with your printing needs!

Take care! Rick

About the Author

Rick Stallings is the owner of Formax Printing Solutions in St. Louis, MO. Formax provides a complete array of offset and digital printing services. Specialty areas include book printing, full-color printing, laminated printing, map printing and mailing services. If you ever have a printing question or project you would like to discuss, Rick is always happy to help. He can be reached at 866-367-6221 or by submitting our easy quote request form. Rick and the Formax team have been providing worry-free printing and related services since 1985.

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