Spiel Associates

By Erik Cagle A dozen manufacturers were asked to list the primary differentiators that set apart multiple brands of collating equipment. It may come as no surprise to learn that virtually no one mentioned the price factor. It seems there are numerous attributes that factor into choosing a collator that is the right fit for a particular printer or trade finisher. The depth of choices on the market only underscores the importance of looking past the price tag, as there is a collator for every need. Versatility is a key ingredient for serving the evolving needs of clients, according to Tony Cockerham of Buhrs

Enovation Graphic Systems announced it has integrated Fuji Photo Film U.S.A.'s Graphic Systems Division into Enovation's current organization. In other news, Enovation has appointed regional sales vice presidents for its four recently realigned sales territories. Tim Young, formerly president of Nelson-Keystone and recently announced as southwest regional director for Enovation, is now regional sales vice president, West. The West sales region includes 10 western states. John Solwold, formerly Enovation's west regional vice president, is responsible for the new Central sales region. The Central sales region includes 11 central and mountain states. Joe Thornhill, formerly president of Taylor Impression, is now regional sales vice president

The Model AAT automatic tab laminate and diecut machine is available from Advent Machinery in sizes from 5x8˝ to 14x22˝. Features include computerized control of all machine functions. Simple, dual platen design is in lieu of dozens of heated rollers, thus permitting versatility to produce "special" jobs on glossy or coated stocks and quick turnaround for full body printed jobs. The dual platen design features both upper and lower heaters with fully automatic temperature control. The platens provide for self-adjustment and alignment for all types and thickness of stock, thereby reducing setup times from job to job. Options available include: automatic positioning/collating package;

BY MARK SMITH Adhesive binding has long been a benchmark of quality for finishing, but equipment costs and setup times traditionally had kept the process in the realm of long-run and/or higher end projects. The prevailing trend now in "perfect" binding systems is increasing their flexibility to handle shorter runs. This is true for all levels of equipment, but particularly for the relatively new product category of units designed to work in conjunction with digital printing systems. A related trend is the industry's move to computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) that is trickling down to postpress operations in general. Unlike prepress and printing, though, digital

BY CHRIS BAUER Football season is upon us, and the focus of most teams is on the quarterback. Some quarterbacks are pocket passers like the Saint Louis Rams' Kurt Warner, while others like to get out of the pocket and make plays on-the-run, like the Philadelphia Eagles' Donovan McNabb. For the printing industry, talk of pockets brings us to the bindery—where new collating equipment can be the quarterback of the finishing department. Just like NFL-caliber players, collating equipment has to be tough, smart, reliable and flexible, equipment vendors say. The same broad trends that are shaping the printing industry at large—shorter run

BY CHRIS BAUER Just ask a manufacturer of spiral wire or plastic coil binding equipment the advantages that their products have over other finishing techniques, and you will get a laundry list of answers. Sure, some of the benefits they will give you will be self-promoting marketing speak, but this kind of horn tooting has to be expected. But, on the other hand, some of the attributes spiral wire and plastic coil binding gear give to a finishing specialist certainly are practical for some applications. "Undoubtedly, the greatest advantage of spiral binding is that when opened, the book lays flat," explains David Spiel of Long

BY CHRIS BAUER The anticipation is over. PRINT 01 has come and gone. Printers from around the U.S. have headed home—although, for many, actually getting home after the terrorist attacks wound up being even more eventful than the show—with a full plate of information to digest after spending several days on the show floor in Chicago. But distributors of collating equipment are banking on the PRINT show as being the appetizer that whet the appetite of printers hungry for collating gear. The equipment offered today includes a full menu of features and options to satisfy all of the industry's yearnings. "The hot buttons

BY ERIK CAGLE If it is September, this must be Chicago. Change is in the air, and where else but the Windy City is more apropos for taking a reading of this change? It is a special year for the graphic arts industry, as it seems to be in transition. Layoffs have rocked many of the big printers as a swooning economy has touched all. Manufacturers are crossing their fingers in the hope that PRINT 01 is successful; some have gone as far to call this a "make-or-break" show in light of some poorly attended trade shows this year. Manufacturers, suppliers, printers, trade finishers,

BY CAROLINE MILLER When Steve Landheer's customers speak, he listens. The owner of Great Lakes Bindery—based in Grand Rapids, MI—knew that in order to remain in the trade bindery business, he had to find a way to meet his customers' increasing demand for faster turnaround. For the past 20 years, Great Lakes Bindery has specialized in mechanical book binding. Landheer's father decided to focus on mechanical binding after a major client agreed to exclusively use Great Lakes Bindery for its mechanical binding work as long as Great Lakes invested in the necessary equipment. And not much has changed in the mechanical book

BY ERIK CAGLE The evolution of book publishing has some parallels with that of the computer. Smaller and quicker are the operative words in this comparison. Before the PC became a household fixture, computers were hulking boxes with reel-to-reel tapes and other round objects that made those cute little concentric circles. And they weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer, boasting the processing speed of a can opener. Book publishing was also big and scarry—1,000-page megatomes were loaded onto presses to churn out millions of copies. "War and Peace" was followed by hundreds of thousands of 500-page copies of biology books. Obviously, they