News

Binding has never been the sexiest part of print, but it’s a market that is constantly changing.

Automation, lower costs and the advent of digital has resulted in a growing number of smaller one-stop shops and inplants bringing finishing in-house. As a result, manufacturers are seeing a growing interest in binders, especially ones with a smaller footprint.

“Perfect bound ‘soft cover’ binding was traditionally only practical for long runs,” says industry expert Vic Fletcher. “The equipment was very expensive, highly mechanical, required highly skilled operators and took up a vast amount of space and so was the preserve of specialist manufacturers.”

New practicality
With automated, smaller machines now virtually standard on the market, buyers are choosing perfect binding to finish items that wouldn’t have been previously practical or economical. Flexible off-line binding equipment that has the capability to perfect bind low-run jobs quickly and with a high-quality finish, are proving popular among printers.

Cold glue binding is also growing in popularity. Clive Richardson, joint managing director of Total Print Finishing Services, explains: “Many smaller companies are not geared up to cope with the health and safety requirements for hot melt perfect binding. As cold glue binding does not require the same level of ventilation as hot melt, it’s much more suited to the less industrial printing environment.”

While the technology might not be new, it is gaining in appeal due to an ever-growing range of non-standard paper stocks. “Cold glue binding does not create paper warping issues like hot melt perfect binding,” adds Richardson. “So these machines are popular with printers looking for versatile binding solutions to meet the more diverse requirements of digital print customers in terms of paper stock.”

A good thing to look out for is whether the perfect binder manufacturer also makes the glues. “This is the critical point,” says Richardson. “A machine may be a great piece of technology in itself, but if it doesn’t relate well to the glues it uses, all that great technology is somewhat redundant, as the quality and finish just isn’t there.”

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WHAT'S NEW IN… PERFECT BINDERS AND 3-KNIFE TRIMMERS
• The Prime Print Group finished off a £1m investment with a new single-clamp perfect binder from UK finishing supplier Terry Cooper Services in January. A recent contract win meant the company added the CP Bourg BB3002 single-clamp perfect binder
• Heidelberg will be showing how printers can “add value” with its range of finishing kit when it opens the doors of its Tamworth showroom for an open house from 15-17 April. Kit on display will include the new Eurobind EB600 perfect binder and the Eurotrim EB1300
• Printwise made a move into short-run binding after buying a Planax Perfect-Binder F11. The company wanted a machine to match the quality and cost-effectiveness of its high-volume production binders
• Blissett Bookbinders claimed it had eliminated bottlenecks in its trimming work and cut operator responsibility in half, after investing in a robotic three-side trimmer from Horizon last month. It is running the HT30jdf machine alongside a Horizon single-clamp perfect binder