WWhether it is books, magazines, documents, or booklets, binding remains a service that is very much sought after in the print industry, with customers almost constantly looking for binding in some form or another. While binding as a service has been offered for hundreds of years, both manufacturers and suppliers in this sector continue to come up with new and forward-thinking techniques that not only make the process easier for printers, but also improve the quality and reliability of the actual bind. With that in mind, Print Monthly speaks with several names in the binding sector to find out more about what is new in terms of technology and how the latest developments can help print service providers (PSPs) deliver a higher quality service to customers. Keeping pace Morgana Systems is a brand synonymous not only with binding, but the finishing process as a whole, as it offers a wide range of solutions and products. Ray Hillhouse, vice president of sales and marketing for the Plockmatic Group Offline Business Unit, says with printing technology for book and booklet production undergoing such radical change over the last decade, it has been essential for the post-press world to make equally large leaps forward with regard to the capabilities of the product being produced. “Printers that have failed to keep pace will be left behind,” Hillhouse says, adding: “It is therefore essential for any growing business in this sector to make in-house binding a major ingredient. “The printing industry has changed phenomenally over the last decade – and that’s nothing new – it has changed dramatically in every decade that I’ve been involved with it! But now customers expect an ultra-fast turnaround; same day can often be a prerequisite. If you can’t bind in-house, you are already at the back of the queue of print providers. “All too often we are misled down the ‘best price’ route. The old adage of ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ has to be remembered. Cheap, poor-quality binders, with little or no on-the-ground support will be considered, and sometimes purchased by printers. Only when such a product breaks down at a critical production moment will the printer recall this phrase. Quality counts and quality does tend to cost just that little bit more.” With this, Hillhouse draws attention to some of the latest offerings from Morgana, including the new Morgana BM4000 Series Binding Technology January / February 2023 37 Sticking together Still big business for many print service providers, Rob Fletcher casts an eye over the binding market to analyse the latest developments with this technology and some of the new kit on offer Image: Morgana Systems
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjM0NDIxOA==