Tips for Better Perfect Binding

Before You Start

• Look at your current and future needs when deciding which binder to purchase. Ask yourself: Are my jobs mainly short runs with varying book thickness, or longer runs with fixed book block thickness? What is my current volume? What will my volume be in the future? —Harry Nguyen, Duplo USA

• Take a look at your annual volume before you buy. Would it be cheaper to outsource your perfect binding work or to keep it in-house? Rising transportation and delivery costs, together with the unwillingness of trade binders to take on smaller jobs, can be decisive factors here. —Steve Calov, Heidelberg

• When adding equipment, give careful consideration to material workflow, crewing, and layout. A poorly organized plant can add unnecessary handling costs. Ask your supplier to help you configure the equipment to match your unique crewing assignments. Avoid the temptation to cram the equipment in just to make it fit. A good layout can boost efficiencies. —Jim Kaeli, Muller Martini

• Consider the reputation of the manufacturer and the local dealer, since you’ll rely on them to keep your binder running efficiently for years to come. You want established suppliers that have a strong reputation for service support and parts availability. Technical reliability is also a key consideration. Speak with current customers or visit a shop that is using the equipment. Even better, speak with a long-standing customer who can attest to the value of their investment over time. —Mark Hunt, Standard Finishing Systems

• For small in-plants that have ultra-short book runs, they’ll find smaller binders with more and more “big system” features, such as automated settings and in-line cover scoring. Important differences in book quality remain between desktop and floor-model production binders. A qualified supplier can help you determine what size binder is recommended based on your book volume. —Mark Hunt, Standard Finishing Systems

Tabletop vs. Floor Models

• Some questions users should ask themselves are: Do I have the volume to justify purchasing a heavy duty floor model or will a tabletop model be sufficient? Do the jobs require the superior book block milling and bond strength that comes with a floor model? —Harry Nguyen, Duplo USA

• There are tabletop perfect binders that outperform floor model machines. Do not be fooled by size. Judge the features, not the weight or footprint of the machine. —David Spiel, Spiel Associates

Kicking the Tires

• Measure the quality of finished products with objective measures like pull and flex tests. The same book bound on two different binders may look similar but have technical differences that could compromise book performance (pages falling out, spine cracking, etc). The critical alignment of perfect binding sub-stations (clamp, milling blades, cover station, nipping jaws, etc.) is a function of machine design, precision engineering and manufacturing methods. These can make a significant difference in page pull and flex test results. —Mark Hunt, Standard Finishing Systems

• Ask about pricing flexibility, but consider more than just price. Suppliers might be able to bundle accessories, adhesive supplies or even service support into a deal. These can bring more long-term benefit than a lower initial purchase price. —Mark Hunt, Standard Finishing Systems

• Ask the supplier to bind some of your most challenging applications—lightweight paper, coated stocks, digitally imaged covers and stocks. Assess the samples. Get hands-on time with the binder for one of your operators. Have the supplier teach them how to complete a changeover. Do your own time studies to verify that the production rates being quoted are realistic and not just “cycle times.” Review finished books for consistency. Book-to-book irregularity is a tip-off that settings may be prone to wandering. —Mark Hunt, Standard Finishing Systems

• Select a binder that has been designed so it’s easy for anyone in the shop to run. This helps you cross-train your operators so you’re not dependent on a “binder specialist.” Look for advanced color touch screens with icon-based instructions that lead the operator through each step in the setup process. —Mark Hunt, Standard Finishing Systems

• Many entry-level binders with a single roller use a scraper to remove excess glue, with marginal results. A better solution is a hot melt roller gluing system that uses two rollers to apply hot melt adhesive to the spine. One roller applies the hot melt, while a back spinner removes the excess and smooths out the glue film. —Steve Calov, Heidelberg

Spine Preparation

• Proper spine preparation involves giving it maximum exposure to the glue. Your perfect binder’s milling application should be capable of precise surface notching, roughening, brushing and waste evacuation. An adhesive binder with a height-adjustable clamp and combination tool that performs all of these the functions will enable you to meet the requirements of a wide range of products. —Steve Calov, Heidelberg

• The most important function of a perfect binder is what it does to the book block prior to gluing. Does it mill (saw off the backbone), rough (scrape up the entire backbone), or just notch (scrape spiral patterns into the backbone)? The amount of glue penetration is what determines if a book will hold together or not. —David Spiel, Spiel Associates

Capabilities and Features

• Can the machine bind books with coated stock? Since a fair amount of books are printed on coated stock, it doesn’t pay to buy a machine when you will still have to send out a fair amount of your work. —David Spiel, Spiel Associates

• A horizontal cover feeder with integrated four-line scoring yields the high-end finish and feel of a hinged cover that conceals the look of the spine preparation and glue. —Steve Calov, Heidelberg

• A perfect binder with book thickness detection at the book clamp will increase production rates, especially in variable thickness mode. —Harry Nguyen, Duplo USA

• The ability to swap-in a PUR tank brings flexibility and opens up new applications, such as digitally-imaged books on coated stock, which is a challenge for conventional EVA/hot-melt adhesive. —Mark Hunt, Standard Finishing Systems

• To reduce the frequency of costly and time-consuming glue replacement, look at a binder with a standby mode that automatically lowers the temperature of the glue pot when the system sits idle for a set time interval. —Harry Nguyen, Duplo USA

• Single-clamp machines offer a variety of solutions for hinge gluing. Wheel applications ensure consistent application and permit the smooth, precise metering of glue onto the hinge of the book. —Steve Calov, Heidelberg

• Some binders have a timer that can be programmed to start up the system prior to the start of a shift to eliminate having to wait as the glue heats up to operating temperature. —Harry Nguyen, Duplo USA

Hot Melt or PUR?

• A polyurethane reactive (PUR) closed-loop gearing pump system with nozzle-based applicator ensures even application of the PUR adhesive. Open tank or roller-based systems expose the PUR to the environment, reducing the life cycle of the glue. At the end of the run or the day you will need to empty the pot for cleaning. In contrast, a nozzle-based system precisely extrudes the required amount of PUR to the substrate. At the end of the day, the nozzle is sealed with wax or grease. —Steve Calov, Heidelberg

• When looking at PUR, extrusion systems help reduce adhesive contamination to preserve bonding properties compared to open pots. Extrusion systems reduce day-to-day downtime and maintenance compared to wheel pots; extrusion systems allow quicker start-up and shutdown and have less slinging during operation. Use of PUR provides better wetting of paper fiber for stronger page pulls resulting in higher quality books. —Greg Earle, Nordson

• Conventional EVA adhesive has many benefits: low cost, quick set-up time, no special maintenance requirements. PUR adhesive also has advantages: while slightly more expensive, less PUR adhesive is applied per bind for quality results; set-up or drying time is longer than EVA but is much shorter than it used to be (now down to hours). The biggest plus for PUR is a much-improved ability to bind coated stock that has been digitally imaged. —Mark Hunt, Standard Finishing Systems

• Hot Melt EVA Properties: less expensive per pound of material; longer usable life since it can be left in the glue pot and reheated numerous times; faster cure time; shorter wait period before books can be handled; weaker bond strength with coated stocks; requires a thicker layer of adhesive per book; inferior lay flat qualities. PUR Properties: superior bonding to coated stocks; excellent lay flat qualities; requires less adhesive per book; moisture cured, which limits usable life to a few hours once exposed to air with an open glue pot design; slow cure time; material cost is about three times that of EVA per pound; repeated exposure to fumes can be detrimental to health. —Harry Nguyen, Duplo USA

• The hot melt roller application process enables fast finishing and is characterized by extremely simple handling. However, conventional hot-melt glues typically are incompatible with digitally printed output. An adhesive binder that uses PUR glue will handle both conventionally and digitally printed materials, as well as provide reliable adhesion and maximum flexibility. —Steve Calov, Heidelberg

• PUR has shown marked improvement when working with digital print binding versus traditional hot melt adhesives due to PURs ability to bond a wide variety of papers and to work with toners, inks and oils common to digital printers. —Greg Earle, Nordson

• If the application uses coated paper and cover, EVA might not provide sufficient bond strength to make a durable book. Applications like a high-quality photo book will require the bond strength and superior lay flat qualities of PUR glue. —Harry Nguyen, Duplo USA

Perfect Binding vs. Tape Binding

• Users who want to produce high-quality books should opt for a perfect binder. Users who have limited capital and are not concerned with the unattractive tape on the book spine can choose a tape binder. —Harry Nguyen, Duplo USA

• Tape binding is a viable and attractive option for customers who don’t have the ability to image a wraparound cover or prefer to standardize around an 8.5x11? format. A true perfect bound book with wraparound cover lets you print a title on the spine, and some believe a perfect bound book has a higher perceived value than a tape-bound document. The cost-per-bind comparison will vary. The right answer depends on your shop and how the book will be used and distributed. —Mark Hunt, Standard Finishing Systems