Padfolios all look the same on a quote sheet. Four questions tell you which ones will still be in use next year.

Ask how the spine is built

The single most common failure is a crack down the fold, and it is caused by wrapping the cover tight over two hard boards with no relief gap, so the material stretches over an edge on every open.

Ask whether there is a relief channel at the spine, and whether the stitch line runs down the fold or beside it. A line of stitch perforations through a hinge is a tear waiting to happen.

Decide the closure on how it will be used

A tuck flap has nothing in it to fail. A magnetic flap is next, and it is quieter to open in a room full of people. A zip is the most secure and the most likely to break.

If you do choose a zip, ask whether the corners are radiused. Square corners force the tape to turn faster than the teeth can and eventually lift one.

Check the pad size before anything else

This is the cheapest mistake to avoid and the most expensive to live with. A cover built around a bespoke pad is disposable the moment the original refill runs out.

Specify a stock letter pad, or 5 x 8 for a junior cover. Then check the pad is held on a retainer or elastic rather than glued in, because a glued pad cannot be replaced at all.

Match the decoration to the material

Blind deboss reads as quality on full-grain hide and never rubs off. Foil is brighter for a mark that must be legible across a room. Cork takes a laser mark beautifully.

On PU and recycled covers, a die run at leather temperature glosses the surface and leaves a shiny halo around the mark. It should be run cooler and proofed on your actual material.

What to send when you ask for a quote

Artwork, quantity, cover material, pad size, and whether it will be carried daily or handed out once. That is enough for a real quote and a mockup the same day.