Finishing
Bindery
Any process that follows printing falls into the area of “finishing” and many of those are specifically bindery operations. While we offer a wide variety of bindery operations, our suite of services is by no means comprehensive. We are fortunate, however, to be allies with a group of external vendors who can provide reliable quality services on short notice.
Our in-house bindery services include:
- Trimming: Most printing needs trimming. Every piece that bleeds needs to be trimmed. We use a small hydraulic trimmer for our work here. There is a $10 minimum charge for trimming (up yo 4 cuts on 250 pieces). Each additional 1-4 cuts on 250 pieces adds $2.20 to the trimming charge.
- Scoring/Folding/Perfing: Scoring is used when cover weights are folded. The thickness of the paper (and it’s grain) require that a crease be pressed into the material before it is folded to achieve a smooth, even fold. The set up cost is $10 and there a $2.20 charge per score per 100 pieces. Folding is done by machine for text weights and by hand for cover weights. The same set up charge applies and there is a $2.20 charge per fold per 100 pieces. Perforations can be added all the way across the piece (we cannot do a right angle perf in house) Again, the cost is a $10 set-up and $2.20 per perf per 100 pieces.
- Saddle Stitching: We use an oversized, overpowered stapler that is obviously on steroids. There is a $5 set-up charge and .06/staple for staples smaller than 1/2″ and .11/staple for staples 1/2″ or larger.
- Velo Binding: Velo binding is accomplished by punching a row of small holes along one edge of the sheets and inserting a plastic “comb” through the holes and through a plastic strip on the back side. The excess plastic comb is cut away and the ends heat sealed. The finished binding appears as just two thin strips of plastic on the front and back of the bound piece. This type of binding is usually used for document storage. The combs are available in 3″ or 4″ lengths, making binding of large documents easy. They are available in a wide range of colors. The drawback is that pages will not lie flat when the bound piece is opened and while the document can be unbound and rebound, the binding material is destroyed in the process. When document security is an issue, this method provides the most security against page removal. Cost depends on size and color.
- Plastic or wire comb binding: Plastic comb binding is the least expensive binding method other than saddle stitching. A row of rectangular holes is punched and a coiled plastic comb is inserted. Pages lie flat when the document is opened. Pages can easily be removed and/or inserted without destroying the binding. There is a limit to the size document you can bind effectively with this method. Binding combs are available in various colors. Wire-o binding uses a metal wire comb. This is not a system that permits changes or additions without destroying the binding. Wire binding is also available in different colors and is also limited on the sizes available. Cost is a factor of size and color.
- Shrink Wrapping: Shrink wrapping protects your product in transit. It’s a low-cost way to make sure what you are sending gets there in good condition. We have a production shrink-wrap system that can handle up to 12×18 pieces.
- Drilling: Standard drilling or hole punching can be handled at the press level or in the finishing process. We stock various size drills and can accommodate most drilling specs. A $10 set-up fee applies plus $2.20 per hole per 100 pieces.
Wide Format Finishing
We provide most wide format finishing processes in-house. Our “Orca” Mounter/Laminator is a 51″ hydraulic laminator with heated rollers. A smaller 38″ “hot shoe” laminator is used for smaller projects.
Lamination: Lamination adds a layer of plastic to the finished project. We use both thermal and pressure-sensitive laminates. Thermal laminates are almost always 2-sided. Pressure sensitive laminates are almost always one-sided. Encapsulation adds about 1/8″ of extra laminate beyond the edge of the piece. This thermal lamination option provides a positive seal that makes the resulting piece completely waterproof unless the surface of the laminate is punctured. There is no extra charge for encapsulation (other than the 1/4″ it adds to the size). Un-encapsulated pieces may experience water seepage into the paper layer through the edge if exposed to very wet conditions. Lamination protects water-based prints from water damage. Prints from our HP5500 on most papers are water soluble. They will run like a watercolor if you get them wet. Lamination also adds UV protection to prints. While our UV prints are fade resistant, the added UV protection of a laminate can add months to their lives. Laminate comes in many flavors, most are available in gloss, satin, and matte finish. Again choice of finish is up to you, but we recommend a satin finish if you are viewing the piece in high key or bright light, or outdoors; a gloss finish if the lights are low or the piece is hand-held; and a matte finish ONLY if the piece is to appear on TV. Note that the matte finish tends to dull down the colors.:
- Ultrathin: a 2 mil laminate that melts right into the surface. Used primarily for coating our Mural Pro wallpaper with a graffiti-proof protective layer, it is also a lightweight solution for packaging prototypes and food service applications. It is stoked in a semi-gloss finish.
- 3 mil: 3 mil laminate is our stock solution for pieces to be mounted. It adds an economical layer of protection without materially increasing the bulk. Available in gloss, satin, or matte finishes. Also available in pressure-sensitive formulation for use on our plastic and polyethylene products.
- 5 mil: 5 mil laminate is our standard for unmounted pieces; pieces that will be stuck to display panels, or hand-held pieces that will subjected to high moisture. Available in gloss, satin and matte finish and as a white board (dry erase).
- 10 mil: our thickest laminate. Available in gloss only, it is used for placemats, luggage tags, menus, and other high use pieces.