Years after the Green Button Revolution changed the way we print, that same concept is now coming to the bindery.

By Al Boese

But where did this leave print finishing, the overlooked stepchild of the printing industry?

Print finishing was an analog world from the beginning and has remained so almost without exception until a few years ago. The shining exception was the Fastback thermal strip binding process developed by Powis Parker in the mid 1990s. That product was a glorious success owing to several factors, including aesthetics (the finished bound book looked great), operator simplicity, versatility and modern industrial design. It was a pioneer in the Green Button Revolution.