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Published by:

Peterson Publications, Inc.

2150 SW Westport Dr., Suite 101

Topeka, KS 66614

(785) 271-5801

Fax: (785) 271-6404

 

  
The Binding Edge includes informative articles that help bindery and loose leaf facilities of all types improve their processes and keep up on the latest technologies. Each issue features a profile on a current bindery or loose leaf operation and covers solid business topics that can help with everyday business decisions. In addition, The Binding Edge also features the latest industry news and information on new products.

Camera-Based Inspection Systems Add Quality Assurance to Print Finishing

Up until a few years ago, those of us in the print finishing industry only recognized inspection systems as being applicable to the mailing segment of the marketplace. Nowadays, we find camera inspection systems on print lines, sheetfeeders, saddlestitchers, perfect binders, paper folders, casing-in machines and the list goes on. MORE...


Folding Machinery Programmed for Efficiency

As binderies look more and more toward automation as a cost-saving measure, new technologies are being developed to meet this need. Job Definition Format (JDF), an XML-based file format that serves as a single source of real-time job data, is one such advancement. MORE...


Looking into the Future of Loose Leaf Production

The ability to store and easily modify or amend information over time is what makes loose leaf binding an attractive option for many bindery clients. And, while some loose leaf notebooks may include special features, the basic design of a loose leaf binder has remained the same since the first patents for the device were filed in 1854. However, the options for the construction materials have changed. MORE...

 
 
 

 

 
The Latest…

Smyth Unveils New Book Sewing Machine

The Smyth Sewn Handfed Book Sewing Machine from Smyth® Machinery USA, Summerville, SC, is flexible, easy to use and well suited for short-run book production and books on demand. The Smyth F1088 offers fast changeovers on signature sizes ranging from 3.14x5.31" to 20.07x21.65". It also has four hidden wheels to make it portable within the production environment. For more information, email sales@smythusa.com or visit www.smythusa.com 


PIA, NAPL Cease Unification Talks

The join Unification Task Force, formed in February to study blending the Printing Industries of America and the National Association of Printing Leadership, have stopped unification talks. The two groups have decided to remain independent, but will actively collaborate on key programs and ongoing partnerships in the Graphic Arts Show Company, GAERF and conferences such as the Vision 3 Summit. The task force was comprised of representatives from both boards and was expanded over the past six months to include a broader range of managers, vendors and printer members. Key issues were studied, including legal, financial, governance, membership structure and programs. Ultimately, the task force concluded it was not possible to formulate a combined entity that accommodated the diverse needs of both a direct and locally delivered structure. For more information, visit www.printing.org  


Report: Printing Industry Profits Increasing

The printing industry continues to emerge from the sluggish economic conditions of the last few years, according to the 2012-2013 Printing Industries of America Ratios Survey. The industry reported profits of 1.8 percent in 2011, up from 1.4 percent in 2010. The recession and slowing print markets pulled down printers' profitability in 2009. Improving economic conditions helped the print industry reverse those trends the last two years, but profitability is still below the the 3.0- to 3.4-percent range experienced from 1995 to 2001. The industry earned approximately $1.5 billion in total profits in 2011, which is above the $1.2 billion profit from the prior year. Printers in the top 25 percent of profitability saw profits increase slightly to 9.6 percent as compared to 9.5 percent in the prior year. This increase brings profit leaders to almost pre-recession profit levels, which were in the 10.1- to 9.7-percent range. For all printers, the average profit of 1.8 percent is slightly more than the rate earned in 2003. To order a copy of the Ratios Volume, call 866.855.4283 or visit www.printing.org/store/38807.