The Digital Bindery

Time is also an issue; digital print customers want faster turnaround. In a digital world, the time required for an off-site trade binder to finish output is likely to become unacceptable. And the off-line bindery, even if in-house, will be pressured, as well.

While these factors argue for in-line finishing, there are real barriers to widespread adoption any time soon. The market is going to have to accept standardization of output, and new products will be needed.