Plastic Coils is, unfortunately, one of the things we can’t recycle today. Plastic coiling is preferred over other binding options such as perfect binding because of its ability to lay flat without much effort and the ability to flip a book 360 degrees without damaging the spine.
A company in the U.S., MyBinding.com, is now carrying a new Eco-line recycled plastic coils. The coils are 100% recycled from scrap coils and are remanufactured in different pitches and sizes. The coils are still made from PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) and only comes in black. Speaking with Jeff McRitchie from mybinding.com, Jeff told me that the coils are made at a plant by collecting odds and loose ends of coils currently, melted, refabricated and sold to dealers for commercial use.
Historically, it was difficult to recycle coils. But a company in Brussels, Solvay SA’s R&D Center, has come up with a process called Vinyloop ® to recycle or upcycle coils. The process is done in 6 steps:
Unfortunately, these coils are only available from MyBinding.com right now. You can contact Jeff McRitchie at jeff@mybinding.com with any questions or order information.
A lot of people don’t know we have remoistenable glue services here at Pacific Bindery Services. It is a service we added a few years ago to increase our ever-growing list of services we provide to our customers. The “old-fashioned” way of creating mailers is to print a piece, have it folded and include with it a printed envelope. But today, envelope prices are only rising, so a lot of printed pieces are turned into “returnvelopes”. At PBS, we can fold, score, perforate and apply three stripes of remoistenable glue to a piece all in one pass! Below are some technical specifications provided by our very own Larry Worfolk – Customer Service Superstar (Supervisor).
Remoistenable glue is a line of glue which is dry on the finished product and which activates when moisture is applied to seal the product. As it is an inline process on Pacific Bindery’s folding equipment, we have the ability to remoist glue, perforate, apply cold glue, slit and/or fold.
5 mm – this width is available however the wider width is recommended to ensure best adhesion
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
* Good adhesion of remoistenable glue on finished products will produce ‘fibre tear’ when the product is pulled open. Make sure important information on the printed piece (check off boxes, signatures, etc.) is positioned away from the glue strip.
There are two main types of remoistenable glue: 1) water soluble cold glue and 2) hot melt extruded glue. The type that Pacific Bindery Services uses is the hot melt extruded glue that offers benefits of running the equipment at faster speeds and does not allow additional moisture to be introduced to the sheet. As well, this glue allows the application of a thinner film of glue, causing less build-up. As the application of the strip is computer-controlled by solenoids, Pacific Bindery has the ability to start and stop the glue line with excellent precision and can also product a ‘stitched’ line of glue if required.
An important note: Hot Melt extruded glue is NOT laser printer compatible.
Remoistenable glue does not adhere properly to printed surfaces. Remoist glue areas need to be free of ink and must be free from varnishes, laminates and/or other coatings. The corresponding area that the strip will adhere to must also be free of ink and coatings.
Storage of finished products must be in a cool and dry environment. If stored in a hot or humid environment, the remoistenable glue may be activated.
We do not recommend offline cutting through a line of remoist glue for three primary reasons:
Please contact our production department at 604.873.4291 prior to producing the job for remoistenable gluing to determine overs requirement.
Via Operator’s Manual
This project was a challenge from the perspective of providing a solution. The customer had originally sent this job to another bindery. But it was a very labor intensive project and the other bindery could not meet the delivery requirements. The job was in-process (some of the work had been started) and had to be re-packed and shipped to Pacific Bindery Services (PBS). The time invested in production coordination of this job was three times what would normally be required: as incoming product had to be re-sorted, inspected and then sent to the appropriate department for finishing and binding. Our significant issue was to coordinate the job so that the pages pre-done by the other bindery were labeled and sequenced correctly and that we could integrate the pages into one cohesive book.
This job’s critical components were in achieving the cross-overs on the short and staggered sheets. Line-ups and cross-overs were critical for the customer: they were promoting multiple paper types with one image and carrying that image across a number of short, staggered sheets.
Cutting, collating and punching had to be done with precision to achieve the end customer’s design. When the job arrived, parts of it were in various stages (some sheets had been cut, some folded, some punched) of in-process work. But the majority (more than 80%) was incomplete.
Cut, fold, punch, trim, collate and semi-hidden wire-o® bind 21,000 books (our portion of the job). 6 x 9. 52 pp plus Wrap Cover. Shrink wrap in 5s and pack 50 books per box.
5 sheets staggered, starting with 3 x 9 in ½” increments to 5 x 9. 7 sheets staggered starting with 2 ½ x 9 in ½” increments to 5 x 9. 1 short sheet 3 ½ x 9. 1 short sheet 2 7/8 x 9. 12 full sized sheets at 5 ½ x 9. Inside text pages average 10 pt. (ranging from 9 pt to 12 pt). Covers were manually punched; inside text pages were automatically punched. Some of the short and staggered sheets were supplied pre-cut (not all) and were trimmed to size after punching. 18 sheets collated on the gatherer; remaining 8 short and staggered sheets hand collated in order, straight up and married together with cover. Jogged carefully to spine and offset stacked for wire-o®.
Typically binderies do not want to do continuation-type of in-process work from other binderies. If there is a problem, who holds the responsibility? We agreed to take on this project to help our customer. The time investment in the upfront material organization paid off and allowed us to complete the job on schedule and done right. And they said it couldn’t be done!
Auction Napa Valley
Semi-hidden wire-o® with ribbon book mark. 1200 books. 9 ½ x 10. Thick book (1 ¼” thick) with double thick cover (22 pt x 2) and heavyweight index tabs (22 pt). Flysheet plus 242 pps, plus 5 tabs and wrap cover. Collate marry, punch and semi-hidden wire-o®. Cover and index tabs overhang text pages. Single flysheet (Translucent).
The challenge on this project was in the punching and wire-o of this thick book and the heavy weight/heavy thickness of the paper stock. The process is: punch the double-thick wrap cover (concern about ‘tearing’ through the double thick cover but we were able to minimize) manually for control. Hand-collate and punch the fly sheet and 5 tabs. Collate and punch the 242 pps (6 pick ups). Marry into one book and wire-o.
Vancouver Foundation Vital Signs 2008
Cut, fold, gather, stitch, and trim 44pp + 6pp cover 5000 books. Then refold inside back cover to form as inside front cover with a gusset. This piece was designed with functionality in mind as there are a number of design features that help the user use this piece effectively. For example, there are coloured tabs throughout the book that line up with the coloured panels on the inside of the back panel. This acts as a Table of Contents when the extra panel is folded out in opposed to a traditional Table of Contents in the front of a book. Aside from being colour-coordinated, the bindery work for this book requires critical lineups and cross-overs for the Table of Contents to work effectively.
From a binding perspective, this job was a challenge to make as there are full size foldouts located in the middle of the book. Folding the signatures before saddle stitching required great attention to detail as the sheets all had to fold to the same size at the face. These foldouts were flush at face meaning we are not able to take a face trim to the book after saddle stitching. In order to achieve this, the book was created in two passes. During the first pass, the five flush foldout signatures were pre-gathered on the stitcher. During the second pass, these pre-gathered signatures are hand-fed into the stitcher at the centre of the book which then adds two additional four-page signatures fed from pockets before gathering the cover with the rest of the book.
After the book is finished stitching, a team of handwork specialists carefully folds out the inside back cover, forms a gusset, and folds it over the inside pages and becomes the inside front cover.
It is with pleasure we announce that the Binding Industries of America has named Pacific Bindery Services Canada’s Top Graphic Finisher for 2008. The award is presented by the Binding Industries of America (BIA) in association with the annual Product of Excellence Awards – and we are the inaugural recipient!
We entered six pieces into the Product of Excellence Awards this year and won four awards in the competition. They included two Best of Categories (one for Stitching and one for Adhesive Binding), one Certificate of Merit in the Mechanical Binding category and one Certificate of Merit in the “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done!” category.
While we take great pride in the quality of work we do, we could not win international awards year after year (more than 30 in the last seven years – but who’s counting!), without the opportunities that our customers provide to us – you give us exceptional work to bind and finish. Thank you.
All of the work we do is important to us and, of course, to you – we strive for perfection and continuous improvement in every job. We are proud to receive this recognition from our peers and we are proud that it reflects so well on the commitment and the skills of our employees. We share these awards with you!
Most of our staff are long-term employees and all are well trained and experienced in bindery and finishing. In addition to on-the-job training, all employees have the opportunity to gain additional knowledge – whether it’s through certified in-house training or through local industry technical programs.
For more information: 1-888-873-4291 or e-mail info@pacificbindery.com or k.bovay@pacificbindery.com.
Next week: We will showcase one of our four award pieces.
During my trip to Japan a couple of months ago, (Wow! It’s been that long?) I learned a lot about Japanese technology and every day life just by staying in Tokyo alone. Printers always talk about how the internet and technology is taking over print and print will become obsolete one day. However, in Japan, they have figured out a way to integrate print with technology using a new two-dimensional code in every day marketing pieces.
Bar codes are already very popular in our every day lives. From supermarket groceries to book store magazines, bar codes encrypt information in a small area. However, as more and more information become available, people are looking for an alternative to store more information and more character types that won’t take up more space than it does right now. QR is short for Quick Response and the technology was developed by Denso Wave in Japan and was released in 1994. It has gained international acclaim in Asian countries and is now moving its way into North America.
Advantages of QR Codes
Capacity
Unlike barcodes with information only in one direction, the QR Code is a two-dimensional code with information stored on the vertical and horizontal direction. As a result, the QR Code can hold up to 7089 Numeric data, 4296 Alphanumeric data, and 2953 Binary data. Compared to barcodes that can only hold approximately 20 digits, the QR Code is far superior to the traditional barcodes.
Footprint
QR Codes can hold the same amount of information as traditional bar codes but in one-tenth of the space it takes for barcodes. For an even smaller printout size, there are Micro QR Codes available. The symbol size ranges from 21×21 (Version 1) to 177×177 (Version 40) and grows by 4 modules/side.
Dirt and Damage Resistant
QR Codes can be restored even if the symbol is damaged or dirty. Up to a maximum of 30% of the data can be restored.
Readability
QR Codes can be read in any direction thanks to the position detection patterns. These patterns are located on three corners of the symbol and it helps reduce background interference. In addition, a single QR Code can be divided into multiple data areas then reconstructed as a single symbol when needed. This allows the user to print up to 16 symbols in a more narrow printing area.
Standardization and Use
On June 2000, The QR Code standardization received approval from ISO International. The QR Code System can be generated using QR Code Printers and software to generate the code. There are scanners that are designed for a variety of applications. Cellular phones are the most common form of QR Code scanners used in Asia as teens capture QR Code information from posters of their favourite Rock Star’s upcoming concert to advertisements on the Subway. The uses for QR Codes are limitless, groceries stores print it on their receipts, marketers print it on their ads to increase interest, and stores print it in their ads to generate maps and hours of operations. Honestly, this is such an exciting technology that I can’t wait for Canada to catch up on it!
Here are some samples of QR Codes Usage in Japan
McDonald’s in Japan Use of QR Codes
Disneyland Advertisement Using QR Codes
Courtesy of http://blog.cliffano.com/2009/05/18/qr-code-usage-in-japan/
Survey Results of QR Codes Usage in Printed Materials Japan
http://whatjapanthinks.com/2005/09/26/qr-codes-extremely-popular/
Disclaimer: Most of the information used for the blog post was drawn from the website http://www.qrcode.com/ developed by Denso Wave. Please visit their site for more information.
I was contacted late last week by a writer hired by the Canadian Printing Industry Sector Council (CPISC). She’s writing content for a role playing game for elementary school children: A Day in the Life … of a Pressman, or Bindery Operator, or Pre-Press Technician. The writer asked for input and I sent her a fairly detailed “day in the life of a bindery operator” activity list.
What resonated for me in putting the activity list together was that the key activities focused on the ability to read carefully, check (and double check), organize, communicate, lead, make decisions, set up and run equipment. Specific equipment knowledge is of course important; but equally important are communication skills, leadership and decision making skills, planning and organization skills. These are attributes we look for in all of our employees (and that we’ve found in the long term employees who work at Pacific Bindery Services Ltd.).
The goal of the CPISC project is to raise the profile of Print as an occupation at a very early age … if children find the industry challenging and fun they will be more likely to want to work in the Printing Industry.
Vancouver is known to be one of the most environmentally friendly cities in Canada if not the world. We have a blue box system, an excellent chain of Return-It depots and even our yard trimmings are separate from our trash. Then I read an article last year that talked about the crash of the recycling market in B.C. and it got me worried* (link here). Although this article only talks about the decreased appeal of plastics and glass, it won’t be long before they tell us we have to start paying to recycle our paper as well.
Nakabayashi Co. is a leading Japanese manufacturer of bookbinding machines, office products, and baby car seats (not sure how that’s related). The latest invention to come out from Nakabayashi Co. is a new and innovative machine that turns your every day paper into….toilet paper!
Talk about the savings! At our office, we get our 36-pack 2-ply toilet paper from Costless for $27.99. In a day and age where businesses are trying to pinch their pennies, this would be quite the savings for businesses big and small.
Unfortunately, the technology has to be refined. With 1800 sheets of 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper, it will only produce 2 rolls of toilet paper. And there’s no indication of whether it’s one-ply or two! The price tag is rather hefty for such a technology as well. The unit price for this new machine is a cool $95,000!! Distribution has already begun in Japan this month and their target is to sell 60 units in its first year of production. Maybe as the technology gets refined, we’ll start seeing people bring their waste paper to the recycling depot and walk out with toilet paper. In the meantime, we’ll continue printing on both sides of the sheet and make sure none of our paper waste goes into the garbage can.
*Note: Of course, immediately after I posted my entry, Business in Vancouver talks about a 400% increase in mixed paper value. The article can be found here.
The answer – from a bindery perspective – is that it depends on what binding and finishing processes you want to do with the job; how much ink coverage is on the paper; how quick a turn-around is needed (is there time to properly dry and cure?); will the job need to be handled multiple times (and therefore need extra protection); will the job be shipped long distances (and therefore need more protection); will the job be individually shrink wrapped, polybagged, or inserted into envelopes – or shipped loose?
These are just some of the questions you need to ask before you determine how you need to finish the cover and text pages of a perfect bound book.
Coatings, varnishes and/or laminates are all designed to protect the printed product – and to add visual (glossy or matte) and tactile (touch and feel) elements.
It’s important for designers and printers to recognize that in the perfect binding process all product (both cover and text) travels through nip points, grippers and over/under belts and conveyors.
This travel puts pressure on the sheet that can cause scuffing, marking, and/or scratching – particularly if the ink is not fully dry.
When we receive printed product, we test for scuffing and ink dryness. If we are concerned about the printed product, we contact our customer to let them know and to find out how they’d like to handle it. Sometimes it means that we need to hold the product for an extra day – to dry. Sometimes it means that the cover needs to be protected with a plastic laminate. Sometimes it means that the product needs a UV coating. In all instances, we work with our customer to find the best solution.
Ensuring that you plan for coatings, varnishes or laminates at the beginning of your project will mean that quick turn-around times can be met and will mean that your product will be a ‘perfectly bound’ book at the end of the mechanical perfect binding process.
P.S. This is not an ‘up-sell’ for Pacific Bindery Services – we do not sell coating, varnishing or laminating services.
