Pacific Bindery Services Ltd

The New and Improved Bindery Blog!

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:00:00 -0800

A lot of people have been asking....

And we've been diligently working....

So now is the time to officially announce our new and improved Bindery Blog!

We will update weekly with bindery tips, tricks, new technologies and sustainability tips. Suggestions for topics are always welcomed! Come visit us at http://thebinderyblog.com. We look forward to your comments and discussions!

Product of Excellence 1 - 20east66

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0800

Category: Adhesive Binding

Award: Product of Excellence

Cut, gather, PUR perfect bind and trim 32pp + 5 flush foldouts + cover 3000 books. This is a beautiful predevelopment piece for an upscale Madison Avenue Condo located on 66^th St. in New York. Each floor of the building only has three suites, therefore, five flush foldouts were made as a part of the design to show the three floor plans and to showcase the key shopping area in Madison Avenue.

The difficult part of this booklet is in the binding of the five flush foldouts. Since the foldouts were full sized and flush at face, they were supplied to us pre-folded to final size for our binder. When gathering the signatures, we had a team of handwork specialists pre-gather all the pages and then hand-feed the signatures into the binder. This ensures the highest quality binding because we control the pages and sheets that go into the book and minimize wastage. The design of the book includes images and text that crossover from one page to another. As you can see from the samples we’ve provided, the crossovers from one page to the next are perfectly lined up. This gives the book a seamless look throughout. Because the crossovers were folded and bound so beautifully, if there weren’t the small triangular corners cut out, you would not have known there was a foldout flap.

Pacific Bindery Services Named Canada's Top Graphic Finisher 2009

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0800

Pacific Bindery Services is delighted to announce that it has been named Canada’s Top Graphic Finisher for 2009! The award is presented by the Binding Industries of America (BIA) in association with the annual Product of Excellence Awards. This is the first year that this recognition has been awarded and we are extremely happy to be the inaugural recipient.

We are also delighted to announce that we won four awards (out of six entered) in the 2008 Product of Excellence Awards. The awards include two Best of Categories – one for Stitching and one for Adhesive Binding; and one Certificate of Merit in the Mechanical Binding category and one Certificate of Merit in the “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done!” category.

While we take great pride in the quality of work we do, we could not win international awards year after year (more than 30 in the last seven years – but who’s counting!), without the opportunities that our customers provide to us – you give us exceptional work to bind and finish. Thank you.

All of the work we do is important to us and, of course, to you – we strive for perfection and continuous improvement in every job. We are proud to receive this recognition from our peers and we are proud that it reflects so well on the commitment and the skills of our employees. We share these awards with you!

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Contact Kris Bovay, General Manager, Pacific Bindery Services, for more information at 604 873-4291 or k.bovay@pacificbindery.com.

Can you do a customer presentation?

Tue, 19 May 2009 09:00:00 -0800

The answer is...absolutely!

Last year, one of my customers, City of Burnaby Print Shop, held their annual Open House. Nick Karanasos contacted me at PBS to see if we can set up a small booth to describe some of the bindery services that we can provide for their customers. Although the Print Shop itself has a wide range of services including multibinding, we work with Nick on many occasions for mechanical binding, folding and perfect binding.

Our team at PBS pulled together samples of all the different type of work we've done in the past and I spent a full day at the Print Shop talking to all of their customers that range from Architects and Accountants to the in-house Graphic Designer and City Planners. Here are some photos from the event.

So why is the presentation valuable to you and your company? All printing companies can make ink look great on paper, but how you finish a piece is just as important. With our large facility and numerous services, we can complement your excellent printing with excellent bindery and finishing. We believe our services will help give you a competitive edge to your competitors.

For more information or to request a presentation or consultation with your clients, contact Pacific Bindery Services today or send Crystal Wong an email.

Welcome Back! What is Square-backing?

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0800

After a long hiatus in the PBS Blog, I’ve recently come up with some inspirations as to what I should write about. I travel on the road quite about all around Vancouver and customers I meet with ask me very interesting questions. Starting this month, I’ll be writing a new series called “My customers asked me…” Please feel free to email me your bindery-related questions and I will do my best to answer as many questions as possible. You can email these questions to c.wong[at]pacificbindery.com

My customers asked me…What is Square-back Binding?

When we upgraded to a brand new Duplo multibinder a couple of years ago, we decided to add an extra extension to the usual stitcher and trimmer so we added a Watkiss Spinemaster.

With runs and page counts getting shorter and shorter, we’ve noticed that the demand for short run, thin perfect bound books are on the rise. This was the reason why we purchased the Horizon BQ, but we’ll save that for another week. However, perfect binding has its limitations in terms of how small of a book you can bind and what quantities are economically viable. The Watkiss Spinemaster is the new solution!

Many customers don’t like saddle stitching books because it doesn’t look as nice as perfect bound books. In addition, when page counts increase, the book tends to “spring open” or the spine “pops up” making it difficult to stack books one on top of another. The Watkiss Spinemaster is the answer to most of these problems. The Spinemaster is a simple process we add to the end of our multibinder where it applies pressure to the spine of a saddle-stitched book in order to give it the “square-back” found in perfect bound books. The difference is that there is no glue nor heat used in this process but gives it the same finished look. Some other added benefits is that the books now lay flatter than saddle stitched books, this saves a lot of room when packing books to ship, saving almost 30%!

To find out more about square-backing your books, contact Pacific Bindery Services or email Crystal Wong.

December 15, 2008 - How many overs do we need?

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0800

A short blog this week on where to find our Waste Guidelines. For every job that comes in, we will always need overs for makeready on any machine. This often varies from supplier to supplier. To make it easier for you, we have developed an automated form that you can find at this address:

http://www.pacificbindery.com/page147.htm

If any questions arise about these guidelines, please feel free to contact Pacific Bindery Services or email Crystal Wong.

The blog will be taking a hiatus over the holidays, wishing you and your family and loved ones a Happy Holidays from all of us at Pacific Bindery Services.

December 8, 2008 - Perfect Binding Specifications

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0800

At Pacific Bindery Services, we have three perfect binders with different specs for each. I often have customers that ask me what our minimum and maximum thickness is for perfect binding, as well as our minimum and maximum size of books. In today's entry, I will summarize our perfect binding specs for everyone.

Our smallest Perfect Binder is the BQ. The BQ is optimized for runs under 1000 books. It is an extremely efficient machine that takes less than 10 books to set up in under half an hour. Books that are digitally printed and precollated into book blocks would generally be bound on the BQ.

To layout books for the BQ, prepare book blocks with 1/8" spine grind, 1/4" head, foot and face trim, as well as have the cover overhang the book block by a minimum of 1/8" at head and foot.

Minimum book thickness: 1/16" (books under 1/8" will have no side scores)
Maximum book thickness: 2"

Minimum book size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" BE
Maximum book size: 12 1/2" x 12 1/2"

Our second perfect binder is the Starbinder. The Starbinder runs regular EVA Hotmelt glue and picks up prefolded signatures.

Minimum book thickness (cover to cover): 0.07"
Maximum book thickness: 2 3/8"

Minimum book size (trimmed): 4" x 5 1/2"
Maximum book size: 12" x 12"

Our last perfect binder is the Corona. The Corona is capable of running both EVA Hotmelt glue and the special PUR glue for special applications such as lay-flat perfect binding. To know when to use EVA vs PUR, please download our guidelines sheet.

Minimum book thickness (cover to cover): 0.079" (2mm)
Minimum book thickness (book block): 0.055"
Maximum book thickness (perfect binding): 2 3/8"
Maximum book thickness (lay-flat perfect binding): 2"

Minimum book size (untrimmed): 4" x 5 5/8"
Maximum book size (untrimmed): 13 3/8" x 15 1/8"

For more detailed specifications on book size and book thicknesses, please contact Pacific Bindery Services or send Crystal Wong an email.

December 1, 2008 - What Are Glue Traps in Perfect Binding Layouts?

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Glue traps are necessary in perfect bound books. On your proposals, sometimes you will see a note that says, “Covers must overhang insides by minimum 1/8”. The overhang incorporates a glue trap.

A glue trap does exactly what the name says; it traps the glue from escaping. When a book is perfect bound, we apply glue to the entire spine and side hinges of the book. The glue is applied from head to foot along the spine. When the cover is attached to the book block, the glue will squish out from the head and the foot. If the cover overhangs the book, then the glue will be trapped within the area needed to stick the insides to the cover. If the cover does not overhang the book, the glue will squish out and damage the machinery. In addition, the excess glue that is not trapped might damage books during the run.

Overhang is absolutely necessary when you perfect bind a book.

Below is a basic 2up layout of an 8 ½” x 11” cover on a 19” x 25” press sheet. Note that the spine has the ink and coatings knocked out as well in order to allow better adhesion of the book block. In addition to having the spine knocked out, also maintain a margin of ¼” on either side of the spine to allow room for hinge scores.

To find out more about glue traps, contact Pacific Bindery Services or send Crystal Wong an email.

Pacific Bindery Services' Holiday Hours 2008

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Many customers have called to ask about Pacific Bindery's holiday hours. I thought I'd make it a short and sweet entry this week for your easy reference.

Monday, December 22nd	Regular Hours 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Tuesday, December 23rd	Regular Hours 7:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Wednesday, December 24th	7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 25th	CLOSED
Friday, December 26th	CLOSED
Monday, December 29th	7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, December 30th	7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, December 31st	7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 1st	CLOSED
Friday, January 2nd	CLOSED
Monday, January 5th	Resume Regular Hours

Happy Holidays!

November 17, 2008 - Shipping Tips

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Having your job come to our plant correctly is very important to ensure your job is completed smoothly. I spoke with our Shipper, Jonathan Wyatt, and here are some tips on how your job should arrive.

How do we prefer skids to arrive?

Different versions or form numbers should be clearly identified for every skid. Ensure the skid is properly secured too. This protects your printed work as it moves from your plant to ours. On the top of one skid, there should be a Purchase Order and a Proof for your coordinator.

Press sheets: Packed with a lid or a board on top, strapped and then plastic-wrapped.
Pre-folded signatures or forms: Smaller skids should be plastic wrapped with a lid being optional. Larger skis (40x48) should be plastic wrapped, and strapped with a lid.
Newsprint: The corners should be well protected, the entire skid should be wrapped with a lid and/or strapping.

How should skids arrive in trailers?

Often there are more than one skid being transported, if so, please ensure that all skids on the bottom are strapped very tightly. Some of these skids could be bearing up to 1500lbs on top! If the strapping is too loose, the skid on the bottom would be a disaster.

How do we prepare skids for shipping?

Carton-packed skids are wrapped tightly. Skid-packed skids are wrapped with corners if necessary or requested by the customer. The skid is then strapped securely with lids to keep the product from moving or being damaged during transportation. The largest containers we have at PBS are Life Containers (40” x 28” x 28”). The life containers are self-contained with a full sized lid. Because of this, we generally only wrap them. However, if a container was going out of the province or out of the country, we would strap large skids of cartons as well.

What are some major issues to avoid?

When wrapping skids, ensure that they are wrapped securely – this protects products as they are in transport. Do not plastic strap large skids because it often breaks and the product could be damaged.

For more information on shipping, please send Crystal Wong an email or contact us!

November 3, 2008 - Remoistenable Glue: What Do I Need to Know?

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Remoistenable glue is a line of glue which is dry on the finished product and which activates when moisture is applied to seal the product. As it is an inline process on Pacific Bindery’s folding equipment, we have the ability to remoist glue, perforate, apply cold glue, slit and/or fold.

There are two main types of remoistenable glue: 1) water soluble cold glue and 2) hot melt extruded glue. The type that Pacific Bindery Services uses is the hot melt extruded glue that offers benefits of running the equipment at faster speeds and does not allow additional moisture to be introduced to the sheet. As well, this glue allows the application of a thinner film of glue, causing less build-up. As the application of the strip is computer-controlled by solenoids, Pacific Bindery has the ability to start and stop the glue line with excellent precision and can also produce a “stitched” line of glue if required.

An important note: Hot Melt extruded glue is NOT laser printer compatible. The heating up of laser printer sheets could cause the glue to melt and damage laser cartridges.

Remoistenable glue does not adhere properly to printed surfaces. Remoist glue areas need to be free of ink and must be free from varnishes, laminates and/or other coatings. The corresponding area that the strip will adhere to must also be free of ink and coatings.

Storage of finished products must be in a cool and dry environment. If stored in a hot or humid environment, the remoistenable glue may be activated.

We also do not recommend offline cutting through a line of remoist glue for three primary reasons:

The build-up from the glue causes knife drag, creating different sized cut sheets;
The product would have to be cut in extremely small lifts to prevent stock tearing to either side of the glue line;
Greater wear on the cutting blade.

Specifications
Minimum sheet size	6” x 8”
Maximum sheet size	30 11/16” x 45 5/8”
Minimum recommended sheet caliper	0.0035
Glue strip widths currently available	10 mm 5 mm – this width is available however the wider width is recommended to ensure best adhesion
Minimum distance from edge of glue strip to edge of sheet	1/16”
Minimum distance from end of glue strip to edge of sheet	3/16”
Minimum distance from edge of glue strip to vital information	3/16”
Remoist glue adhesion appears to perform better on coated paper compared to uncoated paper – the glue sits more ‘on top’ of the coating – therefore coated paper is recommended

For more information on remoistenable glue, please contact Pacific Bindery Services or send Crystal Wong an email!

October 27, 2008 - Production Tips

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0800

The most common question I receive about production is: How do I know if my job is laid out to PBS’ specifications? Your coordinator at PBS can check your layout for you. Here are some production tips to ensure your job goes through our plant quickly and efficiently.

Upon getting approval for the job, please email or fax (we prefer email so put it first) a Purchase Order to your coordinator. If there are any changes at this time, you need to let your coordinator know. These changes could include page count, paper type and weight, heavy ink coverage, coatings used, lamination applied or post-binding processes such as 3-hole drilling or shrink-wrapping. This allows us time to coordinate purchasing of materials and to re-assess the quote. At this time, you can request for us to check your layouts as well.

On the Purchase Order, we would like the following information:

Our quote number, if applicable.
Job quantity, including overs accepted and samples required.
Description of work to be done, including trim size and page count.
Description of material supplied.
Packaging and Distribution instructions (include number of versions, if applicable)
Date and time required.
Instructions for left-overs: return or recycle.
Any special instructions or concerns we should know about.
If a repeat order, it is critical to provide a reference to the last order – whether this be a job Purchase Order, our job docket information or estimate number. By having this information, it enables our production team to review specific last-order learning outcomes.

Your coordinator will then schedule your job. By booking your job, you can secure a time period for when your job arrives to when it leaves our plant.
When sending in your press sheets, also remember that we require a dummy or sample before we can proceed with the job.. A dummy is an untrimmed, but collated signatures sample of your entire job. It helps us determine whether there is enough trims, grind-offs, bleeds, cross-overs, page order and other important information. It also gives our operators a sample of what you expect your job to look like.

October 20, 2008 - What is Shingling/Creep and Why is it Important to You?

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0800

What is Shingling? There are many names for Shingling: Creep or Feathering are two of the most common ones.

Why is it Important to You? How does this affect your jobs? By understanding what shingling is, it will improve your saddle-stitched books by avoiding cut off type or images.

A simple way to describe shingling is by folding a piece of paper into a 16-pp signature. If you look at the face of the signature, you will realize that pages on the inside of the 16pp signature are “pushed-out” from the centre of the book. This “pushing-out” affect is what we call shingling or creep. Although the creep may be minimal in a 16-pp signature, if you do not plan this correctly, it could result in an unpleasant-looking final job.

How so? Consider a saddle stitched book that has four 16-pp signatures. Inside signatures will always “creep” out more than signatures on the outside. This affect is most prominent when looking at folios or page numbers found at the bottom margin of a book. If shingling is not planned accordingly, you will see a variation in the location of your folio from page to page shifting closer to the face of the book as you get closer to the centre of a book. Then, when the book is automatically 3-side trimmed, printed material may be trimmed off. In the worst-case scenario, copy can actually be completely, or in part, trimmed off. Remember too that heavier weight (and thicker) paper stocks will create more creep than lighter paper stocks.

So what can you do to avoid this? PBS suggests subtracting 1/32” from the face margin within each successive signature as you move closer to the centre. By subtracting, you move the entire copy this far into the gutter margin at the spine of the book. The signatures will not have to be adjusted themselves, but each signature should be consistently changed from signature to signature.

Signature page counts can change within a book therefore, please contact Pacific Bindery Services before you plan your next job or send Crystal Wong an email.

October 14, 2008 - Estimating Tips

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:00:00 -0800

Does this sound familiar?

Every one of your customers wants to get a quote fast, but you’re still waiting on the bindery portion. How can you get your quotes faster? A number of customers have asked me this question. At Pacific Bindery Services; our goal is to turn around quotes in four hours; if we’re given enough information. Often the biggest holdup in getting a quote back to you is insufficient information or conflicting information and the inability to get a hold of person who has this information.

Here are some tips on what information is generally needed:

Type of binding

Perfect binding (hotmelt, PUR, lay-flat)
Saddle-stitching
Multibinding
Wire-o binding
Plastic spiral binding

Type of folding

Accordion fold
Roll fold
Gate fold
Mini/Pharmaceutical fold

Size of your final finished product

Final trimmed size

Quantity of your job
Number of pages in your book

# pp + Cover
Ensure to mention foldouts

How you’re supplying the cover

Press sheet size

How you’re supplying the insides

# pp signatures
Pre-folded or flat

Paper type and caliper

By following this checklist, you can ensure a quick turnaround time for all of your quotes.

Did you know Pacific Bindery Services has an online request for quote form? It can be found here. By submitting this form online, it will arrive at our estimator’s inbox instantaneously. In addition to the online form, there is a downloadable form you can receive on request; it opens in Excel. Once received it can be kept on your computer desktop for easy access and reuse; it can be filled out, printed, and faxed to our estimators.

For more information on our estimating services, please contact Pacific Bindery Services or email Crystal Wong.

October 6, 2008 - What Are the Letterpress Scoring Requirements for Perfect Binding?

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Sometimes, when a heavier paper weight stock is used for the cover of perfect binding, the finished product looks better if the cover is letterpress scored before arriving at Pacific Bindery. In today's blog, I truly took the phrase "A picture speaks a thousand words" literally. Below is a diagram of which side of the cover the scores should be found on. I've exaggerated the divot to better explain which way the scores should go. In fact, incorrectly scoring the covers is just as bad as not scoring! So if you're going to spend the money scoring it, you should have it scored correctly.

We've talked about scoring capabilities at PBS before. The major advantage to pre-scoring your covers using letterpress is that it prevents cracking at the spine and at the hinges of the book giving it a truly finished look.

For more information on pre-scoring covers on a letterpress, please contact Pacific Bindery Services or send Crystal Wong an email!

September 29, 2008 - What is Lay-flat Perfect Binding and What Are the Design Requirements?

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Lay-flat perfect binding is different from traditional perfect binding because the book can “lay flat” or “lay open”. Lay-flat perfect binding uses a combination of PUR glue and Mull Paper to help hold a book open increasing readability. This type of perfect binding is used frequently for art books and catalogues or service manuals that are frequently viewed. The book lies flat because the spine of the cover is not attached to the spine of the book block. Mull paper is glued along the book block using PUR glue along the spine. Regular EVA glue along the side is used to attach the book block to an extra hinge score at the cover to hold the book open. Lay-flat perfect binding is also used for thick books because PUR glue used on the book block will eliminate cracking along the spine, creating a more durable book. To date, there are no perfect binding machines capable of using PUR glue for both the spine and the side glue.

Lay-flat perfect binding has special design considerations.

Too thin or too narrow books will not lay-flat.
Wrong grain paper will not lay-flat as well as right grain paper.
There is a smaller live area between the inside front cover and first page and inside back cover and last page because of the extra hinge score.
There are double hinge scores on the cover, one ¼” from spine and the other 7/16” from the spine.
Inks and coatings must be “knocked-out” a total of 13/32” from spine

For more information on lay-flat perfect binding, please contact Pacific Bindery Services or send Crystal Wong an email.

September 22, 2008 - How Should I Design Perfect Bound Books with Cross-overs and Lineups?

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Cross-overs and lineups in a book create a beautiful spread, but they can create challenges in determining bindery allowances. In perfect binding, this is particularly true because glues are used to adhere the inside stock to the cover stock. When using crossovers in your perfect bound book, design, images and headlines need to be adjusted at the spine to compensate for the fact that a normal perfect bound book does not lay flat. This can result in the elements inside the gutter becoming lost within the center margin of the publication; unless properly planned for and designed for.

Generally, we take a 1/8” spine grind but designing right to the edge of this 1/8” requires careful planning as the glue which adheres the sheets to the cover needs to spread into the ground spine . Moving your text another 1/16” from the spine grind allowance (for a total of 3/16”) decreases the chance that the text will be ‘lost’ within the glues used in the perfect binding process.

On September 9, 2008 we discussed the difference between PUR glue and EVA glue. Because the application of PUR glue is different than the application of EVA glue, the design of the final piece has to take this into consideration as well. EVA glue is thicker along the spine than PUR glue. As the amount of ‘squish’ of the glue varies from book to book – even page to page – it is strongly recommended that there is no small font text close to the spine of the book and, preferably, no text close to the spine of the book.

At Pacific Bindery Services, our goal is to ensure your crossovers lineup beautifully, creating a seamless spread every time. For more information on how to plan such jobs, please contact Pacific Bindery Services or send Crystal Wong an email.

September 15, 2008 - What is the Difference between Inset Foldouts and Flush Foldouts?

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Some books that your clients request could include diagrams or maps that are larger than the final book size. These diagrams or maps are turned into foldouts for the book. Foldouts are a challenge in the bindery process because often the final finishing requires a three sided trim. If there are foldouts in a book, three sides trimming results in cutting the foldout apart. We generally recommend folding the foldout inset 1/8” from the face of the book. However, if your client prefers flush foldouts, we can adjust our process so that it will be flush at the face. Flush foldouts are generally more expensive than inset because it requires an extra pass in the process. The first pass collates, stitch/perfect binds the text, and face trims. The second pass adheres the cover to the inside text and completes the head and foot trim.

Foldouts are also used when there are tabs in the book. Generally, there are a number of tabs located throughout the book that are printed on heavyweight paper. If all the foldouts are folded at the same area, this area contains extra bulk. For this reason, we can stagger the folding so that the bulk is more evenly distributed throughout the book. For more information on how to plan such jobs, please contact Pacific Bindery Services or send Crystal Wong an email.

September 9, 2008 - What is PUR Glue and When do You Recommend Using It?

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0800

PUR glue stands for Polyurethane Reactive Adhesive. It is a glue used in Perfect Binding that is stronger and has a longer-life than regular EVA hotmelt glue. PUR glue reacts with moisture to cross-link molecules resulting in improved performance characteristics. In addition, PUR glue is far superior than traditional EVA glue because the application of the adhesive is only half as thick; making it more flexible for high use books such as reference books, cookbooks, etc. Traditional EVA glue is also susceptible to ink solvent migration, which could result in weakening of the glue. However, PUR glue is not susceptible to solvent migration and gives you a higher quality, longer lasting bind every time.

When do we recommend using PUR glue? Please refer to the Adhesive Guidelines on the Home Page’s right side bar. Some of the criteria that require PUR perfect binding include:

Art books
Catalogues
Reference/Text books
Books with medium to heavy ink coverage
Books with Metallic inks and UV Coating
Wrong grain cover or text
Heavyweight cover or text
Thick or oversized books
Art and Specialty papers

If there are any other questions regarding when to use PUR glue, please contact Pacific Bindery Services or send Crystal Wong an email.

September 3, 2008 - What Scoring Capabilities does PBS have In-House?

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Did you know PBS has inline and offline scoring capabilities? Our state-of-the-art folders have tri-creaser wheels inline to provide scoring that is virtually crack-free. Traditional scoring on folders uses steel divots to weaken the fibers of paper in a V-shape to ease the folding process. However, this results in fibers splitting and the spine cracking. Our folders use tri-creaser wheels which are a rubber crease technology that gently manipulates the paper into a U-shaped groove. This groove is not a sharp V-shape dent; it is the gentle stretching of fibers that is different from traditional scoring. Tri-creaser wheels can be used for three types of stocks, light-weight stock, medium-weight stock and heavy-weight stock, catering to all your scoring needs.

Our offline scoring machine, the Rollem T.R. is capable of offline scoring from 4” x 6” minimum size to 29” x 29” maximum sheet size. So you must be wondering, if PBS has all of these in-house scoring capabilities, then why do I sometimes receive quotes that request pre-scoring on the letterpress? We are not requesting this because we want to take away from your bottom line! We do this because at PBS, we aim for top-quality jobs time and time again. There are certain conditions in which we highly recommend pre-scoring on the letterpress, these include:

Covers greater than 12pt with heavy ink coverage
Covers greater than 15pt in caliper
Specialty stocks
Digitally printed cover stock

If there is ever any doubt or concern, contact Pacific Bindery Services or send Crystal Wong an email!

Please take a look at the video below about the Tri-Creaser Technology we use at PBS!

Launch in external player

Video courtesy Technifold USA, www.technifoldusa.com