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Amanila folder (sometimes referred to asmanilla folder) is afile folder designed to containdocuments, often within afiling cabinet. It is generally formed by folding a large sheet of stiffcard in half. Though traditionallybuff, sometimes othercolors are used to differentiate categories of files.
The paper was traditionally produced with manila fibers fromabacá leaves, also known as manila hemp.[1] This material was named afterManila, capital ofthe Philippines.
Before the end of the 20th century,[when?] papermakers replaced the abacá fibers with wood pulp,[2] which cost less to source and process.[3] Despite the change in production material, the name stuck and the color remained.[3]
In the 1830s, a cotton and linen rag shortage occurred in the United States.[4] This caused papermakers to seek out additional production materials.[3]
In 1843, paper maker Mark Hollingsworth and his sons John and Lyman obtained a patent "to manufacture paper from manila fibers" ofabacá leaves.[5] This family company becameHollingsworth & Vose.[5] TheGuggenheim claims that this creation of manila paper was a way "of recyclingmanila rope, previously used on ships".[3] The resulting paper was strong, water resistant, and flexible.[3]
The paper shortage "only abated in the 1870s, when rag paper was gradually replaced by paper made fromwood pulp".[4]
By 1873, theUnited States Department of Agriculture quoted Thomas H. Dunham, who described Manila paper as "nine-tenthsjute" when praisingjute production.[6]
In 1906, over 2,000,000piculs of manila fibers were produced, making approximately 66% ofthe Philippines' export profits.[1]
From 1898 to 1946, theUnited States colonized the Philippines following theSpanish-American War. TheGuggenheim claims the "colonial government found ways to prevent Filipinos from profiting off of the abaca crops, instead favoring the businesses of American expats and Japanese immigrants, as well as ensuring that the bulk of the abaca harvests were exported to the United States" for use in military initiatives.[3]
Themanila component of the name originates from Manila hemp, named after Manila, the capital of the Philippines.[2] This was historically the main material for manila folders, alongside the manila envelope and manila paper.[7]
The manila folder is a folder designed for transporting documents. It is traditionally made of thick, durablemanila paper and sized so that full sheets ofprinter paper can fit inside without folding. As with the manila envelope, it is traditionally buff in color.
Themanila envelope, a close relative of the folder, often has a mechanism on the closing flap that allows it to be opened without damaging the envelope so that it can be reused. There are two main methods to achieve this. The first incorporates a metal clasp with two prongs, which are put through a reinforced eyelet in the flap and then bent apart to hold, while the other has a cardboard button secured tightly on the flap and a piece of string fastened on the envelope body (or the reverse arrangement) is wound around it to form a closure. In a more general sense, similar envelopes made of brown, unbleached paper, used for cheapness, are also described as manila envelopes.