Eurobind 600/600 PUR
06/11/2010
Digital printing and photo books belong together. While print
runs of between 1 and, in most cases, no more than 50 are no
problem, suppliers find it much more challenging to ensure smooth
postpress operations for such short and very short runs. The
example of Friedmann Print Data Solutions in Reutlingen
demonstrates that digital printing and conventional postpress
operations familiar from offset applications can work well
together. The company uses a Eurobind 600 PUR adhesive binder from
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) to produce photo books
printed on an HP Indigo 5000 with minimal makeready times.
When Philipp Friedmann founded his prepress and training company in 2004, the skilled printing form manufacturer already had his eyes firmly fixed on the potential of web-to-print applications. He joined forces with an IT service provider to develop a web platform and the associated workflow. Friedmann made the move into digital printing in 2005 and has been printing photo books and other products tailored to the individual needs of end customers since 2007. With its photographerbook.eu web brand, the company is an established supplier of photo books, photo calendars, photo screens, and greetings cards. Friedmann also produces brochures and flyers, and acts as a service provider for print shops.
Customers use software downloaded from the company's website to design their photo books. This software saves the finished layout and transmits the file to the digital print shop using FTP (File Transfer Protocol). There, the incoming data is checked, ripped, and prepared for printing in a highly automated process. Many jobs come from local customers, but orders are also received from Austria and Switzerland. Some 40 percent of jobs are now photo books, which can also be produced in unusual formats as large as 40 x 30 centimeters (roughly 16 x 12 inches). "Despite the standardization, we offer a very high level of customization, whether in terms of format, paper grades, or the option of double-sided UV coating," says Friedmann.
When Philipp Friedmann founded his prepress and training company in 2004, the skilled printing form manufacturer already had his eyes firmly fixed on the potential of web-to-print applications. He joined forces with an IT service provider to develop a web platform and the associated workflow. Friedmann made the move into digital printing in 2005 and has been printing photo books and other products tailored to the individual needs of end customers since 2007. With its photographerbook.eu web brand, the company is an established supplier of photo books, photo calendars, photo screens, and greetings cards. Friedmann also produces brochures and flyers, and acts as a service provider for print shops.
Customers use software downloaded from the company's website to design their photo books. This software saves the finished layout and transmits the file to the digital print shop using FTP (File Transfer Protocol). There, the incoming data is checked, ripped, and prepared for printing in a highly automated process. Many jobs come from local customers, but orders are also received from Austria and Switzerland. Some 40 percent of jobs are now photo books, which can also be produced in unusual formats as large as 40 x 30 centimeters (roughly 16 x 12 inches). "Despite the standardization, we offer a very high level of customization, whether in terms of format, paper grades, or the option of double-sided UV coating," says Friedmann.
Adhesive binder combines well with digital print production
Until midway through 2009, Friedmann outsourced postpress operations for photographic products to external partners. "This meant we were always dependent on the quality of third parties and their reliability in keeping to deadlines, which had a major impact on our delivery times and margins," he explains. Friedmann found that delivery times in particular were becoming increasingly critical with web-to-print jobs, so last year he decided to invest in an adhesive binder for the company. He looked at several models from various manufacturers. "I definitely didn't want a four-clamp adhesive binder because of the long makeready times involved. Most single-clamp adhesive binders work with open glue pans, which results in a comparatively high level of adhesive waste and glue application that is not always ideal. What's more, the spine preparation of many models was less than impressive, and yet this is just as important as the actual gluing for a perfect result," he continues. Friedmann ultimately opted for the Eurobind 600 PUR from Heidelberg
Commissioning went smoothly and the first photo books were produced on the very same day. According to Friedmann, the binder benefits from straightforward and intuitive operation. As a result, even temporary staff are soon working productively, with data entered using a graphical touchscreen. "All the parameters for the block thickness of the product to be glued are set automatically. The PUR nozzles are adjusted very precisely and reliably, which virtually eliminates makeready times," he explains. The workflow is configured in such a way that, after printing and cutting, jobs can be grouped together according to their spine thickness, in steps of just one millimeter, ready for production. The EB 600 has produced around 10,000 photo books to date. The four-strong team normally works in a single shift but at peak periods such as the run-up to Christmas, the company takes on extra temporary staff and switches to three-shift operation.
Highest quality requirements for runs of 1
Roughly half of the photo books are produced in runs of 1, and complaints are virtually unheard of. "Web-to-print customers will come back if the quality is right. Each customer only sees their own product and inspects it closely for quality defects. In addition to print quality, the durability and stability of the binding is the key factor," states Friedmann. In his experience, the spine routing on the Eurobind 600 delivers accurately prepared, dust-free spines that enable perfect bonding, even when working with heavy book blocks and pages with double-sided UV coating. What's more, there was no other adhesive binder in this class that supported special formats such as 40 x 30 centimeters. "And it's unusual formats like this that are particularly effective in enabling us to stand out from the competition," he underlines.
In the immediate future, Friedmann intends to continue investing in web-to-print business. "We are currently setting up a further customer portal for greetings cards and are planning something similar for adhesive-bound brochures. This means that our investment in the Eurobind 600 will pay off at least twofold," Friedmann concludes. Photo book business alone is currently expanding at an annual rate of 100 percent...
Box: Adhesive binders from Heidelberg
In addition to the Eurobind 600 - ideal for short and very short runs - Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG offers two further adhesive binders for industrial-scale postpress operations. The Eurobind 1300 has been designed for businesses that handle runs of 1,000 to 10,000 books per job. The Eurobind Pro adhesive binder, which is based on the Eurobind 4000, is being exhibited at IPEX 2010. This is currently the most cost-effective adhesive binder and is intended for commercial printers and postpress specialists with average runs of between 5,000 and 150,000 adhesive bindings per job. The short makeready times of its predecessor are now combined with a maximum output of 6,000 cycles per hour. Prinect Postpress Manager can be used to integrate the Eurobind Pro into the production environment, which maximizes the transparency of both data and costs. The Eurobind family delivers top-quality binding results with short makeready times, high production speeds, excellent stability and reliability, and low maintenance requirements. Environmental protection and health & safety are a key consideration in the design of all adhesive binders.
www.photographerbook.eu
Figure 1: Philipp Friedmann and the Eurobind 600
Philipp Friedmann at the Eurobind 600, which even enables profitable production of photo books in special formats.
Figure 2: Photo books
Photo books from photographerbook.eu - customized products despite a degree of standardization.
Until midway through 2009, Friedmann outsourced postpress operations for photographic products to external partners. "This meant we were always dependent on the quality of third parties and their reliability in keeping to deadlines, which had a major impact on our delivery times and margins," he explains. Friedmann found that delivery times in particular were becoming increasingly critical with web-to-print jobs, so last year he decided to invest in an adhesive binder for the company. He looked at several models from various manufacturers. "I definitely didn't want a four-clamp adhesive binder because of the long makeready times involved. Most single-clamp adhesive binders work with open glue pans, which results in a comparatively high level of adhesive waste and glue application that is not always ideal. What's more, the spine preparation of many models was less than impressive, and yet this is just as important as the actual gluing for a perfect result," he continues. Friedmann ultimately opted for the Eurobind 600 PUR from Heidelberg
Commissioning went smoothly and the first photo books were produced on the very same day. According to Friedmann, the binder benefits from straightforward and intuitive operation. As a result, even temporary staff are soon working productively, with data entered using a graphical touchscreen. "All the parameters for the block thickness of the product to be glued are set automatically. The PUR nozzles are adjusted very precisely and reliably, which virtually eliminates makeready times," he explains. The workflow is configured in such a way that, after printing and cutting, jobs can be grouped together according to their spine thickness, in steps of just one millimeter, ready for production. The EB 600 has produced around 10,000 photo books to date. The four-strong team normally works in a single shift but at peak periods such as the run-up to Christmas, the company takes on extra temporary staff and switches to three-shift operation.
Highest quality requirements for runs of 1
Roughly half of the photo books are produced in runs of 1, and complaints are virtually unheard of. "Web-to-print customers will come back if the quality is right. Each customer only sees their own product and inspects it closely for quality defects. In addition to print quality, the durability and stability of the binding is the key factor," states Friedmann. In his experience, the spine routing on the Eurobind 600 delivers accurately prepared, dust-free spines that enable perfect bonding, even when working with heavy book blocks and pages with double-sided UV coating. What's more, there was no other adhesive binder in this class that supported special formats such as 40 x 30 centimeters. "And it's unusual formats like this that are particularly effective in enabling us to stand out from the competition," he underlines.
In the immediate future, Friedmann intends to continue investing in web-to-print business. "We are currently setting up a further customer portal for greetings cards and are planning something similar for adhesive-bound brochures. This means that our investment in the Eurobind 600 will pay off at least twofold," Friedmann concludes. Photo book business alone is currently expanding at an annual rate of 100 percent...
Box: Adhesive binders from Heidelberg
In addition to the Eurobind 600 - ideal for short and very short runs - Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG offers two further adhesive binders for industrial-scale postpress operations. The Eurobind 1300 has been designed for businesses that handle runs of 1,000 to 10,000 books per job. The Eurobind Pro adhesive binder, which is based on the Eurobind 4000, is being exhibited at IPEX 2010. This is currently the most cost-effective adhesive binder and is intended for commercial printers and postpress specialists with average runs of between 5,000 and 150,000 adhesive bindings per job. The short makeready times of its predecessor are now combined with a maximum output of 6,000 cycles per hour. Prinect Postpress Manager can be used to integrate the Eurobind Pro into the production environment, which maximizes the transparency of both data and costs. The Eurobind family delivers top-quality binding results with short makeready times, high production speeds, excellent stability and reliability, and low maintenance requirements. Environmental protection and health & safety are a key consideration in the design of all adhesive binders.
www.photographerbook.eu
Figure 1: Philipp Friedmann and the Eurobind 600
Philipp Friedmann at the Eurobind 600, which even enables profitable production of photo books in special formats.
Figure 2: Photo books
Photo books from photographerbook.eu - customized products despite a degree of standardization.
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