Digital Finishing : Find Your (In, Off, Near) Line

On the offset end, the average perfect-bound run is 3,000 to 3,500. Case binding is also used on both digital and offset jobs. While Bookmasters’ total number of titles produced sees a 50/50 split between the printing methods, about 80 percent of billing is ticketed offset due to run lengths.

About a year ago, Bookmasters installed the scalable Muller Martini SigmaLine, which can produce 1,000 fully variable length, width and thickness books per hour. Bookmasters prefers to go the in-line route due to schedule and labor savings, but also relishes the flexibility provided by near-line finishing gear.