
One of the challenges in both selling (and using) digital printing is in expanding the range of applications and products that it can be used for. A digital printing implementation is typically not a small capital investment, so producing as much product as is economically practical is a priority.
Looking beyond books, booklets, direct mail, statements, and other work, a rotary diecutter/trimmer can be a valuable addition to your digital finishing portfolio. The new generation of these machines have entered the market in the last five years or so. They offer a wide range of product capabilities, along with a fairly small footprint, and attractive pricing.
Some of the products that can be produced with these systems include calendars, planners, notebooks, POS products, door hangers, notepads, greeting cards, magnets, playing cards, and more. In addition to die- and kiss-cutting, these machines can be used as trimmers and creasers to produce multi-up booklets, hole punched, and index thumb-cut products. Another benefit is that the new crop of rotary diecutters can be used as standalone systems, or placed in-line with saddle-stitchers, perfect binders, and other finishing systems to complete additional trimming or diecutting operations.
The new crop of these systems include the Bograma 550 Servo, which is sold by MBO America; the SCS Automaberg Trim&Perf; the Standard Horizon RD series from Standard Finishing Systems; and the UD-300 from Duplo USA. Most of these machines use rotary magnetic dies, which can be quickly changed out for different applications, and feature cycling speeds from 6,000 to 12,000 products per hour.
The fact that their tooling can be quickly changed for different applications makes them even more valuable. So, for a system that can greatly expand your digital product portfolio, they’re hard to beat!
- Categories:
- Finishing - Digital

Don has worked in technical support, sales, engineering, and management during a career in both the commercial offset and digital finishing sectors. He is the North American representative for IBIS Bindery Systems, Ltd. of The United Kingdom.