A punched pocket (UK English), plastic wallet (UK English), poly pocket (UK English), slippery fish (Sussex, England), sheet protector (US English), plastic sleeves (AU English), or sometimes perforated document bag, is a flat, slit plastic bag with a perforated edge used to hold paper

document A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ''Documentum'', which denotes a "teaching" o ...

Physical characteristics

Punched pockets are usually transparent or semi-transparent, to allow viewing of the contents of a document without removing it. Color pockets are also available. They protect paper documents from tears, water, food, stains, and

fingerprint A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfa ...

s, and partially prevent such documents from being crumpled. Punched pockets have several holes in the left edge, which allow them to be bound into a

file File or filing may refer to: Mechanical tools and processes * File (tool), a tool used to ''remove'' fine amounts of material from a workpiece ** Filing (metalworking), a material removal process in manufacturing ** Nail file, a tool used to g ...

, or a three-ring binder. The holes in the punched pockets dispose of the difficulty of making holes in a paper document. The most commonly used material for punched pockets is

polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefins an ...

. However, there are some punched pockets made of

polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging (plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including ...

cellophane Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose. Its low permeability to air, oils, greases, bacteria, and liquid water makes it useful for food packaging. Cellophane is highly permeable to water vapour, but may be coate ...

, or other plastics. These may include recycled and biodegradable plastics (as defined by ASTM D5511) as well as plastics with antimicrobial additives. The clarity of the plastic will vary with the thickness of the pocket due to the

semicrystalline Crystallinity refers to the degree of structural order in a solid. In a crystal, the atoms or molecules are arranged in a regular, periodic manner. The degree of crystallinity has a big influence on hardness, density, transparency and diffusion ...

nature of the polymers and

Light scattering by particles Light scattering by particles is the process by which small particles (e.g. ice crystals, dust, atmospheric particulates, cosmic dust, and blood cells) scatter light causing optical phenomena such as the blue color of the sky, and halos. Maxwe ...

. Typically, biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) is used to improve clarity of punched pockets. Using the customary unit of plastic thickness, the mil, punched pockets are produced in various thicknesses for different uses, and may or may not cover both sides of the document completely. The thinnest pockets may be less than 2 mil, while the thickest are over 4 mil. Punched pockets are made in several sizes, with the most prevalent being A4 for Europe, or 8.5" by 11" for the United States. Depending on the location of the opening, punched pockets may be top-loading or side-loading which dictates how the document is inserted into the pocket. Some pockets may only be sealed on two of the four sides, allowing for more convenient insertion or removal of their contents.

Usage

A punched pocket can contain only a small number of paper sheets. Often there is only one sheet per pocket. Sometimes a punched pocket contains two sheets, each with one-sided text outward. One can see attached punched pockets, each containing a page with some information, in some banks, post offices and polyclinics. These pockets allow numerous visitors to read the information closely without soiling, deterioration, or accidental removal. Restaurant menus frequently use punched pockets.

Archivists An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consist ...

and conservationists do not use punched pockets to preserve documents as they may create micro-climates, react with inks and stick to the paper. ustainabilityeusing and recycling punched pockets. To prolong the use of punched pockets, reinforce the holes to prevent them breaking. If the holes break put tape over them and re-punch. Alternatively, remove the strip of broken holes and reuse the plastic pocket; for example, to protect a recipe printout in the kitchen. Most plastic wallets are made from polypropylene plastics code 5. This can be recycled but needs a complex process including high temperatures. There aren’t that many plants that do it and they aren’t included in kerbside collections. These plastic wallets are more suited to reuse than recycling.

References

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