Print Business Glossary: Finishing Equipment for Offset Presses

1. Print Business Glossary: Finishing Equipment for Offset Presses      Commercial offset printing firms use different types of finishing devices than those used by wide-format             graphics producers or sign shops. This glossary highlights some of the finishing devices used to make               different types and volumes of books, brochures, business cards, catalogs, manuals, magazines, and               direct mail pieces.                                                    Coating and Laminating Printed sheets that are designed to be written upon or bound into a book don’t require a protective clear                   coat or laminating film. But coatings or laminating films are used to improve the durability of printed                 pages that will be handled by humans or machines, such as mail-processing equipment or                 label-application devices. Coatings and films can also change the look and feel of the printed sheet.      Coating equipment ​can apply protective and visually appealing finishes to business cards, postcards,             brochures, and other printed items.    Water-based coatings protect prints from scuffs and fingerprints during handling. These coatings can add               gloss or matte finishes and are compatible with many offset printing inks.  UV-clearcoats harden instantly when exposed to controlled amounts of ultraviolet (UV) light and provide a             high-gloss, durable finish. These coatings may crack on folded materials and must be used with inks             formulated for UV-curing processes.    Varnish ​is a clear, gloss, or matte ink that can be applied to the full page (i.e., a flood coating) or parts of                       the page (i.e. a spot varnish). Varnishing is typically the final step in the on-press printing process. A                 separate plate must be created to apply a spot varnish on a printing press.     Laminating equipment for offset print shops apply thin, protective adhesive films to smaller-format pages               and documents such as menus, presentation folders, showroom display cards, and training manual             covers. Some automated laminators can laminate and cut 12-in wide rolls of prints into hundreds of 8.5 x             11 in. laminated sheets per hour.                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Paper Handling and Folding   Collating equipment ​collects individual pages of printed documents and assembles them in the specified             sequence. This may include combining a heavier cover page with lighter weight interior pages to create a               document “set” that is ready for binding. Industrial equipment can collate thousands of sets per hour.                                      

2. Paper Joggers ​eliminate static from documents and align pages for punching, binding, cutting, mailing or             shipping. Paper joggers make sure all pages are perfectly aligned before being cut. They also can align                 bills, mailers and invoices for folding and insertion in an envelope.      Perforating devices ​create lines of fine holes in paper or cardstock so that a portion of the printed piece                 can be neatly torn off. Coupons, response cards, and spiral-bound notebooks are often perforated.      Scoring ​makes a crease in the printed page so it can be more easily folded. Thicker materials, such as the                       printed cover for a perfect-bound book are often scored.     Folding ​machines reduce the size of a printed sheet so it can fit into an envelope, package, or display                 rack. Different types of folds can be produced, depending on how the designer wants the reader to unfold                 and view the piece.    Booklet Makers ​fold stacks of printed sheets in half and staple them in the center.                                                                                                                        Cutting Equipment   Guillotine Cutters ​use large, sharp used to cut stacks of paper down to the desired size. These devices                 can cut up to 400 to 700 sheets at a time.   Rotary Trimmers ​use enclosed round cutting blades that slide along a metal guide bar to make straight             cuts on low volumes of paper (e.g. 5- 20 sheets).   Die-Cutters ​use an ultra-sharp metal blade to cut paper, cardstock, or labels into shapes. Die-cutting can                 be used to add functionality to a printed piece (e.g. a door-hanger) or visual interest (such as a circular                       “window” on the cover of a printed piece).   Slitting ​devices convert a wide roll of printed labels into narrower rolls or large press sheets into smaller                   pages. Whereas most cutters on a printing device run parallel to the print roll, the slitter makes               perpendicular cuts to graphics on the print roll. For example, a slitter can be used to cut a standard-sized                   print on card-stock into business cards. Slitting devices can be purchased for web-fed and sheet-feed               presses.  Drilling ​equipment uses a rotating bit to drill holes into printed sheets that will be spiral-bound with wires                   or plastic or inserted into binders.                                                                                                                                                                         Special Effects Specialty finishing processes were created to add a luxurious appearance to labels, packages, invitations,                 business cards, and promotional materials. Some of these traditional processes are being replicated by             the more efficient “digital enhancement presses” discussed in our last post.   Embossing/Debossing ​processes change how a printed piece feels by either created raised letters or           designs (embossing) or a depressed surface (debossing). A custom-created die is pressed against the             printed surface to create the dimensional effect.   Hot Foil Stamping Machines ​use heated dies etched with the design to be rendered in foil. When the               metallic foil is placed between the heated die and the paper surface, the foil bonds to the paper.                                                                                       Binding Equipment   Bindery equipment converts stacks of printed pages into books, booklets, manuals, and calendars. The             type of equipment used depends on how the printed product will be used and how many pages must be                 bound.   The binding method that chosen during the job-planning stage, because the binding method affects how               the pages and covers will be laid out. imposed, and printed.  If the content of the printed manual or presentation will be updated frequently, loose-leaf binders are used                   to hold hole-punched printed sheets. that only require the printed pages to be hole-punched.                                                                         

3. Perfect Binding is used to make soft-cover books and manuals that are too thick to staple. The cover is                 hot-glued to the left-hand edges of the stack of collated and aligned printed pages to form a spine. The                   cover sheet is then folded over the first and last pages of the stack so that only the right-hand edges of                     the printed book pages remain uncovered. Perfect binding machines are priced based on the number,               size, and thickness of pages they can handle and how many finished books they can produce per hour.    Saddle Stitching ​is a bookbinding method in which a stack of printed pages and a cover sheet are folded                   in half and stapled along the fold line. Many magazines are saddle-stitched.   Spiral/Coil Binding is used to create lay-flat books, such as cookbooks, promotional notebooks, and               calendars. The stack of pages for the book (including the covers) is “drilled” to create the holes through                 which a spiral coil of plastic or metal is inserted.   Wire-O/Twin Loop Binding machines use pre-formed C-shaped pairs of wire loops along a spine. After           the wire-loops are inserted through the holes punched in the book pages and cover, the loops are               machine-crimped to form a perfect circle and bind the pages and cover.  Padding Machines are used to convert a collection of same-sized printed sheets into notepad, memo pad,                 or order pad. The machines apply a flexible adhesive to a stack of sheets combined with a rigid backing                 board.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Manufacturers and Dealers To see examples of the different types of finishing equipment defined above, visit the websites of dealers                   such as MyBinding.com Or visit the Printing United show in Dallas Oct. 23-25. Here, you’ll see some of the                 latest advances in finishing and binding equipment for shops that use a mix of offset and digital presses.               For example, Cobblestone Graphic Equipment will be exhibiting: Standard Horizon rotary die cutters,             slitters, cutter creasers, creaser folders, and automated folders; the KOMPAC UV/aqueous coating             system, and the MK Laser LC340S sheet-fed laser die-cutting system. Formax will display guillotine               cutters, folders, creaser/folders, joggers, and more. Duplo will be demonstrating the DDC-810 Raised Spot             UV Coater for embellishment and DC-646 integrated folding system for precision finishing.                                                                                                                      Follow Us on Social Media Follow Ordant on LinkedIn​, Facebook​, or Twitter to learn when the next post in this glossary series is                 published.    Related Posts:    Print Business Glossary: Emerging and Niche Print Processes