Inkjet’s Age sense in many cases to run inline as you can maximize page output based on the speed delta of the print engine compared to the fi nishing line. On the other hand in the direct mail market, you might decide nearline or offl ine production is a better fi t. In this market, the level of customization and tracking can change from job to job.” Still, nearline gives you much more fl exibility. “You’re no longer doing six-by-nine books all day, everyday,” said Fetherman. “Now you’re doing all diff erent sizes and thicknesses. It gives you the fl exibility to run multiple machines. It also gives you the ability to just let the press run book blocks or rolls and then fi nish it in the bindery.” “Offl ine or nearline avoids bottlenecks,” said Nguyen. “A PSP will get told ‘You have to go inline because there’s less handling.’ When it comes to production, that’s a mistake. Th ey’re not going to yield more productivity by going inline, especially when they have really high volume.” Th e speed of inline fi nishing equipment is oft en limited by the speed of the printing equipment, plus, by defi nition, it can only work inline with one print engine at a time. “Investing in a nearline solution so you can maximize the speed of that nearline solution and at the same time accommodate several printers,” said Nguyen. Th is is especially the case with continuous feed inkjet. “In many cases, going nearline is better because the nearline device works faster vs. coupled to the print engine,” said Steinke. “If a print engine’s uptime is rated at 95 percent, and the fi nisher’s is rated at 95 percent, when you take an average, overall uptime is 90 percent. If you decouple those components, you can get 95 percent uptime on the printer and 95 percent on the fi nisher. So your effi ciency nearline can be a little higher.” Nearline or offl ine also helps account for potential operator skills mismatches. “An operator who’s running the press tends to be digitally-oriented and is used to pushing buttons and working on computers,” said Martin. “Th en there’s a fi nishing guy who has to know how to fold, glue, perf , and so on, to produce a complicated mailer. You’ve got two completely diff erent skill sets trying to run the machine, which that tends to drive people toward offl ine.” Spin the Bottleneck Because fi nishing is the last stage of the production process, it tends to be where the bottlenecks occur. Indeed, it is not uncommon to hear shops lamenting how the bindery is the bottleneck. Oft en, though, it has nothing to do with the fi nishing process. “Why there is a bottleneck in fi nishing is because jobs are not getting to the fi nishing department at the time they’re planned to get there,” said Steinke. “Th e number one way to eliminate bottleneck is better planning of the fi nishing work. When designing a product, keep in mind what it takes to fi nish that product, and look at what you have capability-wise.” Finishing technology tends to be out of sync with printing technology. “Th ere’s a time lag between what happens in the press world and what happens in the fi nishing world,” said Martin. “We’re always playing catch-up. We’ll get calls from customers who say ‘I’ve got this new press coming in and it’s going to go 30 percent faster. Can you guys do this this and this?’ Th at happens quite a bit.” Duty Now for the Future Still, no matter how good our planning may be, it will inevitably be up to the fi nishing department to make up any lost time. Th at’s simply the nature of the beast, and why effi ciency, fl exibility, and automation are imperatives for today’s binding and fi nishing equipment. “Invest in the right piece of equipment in the beginning,” said Nguyen. “When PSPs invest in a printer, they should at the same time see what fi nisher can accommodate that printer. A fi nisher should accommodate up to three times the speed of the printer they’re investing in.” “It‘s important that you do not fall into the trap of buying ‘an adequate’ solution that appears to fi t your business needs today,” said Elliott. “Technology and the needs of your customers are going to develop quickly over the next years.” “Don’t wait until you choose your press to choose your fi nishing,” said Fetherman. “Look at the fi nishing fi rst.” Printing and Binding EXCLUSIVELY for the PRINTING TRADE ONLY for Featuring HEIDELBERG Presses printing from 1 to 6 color 28” x 40” sheets down to 1 to 4 color 6” x 9” color digital sheets. Visit our website at POSTCARDS Printed 4/4 on 14pt. Gloss Stock with UV Coating on 1 or 2 sides or No UV Coating 1,000 4”x6” Postcards ........................ $32.00 5,000 4”x6” Postcards ........................ $89.00 1,000 4”x11”%$$-0OSTCARDS........... $67.00 5,000 4”x11” %$$-0OSTCARDS ......... $164.00 All Printing is on HEIDELBERG Presses Which We Purchased New From HEIDELBERG FLYERS Printed 4/4 on 100# Gloss Text 1,000 8.5”x11” Flyers ......................... $70.00 5,000 8.5”x11” Flyers ....................... $139.00 1,000 11”x17” Flyers ........................ $175.00 5,000 11”x17” Flyers ........................ $351.00 These and Larger Quantities are Available on our Website www.FloridaTradeGraphics.com for special pricing on: "USINESS#ARDSs0OSTCARDSs2ACK#ARDSs,ARGE#ARDS 3ADDLE3TITCHED"OOKSs4ABLE4ENTSs$OOR(ANGERS www.FloridaTradeGraphics.com 954-786-2000 / 800-386-7197 1 To 2 Day Completion Is No Extra Charge For Most Items. For more information, visit PrintingNews.com/10071343 Find this article at PrintingNews.com/12228385 30 Printing News ® September 2016 PrintingNews®com
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