Bonacia, an expert in poetry, publishing and education, has invested in a Horizon BQ470 four-clamp perfect binder from IFS.

The digital printer that produces a variety of work from flyers to books on two Kodak NexPresses and two Xerox Nuveras, replaced a ten-year-old BQ460.

“There is a massive difference in operation,” states Production Manager Carl Whitelock. “The new binder can be set up at the touch of a button whereas the old system needed a skilled operator. So now we have ten people trained to run the new system compared to the one person that could run the old. This means production can be more flexible.”

The aim of the investment was to improve capacity and alternative options were considered explains Whitelock: “We already have a Horizon BQ270 and did look at investing in another but that wouldn’t have given us all the capacity we wanted or the flexibility to meet increasingly fast turnaround times. It was decided that four clamps was the best option.

“We also liked its robust build and ease of use. We can now take on more jobs and easily accommodate all run lengths. We have just finished a 5,000 run job that needed to be turnaround really quickly. Before we would have never taken it on.”

The small-footprinted 1,350 books per hour BQ-470 four-clamp perfect binder is ideally suited to mid-range soft back book production with higher production speeds, instant make readies for runs-of-one. It can bind up to 65 mm (2.55”) thickness and offers fully automated set-up through an intuitive icon based LCD touchscreen.

Whitelock adds: “We can now offer faster turnaround times and as a result expect return on investment in a couple of years.”