What are brads in a folder?
If a school supply list asks for a "folder with brads" and you are not sure what that means, here is the plain answer.
What a brad is
A brad (also called a prong fastener or a paper fastener) is the flat metal strip in the center of a folder with two bendable prongs. You slide hole-punched pages onto the prongs, then fold the prongs flat to hold the pages in place. It keeps loose sheets bound and in order without a binder or a stapler.
Most school folders with brads have three brads down the center, spaced to match standard three-hole-punched paper.
How you use them
- Three-hole-punch your pages (or buy pre-punched paper)
- Open the prongs flat
- Slide the holes over the prongs
- Fold the prongs back down to secure
To add or remove pages, you just unfold the prongs again. It is reusable and holds far more pages than a staple.
Brads vs pockets
Many folders have both: two pockets for loose or unpunched material, plus the center brads for bound pages. That combination is why teachers ask for them, since students can keep handouts in the pockets and their own work on the brads.
Where they fit
A two-pocket folder with three prong fasteners is the standard for schools and offices that need to hold a set of pages together neatly. See our 3-prong folders, printed full-color so the cover doubles as branded collateral.
So: brads are the metal prong fasteners in the middle of a folder that bind hole-punched pages, usually three of them, matched to standard punched paper.
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