Sorting It Out With Collators

A collator can save you time and money. But finding the right one requires some research. Several managers offer their insights.

By Gretchen Peck

When Western Washington University Publishing Services first installed a collator in 1996, it eliminated some very labor-intensive processes, such as hand collating, signature folding and stitching on a manual stitcher.

Last year the Bellingham, Wash., in-plant upgraded to a two-tower Duplo 4000 collating system, with 10 bins in each tower. The modular, off-line collator is used by both copying and printing staff.

"Depending upon the number of pages, we are saving from 30 to 100 percent in the time it takes to [collate] a booklet," remarks David Ellison, manager of Publishing Services. "It has definitely been a wise investment for us—in time savings and cost savings for our customers."

In the end, that's what's most important—saving customers time and money. So as you consider new equipment for your in-plant, look at the types of jobs your key customers are sending you. Many managers are finding that collators play a crucial part in handling those jobs.

Interview Your Customers

"In our case, we have at least two to three departments that are responsible for the majority of our jobs," says Michael McCollum, supervisor of Rock Valley College Print Services, in Rockford, Illinois. "So, we interview them regularly about what they're looking to do next, and we keep in close contact with them throughout the year."

One of those departments is the theater department, which recently launched a summer series of programs called "Starlight Theatre," he says. Each of the department's four summer productions requires a 44-page, 8-1⁄2x5-1⁄2˝, saddle-stitched program.

"Each production requires 10,000 books, so that's 40,000 program booklets we have to produce during the course of the summer," McCollum continues. "To produce that type of volume in the summer, in a really short period of time, we've invested in a new press, a Heidelberg GTO two-color perfecting unit. And, of course, our collator is a piece of equipment that's instrumental, as well."

The collator is also critical for work sent by the marketing and sports departments, both of which print a substantial number of booklets throughout the year.

The in-plant runs a Copybinder 24, made by C.P. Bourg and sold years ago by AM Multigraphics before it merged with A.B.Dick. McCollum describes it as "an in-line, horizontal system that will collate, saddle stitch, face trim and output to a conveyor belt. It's been one of our best investments. It allows us to have a faster turnaround time."

McCollum doesn't just respond to customers' needs, though; he tries to offer ideas, as well.

"I consider it my responsibility to keep tabs on the equipment that's coming out and how it might be used to help [customers] try new things, new strategies, with their print work," he says. "I figure, I can keep these core departments happy and provide them with equipment capabilities that meet their needs, [and] these same pieces of equipment may be found useful by other departments, too. It's just a matter of reaching out to them."

Birth Of A New Generation

Joe Parker is the manager of the Janie Scott Printing and Production Center for the Cypress-Fairbanks I.S.D.—reportedly the largest independent school district in Texas. During his tenure there, Parker has seen several generations of collating systems come through the doors.

"I've been here 10 years, and there was a collator here when I arrived. It was a Standard Horizon Vac 10, which replaced an older machine," he recalls. "The obvious benefit of the newer machine was speed and dependability, quicker setup and much less down time. It also took [up] less floor space."

Several years ago, Parker, recalls, that unit was replaced by a Standard Horizon SpeedVAC 100 collating and booklet making system with an ST-20R stacker and SPF/FC-20 bookletmaker, which he says was "definitely a good investment." This 30-bin, three-tower unit has several features Parker says are valuable to his operation.

"You can program it to run from multiple sets of bins and auto-switch between them. This enables the operator to load one set while running from another, so the machine never stops, [and] you can run in both directions at once," Parker explains.

System Configurations

As with most finishing systems, collators can act as stand-alone devices or may be arranged in-line with complementary units. For example, at the Janie Scott Printing and Production Center, the Horizon collator has been configured in-line with two finishing components.

"We have a receding stacker on one end, and a booklet maker on the other," says Parker. "This allows us to straight collate, stitch—one upper left, or two on the side—or saddle stitch, fold and face trim booklets. There is no need to remove anything and attach something else. We simply designate which direction to run the job and hit 'Go.' "

An in-line configuration was critical for McCollum at Rock Valley College, too.

"A lot of the work we do involves bleeds, so a face trimmer at the end of the collator is an important piece for us," he says. "It allows us to finish off the job, nice and square, while the image bleeds off the page.

Collator Categories

In addition to how a collator may interface with new or existing print and finishing systems, prospective buyers will find that collators fit into some basic categories: tower (vertical) or horizontal units; suction-fed or friction-fed solutions.

The benefit of a tower-based model is obvious. It saves space on the floor. As for the benefits of suction vs. friction, there are fans in both camps.

"Our Copybinder 24 is a friction-feed system, but in the future, I may go with a suction-fed solution, which would give us greater flexibility in the types and grades of paper we can run through it," says Rock Valley's McCollum.

Joe Parker's Horizon Vac 100 is a suction-fed system, which he says handles slick stocks and a variety of paper weights better than a friction-fed alternative.

Others prefer friction systems, which they say run better and are more cost effective to maintain. Little things like replacing suction cups can be a hidden cost that adds up quickly. Take Western Washington University's Duplo 4000, for example.

"It is friction-fed and feeds better than our old one that had rubber suckers, which wore out frequently," Ellison notes.

Look At Your Work

In the end, it comes down to the type of work you do.

"Look at your product mix," Joe Parker suggests. "If you do a lot of booklets—any sizes—or longer runs of multiple-page jobs that don't fit a copier, you need a collator system."

Upgrading an in-house collating system will pay for itself, he asserts, in comparison to outsourcing projects or struggling with outdated, unsuitable equipment. "Think of down time and repairs versus billing time."

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You can contact Gretchen Peck at GPeck1225@msn.com