Isle of Wight general commercial printer Crossprint has brought all its perfect binding inhouse with investment in a Horizon BQ470 four clamp perfect binder and a Horizon HT30 three side trimmer supplied by Intelligent Finishing Systems.
Tim Sell, Managing Director, explains the investment was made after a significant business win: “We took this contract on from a local company for all their books and brochures. The amount of perfect bound work we were doing jumped so it seemed the right time to make the investment.”
Crossprint also acquired local print and packaging operation Beacon Print and the expansion of the bindery was timed to support the new opportunities the enlarged business was enjoying.
He continues: “We did look at a number of systems on the market but we have a Horizon AFC566FG folder, a Horizon MKU54 and a Perfecta 92TVC guillotine from IFS. When we saw the BQ470 we knew it would do what we needed it to.”
The small-footprinted 1,350 books per hour PUR 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.
Stuart Murray, Production Manager, adds: “The training was simple. It was relatively easy to set up and now there are four people in the bindery that can run it. We haven’t had any problems. We are very pleased with it.”
As for the HT30 he explains: “It was added to trim the books. It sits alongside the perfect binder and completes the process.”
The fully-automated 200cph HT-30C features a colour touch screen for fast and accurate set-ups. It has the ability to store up to 40 different book jobs in its memory. Precision stepper motors accurately position all guides and clamps to insure professional quality cutting. Up to 12 inches of books can be loaded into the in-feed hopper, where books are automatically fed for unattended operation.
With regard to return on investment says Sell says the investment was a necessity and so there were no set expectations but adds: “We will be able to win more work and turn it around much faster. There is no need to send it off the Island from completion. That saves us at least two days. This means we can better control the costs and save on transportation.”
Sell concludes: “We have used it a lot since it was installed. The investment has been very good for us. People are now realising what we can do.”
