The Trapper Keeper came out after I graduated high school. But we had 3-ring binders before that - they were fabric covered (like a cheap denim) and had metal r

The Trapper Keeper came out after I graduated high school. But we had 3-ring binders before that - they were fabric covered (like a cheap denim) and had metal rings which made a loud snap when you closed them. They had good & bad aspects - you could draw on the fabric and customize your binder (something the Trapper Keeper couldn't do until they allowed an artwork insert years later). And bad: the metal rings would get bent and not meet up anymore so your papers would fall out. So far as customization - the thing we'd do with textbooks is cover them in paper grocery bag material so you'd have something to draw on, as well as protect the book so you wouldn't be charged when you returned it.