The Digital Bindery

One of the adjustments Fastbind has made includes the purchase of a Muller Martini Amigo binder for smaller runs, which joins a Muller Martini Panda binder, to create an answer to the short-run, DocuTech-produced book blocks.

"Perhaps the most important adjustment we have made is in our mindset toward on-demand work," Shea says. "There was a point in the past where we dismissed it as not worthwhile, since we were working with average jobs of $2,000. However, once we saw that efficient equipment existed and realized that there was profit in on-demand work, we took it more seriously. We identified and trained new operators, put together a marketing plan, and off we went. To date, our Fastbind subsidiary is growing substantially in the on-demand market, with perfect and mechanical binding services."