Archival Methods is a small company in Rochester, NY that manufactures and sells archival storage and presentation supplies. The items in our inventory that we make at our facility include binders, boxes, and portfolios. This post looks at the two types of archival book binding cloth that we use for our products.
Book cloth is a generic term for the various types of cloths that are used to cover books, albums, slipcases, boxes, portfolios, and binders during manufacturing. Not all book cloths are created equal. The two types that we use are buckram and Arlington® book cloth. Both are high-quality, archival options created for long-lasting, durable products.
Buckram
Buckram is a book cloth usually made from cotton with an aqueous acrylic coating that makes it extremely durable. Library grade or euro buckram is is a cover material with a hard-wearing, water-resistant, lacquered surface and high strength. This acrylic coated book cloth has a slight sheen to the material. We use buckram to cover:
- Collector Grade Binders and Slipcases
- RingFolio Binder Boxes
- Onyx Portfolio Boxes
- Vinyl Record Storage Boxes
Buckram Colors
We use classic black for most of these products. Some of the Collector Grade Binders also come in blue, red, and forest green, but all the slipcases are black. We offer Custom Onyx Portfolio Boxes with a minimum order of five. You can select one of the four stock colors when using the online order form. If you want a different color contact us and we can get you samples.
Arlington® Book Cloth
Our Arlington® book cloth has a 100% cotton B-grade cloth base and a protective, water-based acrylic color top coat. It looks and feels closer to fabric than the buckram. It is also an archival, very durable book binding cloth. We use Arlington® fabric to cover:
- Accent L-Series Binder Box
- Rare Book Boxes with Cradle
- Museum Solander Cases
- Museum Drop Front Boxes
- Digital Print Folios
Arlington® Colors
We use classic black for most of these products. The Rare Book Box with Cradle also comes in dark gray, light gray, and navy blue. We offer Custom Museum Drop Front Boxes with a minimum order of five. You can select one of the four stock colors when using the online order form. If you want a different color contact us and we can get you samples.
Raw Materials Sample Pack
We offer two Sample Packs on our website. The Board & Paper Sample Pack (item #40418297) has samples of all our mat board, archival papers, and foamboard. The Raw Materials Sample Pack (item #ABRM) includes the three colors of boxboard used to make our Metal Edge Boxes, the four stock colors of buckram, and the four stock colors of Arlington®. All samples are 4 x 5 inches. All samples are clearly labeled and the price of the sample pack includes shipping.
If you have any questions contact us and we’ll do our best to help!
