Building the Bindery into Your PlansPrint starts with an idea. Graphics professionals then turn the concept into a design. Craftsmen faithfully transform digital files to ink on paper. Bindery is the last step in the process. The place where skilled professionals convert the printed elements into an impressive finished piece.

But wait! Finishing can also bring out mistakes and poor planning. We all know the old adage “Proper planning prevents poor performance.” When the design and printing don’t properly consider the binding process, what should have become a stellar project can end up a big disappointment.

Modern production equipment brings all the separate finishing steps into one operation. One machine will collate, bind, trim, insert, personalize, apply involvement devices and package. Understanding the process will help you get the most from your print materials.

Educate Your Designers...............3

Get to Know the Bindery Folk ......3

Get in the Right Bind ..................4

Learn the Tricks .........................6

Involve Your Readers ..................6

Understand the Limitations ...........8

Get Personal ..............................9

Know the Downstream Impacts ...10

Use Ripon Printers .....................11

Contents

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Educate Your DesignersTaking a concept to reality—or at least good representation—is the designer’s role. But if your talented graphic artist doesn’t understand both the opportunities and limitations of the bindery, they can easily under or overestimate the opportunity. Connect your design team with a printer that can offer the education that will help turn every design into a masterpiece that is a source of pride and performance.

Get to Know the Bindery FolkReally, they’re nice people...and they are eager to help. Get all the technical documentation you can obtain. Find out standard trim allowances. Inquire about how different papers affect the binding process. Ask them for ideas and share yours in a collaborative effort. Once designed, it’s often too late to make changes, and the greatness of the work might be compromised. Make a dummy and show them what you are planning. Paper is made from trees, and like wood, it has grain that is not as consistent as you might think. There are tolerances for trim, register and paper growth that you need to understand, and your bindery should be happy to help you out.

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Get in the Right Bind

There are several binding techniques for catalogs and publications. Each has a unique application. Here are the most common techniques:Saddle Stitching. Bound materials where staples hold the pages together. Signatures are automatically gathered one inside the other and secured through the center with two or three staples, depending upon the thickness of the piece. It also has thickness limitations—generally ¼"—and lower perceived value. The number of staples, size and type of wire are some factors that affect the quality of this economical binding choice.Perfect Binding. Signatures are automatically gathered one on top of the other and glued with a flexible adhesive—EVA, PUR or white (cold) depending upon the use—that holds each page in place after trimming the signature backbone. A popular choice for higher page-count documents because of openability, high-perceived value and affordability. Perfect binding is best suited for either soft- or hard-cover print

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materials at least ¼" thick, though it is sometimes used with thinner publications for its higher perceived value. PUR is a great choice for added strength and durability.Layflat. A method of perfect binding where a reinforcing strip is applied along the backbone of the cover. The textblock is then secured by multiple applications of glue and a bead of pressure sensitive hot melt just above the back edge of both covers. The resulting gap on the spine between the textblock and the cover provides flex that enables the document to lay flat when opened.Coil or Comb Binding. A binding method whereby slots are punched along the binding edge, and a plastic comb, plastic coil, spiral wire or wire-o is inserted into the slots. All of these binding materials are available in a variety of colors. This method allows the document to lay completely flat as well as accommodate a variety of different papers and inserts. Great for cookbooks, manuals and the like.Thermal Binding. A low-cost binding method often used in conjunction with in-line digital printing systems or as small, tabletop versions used in offices and quick-print shops. This method most commonly applies heat-fused cloth or plastic strips at the document edge to provide a professional appearance and reasonably durable binding that also allows the piece to open flat. Case Binding. The top shelf of bookbinding alternatives, case binding is a method of hardcover binding where the case is made separately from the textblock and later attached to it. Glued endsheets attach the text pages to its case. Covers, which can be either round or square edges, always extend beyond the edges of the text pages and may be constructed from rigid or flexible boards and covered with a wide range of materials. Case binding is more costly than soft cover but has superior longevity and greater perceived value. There are several variations of case binding.

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Learn the Tricks Give thought to these tricks-of-the-trade to improve your piece and sometimes even save money:

• Add a little extra material to avoid trim problems

• Specify a higher quality paper to realize a greater savings in bindery costs

• Paginate in a way that helps collating

• Inkjet image inline

• Get your distribution plans together early

• Help the bindery avoid additional handling steps

Involve Your ReadersFrom applied stickers (affectionately known as dot whacks) to embossed foil, there are lots of cost-effective bindery “add-ons” that increase the value and ROI of your print materials. It may be gluing on a sample, attaching a special offer card or a secret decoder that reveals messages hidden throughout the publication. These involvement devices can add interest, expand content and improve utility. Ask your printer about:

• Drilling

• Tip-ons

• Special folds—gatefolds, broadsides, etc.

• Downhead inserts

• Inkjet coding

• Die cutting and foil embossing

• 3M™ Post-it® Notes and Flags

• Bellybands and full-cover wraps

• Dot whacks

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Understand the Limitations

Focus on these three key areas:Trim Lines. Avoid narrow keylines. Don’t count on trims more accurate than 1/16". On lesser quality paper, even that tolerance would be difficult to hold. Press register is not perfect either, and will contribute to copy position variations. Use the margin to enhance the appearance of the piece, not destroy it.Binding Allowances. Perfect binding requires the spine to be ground off before applying the glue. Allow for this in your page design. Layflat binding allows the book to open flatter, but burying copy in the gutter may make it unreadable. You also need to allow for side stitching or drilling in determining your gutter allowances.Pushout. A phenomenon where the pages in the center are narrower because of the material at the spine pushing them out. This is especially a problem in saddle stitching, but happens within any printed signature.

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Get PersonalEveryone likes a personal touch. The integration of inkjet imaging and digital printing technologies into the bindery allow you to not only address the printed piece, but also to create personalized content that attracts readership, improves satisfaction and creates more ROI.

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Know the Downstream ImpactsThe choices you make upfront definitely impact the bindery. They not only have a high influence on the effectiveness of the printed material, but also the cost. Know your goals and understand the bindery implications in achieving your desired result. Is this supposed to be a durable catalog or book that must withstand harsh conditions, or is the shelf life comparatively short? How will it get distributed? These and many other considerations play significantly into your bindery approach.

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Use Ripon PrintersRipon Printers provides a wide range of services coupled with an industry-leading customer education program. Inquire about…

Premedia• Digital prepress

• Automated page production

• Collaborative workflow

• Soft proofing

Printing• Web heatset

• Web coldset

• Sheetfed

• Digital

Bindery• Folding

• Saddle stitching

• Perfect binding

• Layflat binding

• PUR binding

• Tipping

• Dot whacking

Mailing & Inkjet Imaging• Postal consultation

• CASS-certified list processing

• Inside, outside & thumbedge inkjet imaging

• Addressing & coding

• CoMail & CoPal

Fulfillment & Distribution• Internet-based

fulfillment

• Real-time reporting

• Cost-efficient shipping

Contact your Ripon Printers representative today, or send an email inquiry to sales@riponprinters.com.

Ripon Printers656 S. Douglas St.P.O. Box 6Ripon, WI 54971-0006

toll free 800-321-3136phone 920-748-3136fax 920-748-3741www.riponprinters.com