The Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing Group and Amerikal Products Corp. have unveiled a process called THINKTech that will allow books to be printed on a heat-set web press without any curing. The companies claim the new, sustainable process will revolutionize how books are printed and manufactured. The THINKTech process, which was developed after Maple-Vail switched from traditional pressroom chemistry to Amerikal’s Genesis line of sustainable chemistry, utilizes Amerikal’s Thin Ink Film Technology. The new process will be accomplished by turning off gas-fired ovens, chill drums, chill water compressors, electrical pumps, silicone applicators and electrically powered blowers; replacing traditional press cleaners and wash-up chemicals with Genesis
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Speak to just about any book manufacturer these days about his or her business, and you’re likely to hear a laundry list of concerns: an economy teetering on the edge of a recession, paper’s rising costs and tighter supply, the need to respond to publishers’ and environmental groups’ “green” demands, and mounting pressure to improve turn times and to upgrade technology, among others. And yet, for an industry so seemingly wrought with challenges, a look at Book Business’ annual list of North America’s Top 30 Book Manufacturers (on pages 16-17) appears to tell a different story. Just seven of the 30 printers who appear
The publishing industry’s intensified movement toward going “green” was highlighted by recent reports from three major trade groups—the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), the Association of American Publishers (AAP), and the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF). In this column, I summarize the major features of each of these reports, as well as note a bit of contention on some of the findings, that point to the why and how of going “green” for publishers and book printers. (For an extensive and very useful backgrounder, check out the article “The Green Team,” by James Sturdivant, in Book Business, February 2008, also
Printers generally like to talk about investments they’ve made in print technologies—offset or digital. Perhaps that’s because it suggests they’re doing well and that they’re investing in their customers’ businesses. Besides, talking about a slick, new machine that requires little to no makeready time and gets up to color with minimal effort is sexy. Well, comparatively speaking. The clunkier “back-office” equipment found in the typical finishing department is perhaps not as provocative, but talk to most any book printer or trade binder, and they’ll likely confide that the bindery machines are the real workhorses. Indeed, investing in the bindery is just as important
PMA, The Independent Publishers Association, which represents more than 4,000 independent publishers, has issued a statement denouncing Amazon’s recent policy aimed at publishers who use print-on-demand (POD) technology to sell directly on Amazon.com. The online retailer has directed that these publishers must either print their POD titles exclusively through Amazon’s BookSurge subsidiary for fulfillment of orders placed through its Web site, or incur additional cost to print elsewhere and maintain inventory with Amazon. “This policy imposes a significant financial burden on tens of thousands of small and independent publishers who can least afford it,” says Terry Nathan, PMA executive director. “Without the opportunity to
Nearly 25,000 publishers, printing industry professionals and others congregated at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center last week for the On Demand Conference & Exposition and AIIM International Exposition & Conference. The event featured product launches and announcements from a variety of companies, including those impacting the book publishing industry. Among those of interest to book printing professionals: Ultimate Technographics Montreal-based Ultimate Technographics unveiled its new Impostrip Book Stacker 2.0 at the conference and garnered a Best of Show Award in the Workflow Solutions category. According to the company, the product won “for its unique concept of automating and optimizing the production of
According to one of the better-known accounts in the compendium of humankind’s greatest achievements, it was in the year 105 that a Chinese man named Ts’ai Lun invented paper, mashing up wood from a mulberry tree with fiber from bamboo. Thus was born a technology that would literally change the world, making possible artistic, scientific and religious revolutions, democratizing literacy and learning, and ushering humanity into the modern age. In recent times, paper production has played a role in changing the world in other ways. The book industry alone required 3 million to 4 million tons of paper over just the last three years,
The old adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” may be sage advice, but the publishing community knows better—that it is an intriguing cover that catches the potential reader’s eye. Indeed, a title’s cover is its most valuable marketing tool—an integral part of the publisher’s and author’s brand. So it makes sense that great thought typically goes into a book’s cover design and production. So was the experience for Walter T. Shaw, a first-time author whose nonfiction book, “A License to Steal,” is being published this year by Omega Publishing Group and manufactured by HCI’s print services division in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The
When book-component printer Pinnacle Press hired Deborah Bruner as its new director of publishing in late December, she also assumed an additional role: director of eco-friendly initiatives. Bruner says she will not only work with publishers in regard to their print needs, but she also will help them incorporate eco-friendly papers into their business without “blowing their bottom line.” She spoke with Book Business Extra about the growing trend of printers focusing on eco-friendly business practices and how she will support publishers who are considering using more recycled stock. Book Business Extra: What is your role going to be with Pinnacle Press? Deborah
Publishers looking to cut costs and production time face a wealth of challenges, not the least of which is shaking off old conceptions. Putting the focus on content, rather than on books as manufactured objects, can paradoxically help to uncover new ways to speed up the workflow (or, more accurately, customize the workflow to meet the needs of individual projects), and do so in as cost-effective a manner as possible. Common themes among those who shared with Book Business their cost- and time-saving production tips are planning and adaptability, which depend on effective communication. Despite all the technological advances of recent years (and
