Grace & Grit
Project
Gracefully Strong is an organization started by the team at Grace & Grit, and its goal is to empower young girls by helping them build self-esteem during a 14-week counseling program. For their program, the Grace & Grit team needed a full set of classroom materials — including a program guide for the instructor and journals for the participants.
Most counseling programs don’t have the budget or wherewithal to create high-end materials, but the folks at Gracefully Strong wanted something that would differentiate them from other curriculums. As an ongoing account with T3, they knew they could come to us for intentional, well-crafted, and easy-to-use materials for the girls and instructors.
The Problem
First and foremost, budget was a major consideration for this program. Gracefully Strong is a startup and, while the group couldn’t afford large runs and expensive materials, they didn’t want to sacrifice quality, either.
Because the program is classroom-based, the team wanted a three-ring binder system so the girls could remove pages from their curriculum and the instructor could easily present the lessons and activities. With all of these needs, it would have been impossible to stay under budget with a large order, which was required for off-the-shelf binder options. We knew we had to be creative with our solution.
The Solution
Our main issues were budget constraints paired with specific needs — quality look and feel, three-ring binder, etc. So, instead of placing a large, expensive order, we decided to go custom with our solution. We put together all of the hardware for the binders from scratch, assembling the pieces in-house to keep costs lower.
As for the paper, we knew startup costs for offset printing would be too expensive. So, we decided to go digital. Using a Ricoh Pro C5210 Digital Press, we formatted the materials to fit on one 13x19 sheet, being diligent in using only the best paper quality, design and layout to avoid a “cheap” look. Part of the solution involved the paper weight as well. To achieve a quality thickness, we printed on the front and inside of a large sheet, then spliced them together at the hinge to create a good, hefty binder weight that felt substantial.
To achieve all of this, we printed several prototype runs to find the specific look and feel. We tested different printing techniques, paper weights and folds, and ran several dummies to test out before our final run.
The Outcome
Ultimately, we were able to do a small run of program materials — 1,000 in all — while maintaining the highest quality possible. Each program has a high-end look and feel, with 30 pages in each binder, and we were able to keep the cost on budget.
But, the true measure of success isn’t in the print shop. For Gracefully Strong, it’s in the classrooms. The feedback from the counselors and the girls was extremely positive. They loved the usefulness of the programs and guides, especially the ‘pop’ of the three-ring binder. Their internal team came to us with extremely creative ideas, and we were happy to work with them, using our techniques and tools to bring them to life.
PRINT SPECS
Journal Binder
Flat-15.875 x 9, Finished 6 x 9
Paper: 18pt Tango Coated 1 Side
Print: 4 color process printed digital on uncoated side
Bindery: Score, drill holes and apply 3-ring binderJournal Inserts
22 pages, 8.5 x 5.5
Paper: 80# Accent Uncoated Opaque Text
Print: 4 color process printed digital
Bindery: 3 hole drillJournal Letter Inserts
28 pages, 2.75 x 8.5
Paper: 24# Springhill Lilac Bond
Print: Black ink printed digital
Bindery: 3 hole drill