A pocket folder is a pocket folder, right?  Not to a school supply vendor!  We sell the three most common styles - poly, paper, and laminated.  All styles come in various colors, with or without prongs (AKA tangs, tabs, or brads).  Read on to clarify your understanding of the pocket folder world!

We work with hundreds of schools who provide us with their teacher supply lists.  Pocket folders, a common organization tool for students, are on almost all lists.  A pocket folder is a pocket folder, right?  Wrong!  There are several versions out there and we are here to clarify.

Pocket folders come in a few different materials.  Poly (AKA plastic) is the growing trend.  These folders are sturdy, can be written on with a permanent marker, and can hold up to the roughest of children! (Some just are with their supplies!) Of coure, these come with a price, and are typically the most expensive.  (http://www.write-stuff.com/category.cfm?category=41&originalCategory=1)

Paper folders are the most common and also the most economical.  They too can be written on, and do hold up pretty well.  However, as paper goes, any moisture gets on them, and it is done for.  Generally speaking, many students can get a semester + out of a paper folder - especially if children do not need to transport them back and forth daily in a backpack.  If they stay at school in a desk, it is very likely to last the whole year.  The paper pocket folder is still one of our most popular items.  (http://www.write-stuff.com/category.cfm?category=42&originalCategory=1)

Lastly, there is the laminated folder.  This is a sturdy pocket folder that gained popularity after the paper pocket folder, but before the poly one.  In essence it is a paper folder, with a laminated cover.  These are more common in the "business world" and are often the style you see imprinted and distributed at a conference or workshop.  (http://www.write-stuff.com/category.cfm?category=43&originalCategory=1)

Prongs, tabs, tangs, or tabs are those little metal clasps that allow you to put paper in the center of a folder - sort of like a book binding.  Folders can be purchased either way.  Our advice?  If a teachers asks for a folder specifically one way or the other - get it that way.  They typically have organizational reasons to have a folder in a specific color or style.  Help your child and the teacher - follow the school supply lists!