MORE BOOK WORK ON HORIZON FOR CMYKHUB

The country’s biggest trade print operation has installed a new Horizon CABS4000 binding line to produce book jobs on demand for its resellers, as demand surges. 

Dayne Nankervis, CEO of CMYKhub said, “The new Horizon binding line will allow our resellers to support the growth of small brands, and also look after larger customers by offering print-on-demand efficiencies. While the sweet spot will probably be runs between 2,000 – 4,000 copies, we anticipate being able to handle much shorter, and much longer, run lengths. Basically, we would consider doing a single book, if we can do it profitably, and keep the price reasonable for our resellers.”

Supplied by Currie Group, the new hybrid Horizon CABS4000 binding line comprises a 12-station gatherer, which can handle A1 or A2 folded offset sections, and a digital inserting station for pre-collated book blocks.

Once collated, sections are conveyed to a nine-clamp perfect binder, which can handle both PUR and EVA glues, with CMYKhub opting for the stronger PUR finish as a default for customers.

The binder can process books individually, or accumulate multiple products up to 60mm in height, before moving on to a HT-1000 variable three-knife trimming station.

Integrated weighing stations sit between sections to check for discrepancies in the collation, and a sophisticated optical inspection system with ‘auto-stop’ error detection ensures the right cover goes on the right book.

The system is designed to guarantee only ‘perfectly-bound books with perfectly-matched covers’ ever reach the in-built conveyor-stacker at the end of the line.

At 4000 units an hour the line is a productive workhorse, however it is the computer-aided binding (CAB) features which really make the difference for short-run book batches, with barcode-driven automated programming of all stations optimising set-up and job changeover times.

“The Horizon is incredibly versatile, giving us the flexibility to choose the most efficient and profitable production method for each book project without being hampered by binding constraints,” Nankervis points out.

With the new line now in full flight producing the first of the 2023 School Yearbooks, Nankervis says the company couldn’t be happier

“The addition of the Horizon binding line was very much a case of the right opportunity, at the right time, and from the right people,” he said, emphasising that he rates the company’s partnership with Currie Group as pivotal to its success.

“Like us, Currie Group are problem-solvers. Just as we try to support our customers success, they are always looking for ways to help us grow and diversify. Up until now, we’ve really been hampered in growing book printing, but the new Horizon from Currie Group has taken the brakes off… and given us our weekends back this summer.

“It may seem strange in the era of the iPad and Kindle, but while there are always ebbs and flows in the annual publishing cycle we are absolutely seeing an increase in demand, particularly for short run books,” Nankervis says, attributing this to the growth of self-publishing and the trend for larger publishers to print local runs of even global best-sellers on demand.

“Consumers today better understand the inherent sustainability of paper products today and appreciate that the experience of reading a physical book has real benefits. There has also been a huge resurgence of book-like products including notepads and diaries during Covid – the pandemic reminded people that print has the ability to make a powerful physical connection with absent staff and customers,” he says. “We see no sign of demand slowing.

“Books are back, and we are going full steam ahead.”