The name 'Mark+Fold' has sometimes puzzled people — are we two men named ‘Mark’ and ‘Fold’? (The answer is no, and our founder happens to be a woman).
Mark+Fold is actually named after the verbs to mark and to fold, which are the actions we take with stationery — we write on the page, then turn to the next; we pen a letter and then fold the envelope closed; always mark-making, and always folding or turning pages.
Similarly at the bindery, when we bind your notebooks, we ‘fold’ the sheets of paper into sections to be sewn, and ‘mark’ the pages with ink.
It is also the repetitive action of our machines, with their almost musical mechanisms singing "and mark and fold... and mark and fold..." as they go. These machines that bind our books, the mechanisms, patterns and systems that make for such a beautiful process, and end product.
For me this also echoes the ways in which the notebook or diary will be used by the customer too: in your daily life, you will repeat the same daily rituals: … sit at my desk… take out my pen… write the date at the top of the page… and so on. Each morning a fresh page unblemished, ready for a new day.
So today on our 7th birthday, I love to think of the repetition having reached its seventh cycle: …and mark and fold…and mark and fold… and on to next year.
With warmest wishes
Amy
Click here to watch hypnotic videos of our machines as they 'mark and fold'