PORTFOLIO SIZE, BINDING SYSTEM AND EXPANSION

Are your standard product sizes referring to the outer dimensions of the product or the viewable image size?
» Our standard products refer to the viewable image size they each hold. For instance, a Looking Glass portfolio listed as 8.5” x 11” is designed to hold 8.5” x 11” images. If you would like to use paper rather than sheet protectors or mylar hinges, your paper size will need to include the width of the binding as well. You can download a template for cutting, drilling and scoring paper to fit our books, or you can purchase pre-drilled and scored paper.

What kind of binding do Lost Luggage® portfolios use?
» Lost Luggage® portfolios are fastened together using a screwpost system, the standard for professional portfolio presentations. This system is advantageous because it is easily updateable yet has the look of a professionally bound book. In this way image spreads and other layouts can be especially well represented.

I’ve heard that my Looking Glass™ Portfolio can expand to hold more pages. How many can it hold, and if it expands, will it still fit inside my other Lost Luggage products?
» The Lost Luggage™ Portfolios and Arsenals™ expand and contract to fit the desired number of pages. Both come with standard 1/2” screw posts and will generally accommodate about 15 pages (depending on the thickness of the pages used).

The Looking Glass™ Portfolio Extender Kit has screw posts to expand your portfolio from 1/4” to 1.25”. An extender kit is nice to have on hand if you are not sure how many pages your portfolio will need or if your book frequently changes sizes. If you have an Arsenal™ and you do expand your portfolio to fit 20 or more pages, you will also want to purchase an Arsenal™ Extender Kit.

The Lost Luggage® Self Shipper easily fits one Looking Glass™ portfolio holding up to 50 pages, with or without an Arsenal.™ Two portfolios with up to 25 pages each will fit into the Self Shipper together, without an Arsenal.™ Each of the two large pockets in the Hudson bag will comfortably hold a Looking Glass portfolio containing around 30 pages or less.

SHEET PROTECTORS AND OTHER INTERIOR ACCESSORIES

How do I get the pages in my Looking Glass™ Portfolio to lie flat?
» In order to have your pages lie as flat as possible in our screwpost books, consider letting out the gutter width. The gutter is the space between your binding and the inside edge of your print. Letting out the gutter can be achieved by cropping the width of your print slightly. The more this space is open the flatter your pages can lie. Additionally, if you have two prints in a sheet protector, you may find removing the black lining will help reduce tension, allowing the page to rest more easily. Finally, the use of spacers in your book will add more space between each page and this too will help your pages lie flat.

What is the difference between the two types of sheet protectors, and what are mylar hinges?
» Lost Luggage™ makes two types of sheet protectors: polyester and polypropylene. Polyester sheet protectors have a glossy finish to their plastic surface and are open on the top and bottom. Polypropylene sheet protectors have a matte finish, are more flexible and are only open on the top. The polyester pages are technically clearer (the polypropylene pages have a slight frost in order to give them their matte quality.) Both types come standard with black filler paper and both are archival.

Mylar hinges are often used to present thicker materials that don’t bend easily or to display images without encasing them in plastic. The hinges are thin strips of very clear, flexible plastic with holes punched on the edge that is bound into your book, and adhesive on the edge that you will attach to the inner, back edge of your print. The hinges have adhesive only on one side, so most people choose to stick the hinge to the back of their print rather than the front. For people who wish to show images on both sides of their page, there are several solutions. You can use a mounting spray or film to adhere the backs of two prints to each other with the hinge in between. You can also print on one long piece of paper and fold it in half to create a French fold. You must then use a mounting spray or film to adhere the backside of your print to itself with the hinge in the middle. The last and easiest solution is to print on double-sided paper if you do not mind seeing the thin strip of mylar that will be visible on the inner, back edge of your print. You may also choose to use pre-drilled and scored double-sided inkjet paper instead.

DISCONTINUED PRODUCTS

How do I know if I have an Ice Nine™ or a Looking Glass™ portfolio?
» The difference between the older Ice Nine™ style and the newer Looking Glass™ style is simple to discern by looking at your portfolio when it is closed. If you can see the screwposts in your binding while your book is closed, you have an Ice Nine™ portfolio. If you must open your book to see the screwposts, you have a Looking Glass™ portfolio.

Can my sheet protectors from my Ice Nine™ fit in a Looking Glass portfolio™?
» Only the cover size has changed. The viewable image sizes are identical in both styles, so you may continue to use the same sheet protectors.

Why did Lost Luggage® stop making the Ice Nine™ portfolio?
Why don’t you still carry the products or materials I purchased last time?
I noticed the products I purchased this time vary slightly from those I purchased some time ago.
» As a forward thinking company, we are consistently updating our products to keep them fresh and ahead of the curve. Our reputation for high quality is also matched by our reputation for excellent, contemporary design. Because we value advances in both style and technology, we will continue updating our products periodically.

PERSONALIZATION (ETCHING, SCREEN PRINTING and SETUP CHARGES)

I am purchasing a landscape format portfolio and a portrait format portfolio. Do I still need to pay separate setup charges for each portfolio?
» Each size and each format requires a different artwork layout, which means that a separate setup fee must be charged for each.

Why do you only have to pay for one setup fee per layout when you choose etching but have to pay a setup charge every time when you choose to screen print?
» We can etch your artwork using a computer file, which takes very little space and cost to archive. On the other hand, keeping your film, screen and inks archived for you after you have had your artwork printed would be both impractical and far too expensive to be able to offer printing services.

I have an Ice Nine™ with etching on it. Do I have to pay another etching setup fee for a Looking Glass portfolio even though it’s the same size as my Ice Nine™?
» While the viewable image size of both styles is the same, the cover dimensions are actually different. That means the original file we used to set up your artwork cannot be used again and we must create a new file.

CUSTOM PRODUCT CONFIGURATIONS

I have a product in mind that I don’t see in the standard products on the Lost Luggage website. Can you make a custom book for me?
» We will be happy to provide you with a quote for a custom product if it is within our capabilities to do so. Please note that many factors can change the price and lead times of quotes drastically. These factors include:

Quantity: Higher quantity orders can spread the cost of setup fees and manufacturing costs across multiple pieces, making the per-unit price much lower than most lower quantity orders.

Custom sizes: Books that are the same height as one of our standard products avoid a manufacturing fee for a custom spine and a die fee for a custom hinge; this cuts the cost and lead times considerably. That’s why a book that is shorter than 11” in height will generally still be far more expensive than a book that is 11” in height. Bags and Aluminum arsenals are more difficult to modify and will generally have higher costs and longer lead times.

Materials: The materials we use are all of the highest quality. However, some of our materials are significantly more expensive than others. Our most expensive products use the most expensive materials. You may wish to keep this in mind when considering the materials for your custom products.

Please email us at info@lost-luggage.com to request a quote. We will contact you shortly to confirm that we’ve received your request. Quotes generally take anywhere from 3 to 5 business days, but we will notify you if we expect your request to take longer.