Muller Martini's Alegro has enjoyed the most successful launch of any new perfect binder in Muller Martini’s history. It was first introduced at drupa 2012 and has over 45 installations worldwide. Most recently, a significant number of North American print manufacturers have selected the Alegro as their perfect binder of choice, with eight new installations happening within the past 18 months.
The RISO Perfect Binder not only incorporates the benefits of inkjet technology and the production speed of the ComColor X1 series printers, but converts the system into a self-contained book manufacturing solution for both short-runs and high-volume production. RISO’s inkjet Perfect Binder solution prints books as thick as 300 sheets of 20-lb. bond—which meets or exceeds the production needs of most digital book printers.
A new multiweb offline finishing solution has been added to VITS International's Sprint line of finishing equipment that is ideal for the perfect-bound and saddle-stitch book markets.
As print shifts from offset to digital, and run lengths shrink to reduce inventories, a whole new generation of perfect binders has been introduced. These machines are built for short- and medium-runs, and can quickly adjust to changes in both the book block and cover sizes.
Standard Finishing Systems has announced three new product installations. Texas Bindery Service of Cedar Creek, TX, has added a BQ-470 Perfect Binder; The Bindery of San Diego, has installed a SPF-200L Landscape Bookletmaker; and Paper Tiger of Santa Fe, NM purchased a StitchLiner Saddlestitcher.
You can set up a short-run, hard-cover module that can produce a few thousand books a day without making a million-dollar (or more!) investment. So don't routinely send the work out if you've got it. Looking at the options for bringing it in-house can add to your cash flow and improve your bottom line.
The last major milestone in adhesive binding was the introduction of PUR (polyurethane reactive) glue, which cured by forming a chemical bond with paper. But a newer adhesive system may be about to make a debut.
There are lots of additional techniques that can be used to enhance the PUR process. One new technique is a plasma-discharge station (similar to the electrical corona discharge used to treat many flexible films). This is thought to change the surface tension and polarity of the book block, enhancing the bind strength.
In the ’50s, the race began to automate book binding, with firms vying to produce complete, automated systems that could turn out 50-60 hardcover books per minute. The new production model is a smaller work cell requiring a single operator.
Even though I didn’t get the opportunity to visit all of the finishing system exhibitors at GRAPH EXPO 2012, I did see enough to form some opinions on current trends and developments in the industry. While digital printing was once again the central focus of the show floor, finishing remains key in creating quality, exciting products across the board.
