The Digital Bindery

Recently, we were engaged to help improve the profitability of a commercial printer whose state-of-the-art capabilities have been well-publicized in the industry. One of the things we discovered was that he had invested heavily in the latest in-line finishing capabilities to automate the production of books and manuals. However, this automation was actually limiting the productivity of his digital printing equipment, as well as his flexibility to deal with the range of trim sizes and binding styles that his customers and the market required. As a result, he was carrying the cost of the in-line equipment, as well as the cost of an underutilized off-line bindery. And, at the same time, he was outsourcing the finishing on some jobs.