American Binding Products

THOUGH MOST of the press conferences and “big news” at Drupa centered on digital printing, innovations in bindery and finishing were no less prevalent. In fact, many of them sprang from the very digital printing trends that overshadowed them. As digital printing speeds have increased, bindery equipment has also gotten faster, with vastly improved automation and simplified touch-screen controls to make them even easier to set up. JDF compatibility is becoming more common in bindery equipment, allowing devices to be preset using production data. Demands for higher-quality printed products have led bindery vendors to improve their paper-handling techniques. Folds look better on the latest

With on-demand printing making book production easy, in-plants are increasingly upgrading their perfect binders. Here are some of the latest models. By Elise Hacking Book Block Gluing Machine American Binding's Book Block Gluing Machine Type ID 5000 is specifically designed for the production of high-quality gauzed books. The machine is equipped with two glue trays, one for cold glue at the entrance (with infrared drying) and one with hot-melt glue and lateral gluing. Dimensions and processing of the gauze can be electronically adjusted. The ID 5000 handles paper sizes ranging from 3.9x5.9˝ to 11.8x20.5˝ in thicknesses of .11˝ to 3.2˝. www.americanbindingco.com

In-plants produce a diversified range of products. Their collators must be just as versatile. By Kristen E. Monte FLEXIBILITY, VERSATILITY and productivity are three key qualities in-plant managers look for when choosing a collating system, says A.B.Dick's Dennis James. More specifically, he adds, in-plants look for equipment that can handle a variety of paper stocks without taking up a lot of floor space. In-plants today produce a diversified range of products, adds Ron Bowman, vice president of sales for Rosback Co. "Many of the items [in-plants] wish to collate...are varied and come in all sizes, shapes and weights," says Bowman. "They require a heavy-duty,

Finding and using perfect binding equipment can go a little easier with some advice from the experts. Perfect binding is a growing business for in-plants. Already 39.2 percent of in-plants have perfect binders. Many others are eying them. Before dropping any money on this equipment, though, it's important to analyze possible future business, not just current needs, so you're not stuck with an outdated machine. "Too often, people buy what they need at the moment and do not anticipate the potential for growth and new business," notes Steven Calov, Heidelberg's postpress product manager for stitching and perfect binding. He suggests asking yourself questions like these:

In-plants are getting new business thanks to their laminating capabilities. Find out how to pick the laminator that's right for you. By W. Eric Martin You hardly need to be convinced that lamination is a good thing. After all, bringing an extra layer of professionalism to a job automatically places both you and your client in a better light. But what should you look for in lamination equipment? If you listen to the experts, you want to think big. Really big. "Due to the increase in popularity of 44˝-wide photo-like images, the majority of lamination equipment being sold is wide-format," contends Sol M.

Put simply, plastic coil binding saves money. And better yet, customers love the way it looks. by Mike Llewellyn IT MAY NOT be branded "the wave of the future." It may not have industry commentators calling it a revolution. But plastic coil binding has developed a solidly loyal following over the past few years among in-plant managers. Dave Opp is one of them. Opp is manager of corporate printing and literature distribution for Storagetek, a software firm specializing in data storage and disaster recovery systems. Opp feels the bindery can play its own role in disaster recovery. "Binding is critical," says Opp, speaking

In today's print-on-demand market, manufacturers are rolling out collators designed for shorter runs. by Chris Bauer The Kansas Department of Transportation's in-plant specializes in really big jobs—to be specific, high-volume 22x36˝ construction documents. Last year the Topeka-based shop output 1,679,100 square feet of these large documents. When it's not handling these projects, though, the 25-employee shop keeps busy printing smaller sized items like training manuals, monthly reports and a KDOT newsletter. To handle these jobs, the in-plant relies heavily on its 30-bin, three-tower C.P. Bourg BST 10 collator. "The best feature on the collator is that it's electronically programmable," notes Bill Crooks, print shop

If the books you print need to lay flat, plastic coil, spiral and double-loop wire binding may be the best choices for you. by Chris Bauer JUST ASK manufacturers of spiral wire or plastic coil binding equipment what advantages their products have over other finishing techniques. You will get a lot of good answers. "Undoubtedly, the greatest advantage of spiral binding is that when opened, the book lays flat," points out David Spiel of Long Island City, N.Y.-based Spiel Associates. "Lay-flat perfect binding was supposed to put an end to mechanical binding, but it hasn't because it doesn't really lay flat. Books bound