Buyers' Guide

Over the past 20 years, there has been a shift in collating requirements. Where once printers used the devices for jobs such as collating carbonless pads, today they are more likely to be run as an add-on, for example with a bookletmaking machine. According to Chris Hammond, sales manager at Graphic Arts Equipment (GAE), collating machines are often run inline with stitching lines.

Buyers are demanding more from their collating machines, and as well as being used with stitch, fold, and trim units to produce booklets, printers are tasking them to collate items from business cards up to large-format point-of-sale material.

The rise of digital presses is also changing the sector, as the machines can print sheets in sequence, negating the need for a collator. “Digital is having an ongoing impact on the sector, but the rate at which it is diminishing collating [equipment sales] has not been as aggressive as expected,” says Chris Broomfield, managing director at BCB.

Indeed, where litho and digital technology is used together, collating is still very much in demand. “Printers are merging litho jobs with digital in very short runs,” says GAE’s Hammond.

As a result, collators are being designed with data in mind. High definition cameras are being incorporated to ensure that, in book collating, the right cover goes with the right book block – each sheet can be matched to information held on a database.

Reduced makereadies
Advanced technology has also helped operators. Broomfield points out that touchscreens and automatic set-ups have helped reduce makeready times, and are proving very popular. He adds that, due to the cost of new machines, there is also a growing market for refurbished horizontal collators.

Environmental issues are also being addressed, and newer machines are taking into consideration the need for less waste. “There is continual pressure to reduce waste and, in turn, the machinery must cope with this,” says Broomfield.

He adds that buyers need to ascertain if a standard machine will give them the edge over their competitors; if not they could opt for a bespoke machine, tailored to their exact requirements. Flexibility is an important consideration, and a machine should be able to handle a range of work.