Bindery Systems Keep Pace

A truly on-demand workflow doesn't begin and end with a digital press. As was evidenced at this year's On Demand show held in March in New York City–-and with an eye on the upcoming Drupa 2004 event in Germany next month–-finishing equipment manufacturers are offering a range of bindery systems that can keep pace with the quick turnaround of variable-data, short-run printing.

And users say these systems are producing results that rival traditional methodologies.

"The gray area between digital and offset has all but disappeared," states Kenneth Cannon, director of new business development for Acme Bookbinding, Charlestown, Mass. "Digitally, you can produce one book with the same high quality that offset affords."

This high output quality extends to binding systems as well, Cannon says.

"With our on-demand printing capabilities, the choice was obvious: we needed on-demand bindery capabilities as well," says Ken Chaletzky, president of Copy General, a 25-year-old digital printing and finishing provider with three retail facilities in Washington, D.C., and a production facility in Sterling, Va. "Because of the high level of automation now available in perfect binding equipment, these machines are becoming more attractive to printing businesses such as ours."

Users of on-demand bindery systems run the gamut, from smaller all-digital shops to behemoth commercial printers that are adopting finishing solutions so as to serve customers more quickly.

"Businesses that want on-demand bindery capabilities also include bigger players looking for shorter turnaround times," attests Andrew Fetherman, manager of Muller Martini's On Demand Solutions division. As such, some of these systems are designed to handle print streams from digital as well as offset presses.

A sampling of on-demand bindery systems available today illustrates the wealth of options available to all types of users.

At On Demand this year, Baumfolder featured the Baum Flexifold, the company's newest modular folding solution. Featuring a flow-through paper path design, the Flexifold can fold paper sizes from 3×5" up to 14×20".

Baumfolder also offers the Baum 714XLT air-feed folder, capable of folding a 14×20" sheet, and the QuickAir air/vacuum feed collator, which can be configured with eight, 16, or 24 bins.

"Most finishing systems are designed to support one kind of print, either digital or offset," says Mark Van Gorp, vice president of marketing for Böwe Bell & Howell. "To truly do on-demand printing, a system has to allow for one document to be completely different from the next."

Böwe Bell & Howell's DemandWorks perfect binding systems, shown at On Demand, are designed to meet this challenge. The systems–-which provide finishing capabilities for hybrid print streams, whether digital or offset, or black-and-white or color–-guarantee the integrity of variable-data information using a bar coding system, explains Van Gorp.

DemandWorks systems are available in four basic models: a single-clamp unit, rated at 500 books an hour; a four-clamp indexing unit, rated at 1,000 books an hour; a five-clamp continuous unit, rated at 1,200 books an hour; and a dual-channel, four-clamp indexing unit, rated at 1,000 books per hour. The machines, which can be customized to meet specific user requirements, can produce books up to 1¾" thick, in 6×9", 8½×11", and 9×12" sizes.

The company also showed at On Demand its DemandWorks bookletmaker system, which can be used in off-, near-, or in-line configurations, and can be integrated with Xerox monochrome or color cut-sheet printers.

Colter & Peterson (C&P) sells and services new and used paper cutters, three-knife trimmers, and perfect binders. The company manufactures the Accutrim trimmer for short-run books, which offers 20-second set-up, one-person operation, and bidirectional cutting. C&P also is the distributor for JMD perfect binders in single-, three-, and four-clamp models.

As it did at last year's On Demand show, C.P. Bourg partnered at this year's event with Xerox to demonstrate the Book Factory. C.P. Bourg offers a range of finishing equipment, such as the Bourg Binder BBF2005, which is compatible with several Xerox printers including the DocuTech 6180, plus a variety of other digital printers on the market.

Synchronized with the printer's output and automatically adjusted to match its speed, the BBF2005 can retain in its memory the parameters of four binding jobs. The machine, which binds up to a thickness of 1.57", also provides milling and/or notching of the spine for better adherence.

C.P. Bourg's bypass system allows users to combine the BBF2005 with the Bourg BDFx document finisher, a fully automated signature bookletmaker that incorporates a paper path-sensing system to ensure that document production is monitored through each step of the process.

The System 5000 automated collating and bookletmaking system from Duplo USA features throughput capability of up to 5,000 booklets and 10,000 collated sets per hour, says the manufacturer.

Incorporating the company's DC-10/60 collating towers, the DBM-500 bookletmaker, a face trimmer, and a precision stacker, the UP3I-compatible System 5000's set accumulation system offers flexibility by accepting output from both offset and digital printers. The suction-feed device can feed up to 12-point cover stock and a variety of sheet sizes.

Says Duplo, the machine is the only one of its kind that can handle a complete changeover without any manual adjustments. The System 5000 automatically adjusts itself for both job size and thickness.

"The system is so automated and user-friendly that with a good operator, you can have a job set up in less than five minutes," says Gilbert Estrada, plant manager of PS Print LLC, an Oakland, Calif.-based quick print shop that installed a Duplo System 5000 last November, when it decided to bring its finishing capabilities in house.

Since allowing customers to order booklets on line, Estrada relates, customer demand has skyrocketed from one booklet job per week to more than 10. The System 5000's ability to store as many as 10 jobs in its memory means only minor adjustments have to be made for most orders, he says.

At On Demand, Duplo also showed its DSF-2000 document sheet feeder and bookletmaker, which can feed precollated output from a digital printer or copier and add a preprinted color cover to the set. The device features built-in optical mark recognition and an optional barcode reader to ensure complete set integrity.

Duplo also offers the DB-250 desktop perfect binder, which can produce up to 200 booklets per hour. Its automated binding enables operators to simply place flat sheets into the clamp, where pages are gripped automatically and the binding process is started.

Exact Bind Corporation sells the Fastbind Ultra, the latest addition to its line of finishing equipment. The Fastbind Ultra perfect binder features an automatic roughener to allow glue to penetrate deeply into the paper. With automatic thickness adjustment and full automation, the machine operates at up to 450 cycles per hour.

Heidelberg's new Coverbind 301 DFS finishing system, which will be available in June, produces documents that lay flat within minutes, according to the manufacturer. Using an edge-gluing system to ensure that all sheets drop into a solid adhesive that is reinforced with a book-binding cloth, the Coverbind 301 DFS can be connected seamlessly to Digimaster 9110 and Digimaster 9150i printing systems equipped with high-capacity stackers or finishers.

"Digimaster system customers will now be able to employ Coverbind's solution to produce bound documents with the book-like appearance of commercial perfect binding, in house and on demand," says Robert Taylor, vice president of partner management and support for Heidelberg's Digital Print Solution Center.

The in-line solution means that users can produce bound booklets much more quickly, he added.

Last year, Heidelberg introduced the latest offering in its digital finishing line, the Probinder. As the company moves to divest its digital business, however, Heidelberg reports that plans for the Probinder have been put on hold, and that it "will consider field tests at a later date."

ISP Stitching & Bindery Products presented its new B-2000 Stitch'n Fold bookletmaker at On Demand. Capable of stitching and folding up to 25 sheets of 20-lb. bond paper, the B-2000 uses ISP's EZ Thread stitching head, which increases productivity and reduces downtime, according to the manufacturer.

The Stitch'n Fold, which can produce more than 65,000 booklets at a maximum speed of 2,300 booklets per hour without reloading staples, is able to electrically link to a 10-bin tower collator.

ISP also offers the BookletMate tabletop bookletmaker, which uses two staplers to staple and fold books up to 48 pages (12 sheets of 20-lb. bond paper), and a new trimmer, which can face-trim books of 20-lb. bond paper up to 50 sheets thick. The trimmer can run at speeds of up to 2,300 booklets per hour when used in line with the Stitch'n Fold.

James Burn International presented its Wire-O and Unicoil lines of binding equipment at On Demand. The company says it can combine its binding units with other finishing solutions it offers for a fully user-configurable system. For instance, the Wire-O Bind semi-automatic Wire-O finisher can be combined either with the company's Alpha-Doc or DocuPunch automatic punch, to produce 150 to 400 Wire-O documents per hour, says the manufacturer.

Also at On Demand, MBO America showed its new MBO Digi-Finisher, a multi-function device that folds, collates, stitches, covers, and trims printed sheets for a finished booklet. The machine can work with variable data without additional makeready, says the company, and can be used in line or off line.

The MBO B21 folder with pile feeder and MBO's saddle stitcher, both elements of the Digi-Finisher, can also be used individually for standard folding or stitching jobs. MBO also showed its quick-changeover IFF-20 infeed folder at On Demand.

Additionally, MBO offers the Herzog & Heymann ILS (inside line-gluing system), which enables users to glue a 16-page pasted booklet with regular imposition in a finished maximum size of 8½×11". The unit, which integrates easily between any MBO folders, says the company, is mobile and height-adjustable, and is equipped with a cold-glue system.

For the second year in a row at On Demand, Muller Martini's Amigo Digital perfect binder was an integral element of the Books for Schools production line–-where technology from Boise Paper, Delphax, Keene Technology Inc., Shuttleworth, Strålfors, and Xeikon helped to produce more than 6,000 copies of several classic books that were then donated to New York City high schools.

The Amigo Digital, which can bind 1,000 variable books an hour, "brings commercial-quality perfect binding to the digital market," says Muller Martini's Andrew Fetherman.

The machine is suited for use with variable-data jobs since "it can go from book to book, with virtually no makeready," Fetherman states.

The machine features a milling and spine preparation station with adjustable milling depth, two glue rollers to ensure uniform glue application, and a pile cover station that loads from the top and feeds from the bottom for continuous operation.

"Even big players like Penguin Books are getting into short-run digital production," says Fetherman. "We definitely see a niche for higher-end publishers that want shorter turnaround," he asserts, adding that on-demand book production has gone from being "good enough" to "as good as" the traditional commercial processes.

On Demand Machinery displayed its complete line of hard-cover binding equipment at the exposition. The company's casemaking line includes the Spreader top-side gluer, Slider case gauge, Stomper turn-in machine, and Squeezer rotary squeeze press.

The company also offers the Sticker, a single-blade self-adjusting unit for casing-in work; and the Smasher, a hydraulic self-adjusting machine that delivers 20,000 lbs. of pressure for building-in work.

Powis Parker featured at On Demand its new Fastback hardcover binding system designed for near-line digital printing. The machine produces case-bound books with no set-up, with results that match commercially manufactured books in quality and appearance, says the manufacturer.

Powis Parker's matching Foilfast Title Sheets allow users to add seven-color foil titles and art to covers. The company also manufactures three models of desktop thermal binding systems.

Rollem Corporation's Champion 990 Turbo air-feed scoring and perforating system features a patented register guide to position sheets and ensure accurate registration. According to the manufacturer, applications for the system include specialty perf/slit blades for finishing CD/DVD inlays, wraparound covers, and accordion or roll folds.

Spiel Associates offers its Sterling Digibinder, designed to perfect-bind up to 360 books per hour. The Digibinder automatically adjusts for book thickness, while a unique blade roughens the entire backbone of the book and notches the spine for secure glue application. Twin glue rollers apply glue evenly, while the nipper adjusts automatically.

The ShortRunBook system from SRS Short Run Solutions Ltd. is designed for the fully automatic production of hardcover books. SRS will feature the system at Drupa in May. Suited for production in very short runs, the CIP4-compatible machine operates at up to 20 cycles per minute. It also features an optional rounding and backing station, gauzing station, and headband station, and can store binding data in memory for repeat jobs.

SRS also offers the ShortRunCase (casemaker), ShortRun-Trim (three-knife trimmer), and ShortRunStack (compensating counter/stacker).

Standard Finishing Systems showed On Demand attendees the new features of its Standard Horizon BQ-270 perfect binder, including a delivery conveyor for finished books and a digital caliper for automated book-thickness measurement.

The BQ-270 is particularly useful for short runs and quick turnaround because of its automation, says Ken Chaletzky of Copy General, which does nearly all of its binding in house. "All we do is measure the book's thickness, and everything else adjusts itself."

Chaletzky says the BQ-270's ability to store parameters for repeat jobs is also quite useful for his company, which uses digital technologies such as the Xerox DocuTech and the DocuColor iGen3 color press.

Designed for single-person operation, the BQ-270 can produce up to 500 books per hour. It features an intelligent touch-screen control console, a newly developed adhesive application and side-gluing system, and automatic air-suction cover feeding with in-line scoring.

Chaletzky says that customers are pleased with the quality of the books produced by the BQ-270. "There's nothing like the visibility of a nice spine on a bookshelf," he states. "That really impresses customers who are looking for 'real books.' "

At On Demand, Standard also showed its new Standard Horizon AFC-546AKT floor-model folder. Designed for commercial printers, in-plant printers, and binderies, the AFC-546AKT includes advanced set-up automation through a user-friendly color touch-screen control panel that displays fold formats and sheet sizes.

Standard recently received Xerox's "Reseller Finishing Partner of the Year" award for 2003. The award was based primarily on the success of the Standard Horizon ColorWorks 2000 in-line bookletmaker, designed for use with Xerox DocuColor 5252, 2060, and 6060 digital color presses, say the manufacturers.

ColorWorks 2000 offers automated scoring, bleed trimming, stitching, folding, face trimming, and stacking, all in line, with touch-screen control. Other products offered by Standard that complement Xerox continuous-feed devices include a range of Standard Hunkeler equipment, including unwinders, rewinders, and cutters.