Digital Technology And the Bindery

Automation stands out as the most powerful theme, with stepper motor controls, touch-screen interfaces and integrated digital workflows that enable automated setups and changeovers. Also significant, in-line finishing is gaining favor for some work—especially digitally imaged output.

Digital printing sparked a wave of in-line finishing several years back, with high-speed monochrome printers introducing a range of in-line saddle stitching, perfect binding and even three-side trimming options. These systems have the benefit of supporting variable sheet-count/variable information jobs with full integrity, since the sheets never leave the system. The digital print file is submitted and the finished product exits the back-end of the system, ready to be boxed and shipped.