Allied Bindery

Bound for Excellence

Archives for November 2011

To Stick or Not to Stick – UV Coating versus Binding Adhesives

Incorporating UV Coating into perfect bound print projects is a great opportunity to enhance the visual and cosmetic characteristics of a printed piece.  Understanding interaction between UV Coating and binding adhesives will help printers avoid unpleasant surprises in the finished product.

A key ingredient in the chemical make up of UV Coating is silicone.  Silicone provides a degree of “slippery-ness” in the coating.  The amount of silicone in UV can have a dramatic impact on the ability of the binding adhesive to stick to or repel from the UV coated material.  Depending upon the amount of silicone used in the chemical make up of the UV Coating, adhesion problems may result.   In other words, more silicone equals more binding related challenges.  Since the bindery will not have any knowledge as to the silicone content in UV coated materials, problems will likely not be identified until the binding process is underway or complete.

Binding adhesion problems with UV coating may appear in a number of different ways.  If the UV coating is a flood coat extending into the spine grind area and the UV coating contains a high level of silicone, there may be total adhesion failure at the spine.  The silicone content will repel the binding adhesive and not allow a stable or consistent adherence between text paper stock, the spine adhesive and the book cover.

A UV coating with a lower level of silicone content may allow for adequate adhesive strength, but may allow for adhesive migration up between text pages.  Adhesive that migrates as little as 1/16” up from the spine will result in paper fibers tearing between pages as the book is opened.  Although the binding strength is adequate, the cosmetic result is poor and will be unacceptable to the customer.

When planning for a page or pages utilizing flood UV coating in a perfect bound book, make sure to knock out the spine grind area.  Eliminating the UV coating in the spine grind area will help insure an appropriate binding strength, while eliminating the potential for adhesive migration between pages, thus ensuring the quality level that you and your customer desire.

Involving the Sales and Planning Professionals at Allied Bindery can help you avoid problems such as recognizing or avoiding potential production challenges with UV Coating.  Give us a call and let us help you achieve your customer’s expectations.

Accurate Estimates Equals No Surprises!

It all comes down to accurate specifications!  The better the detail, the more accurate the estimate!  No one likes surprises; particularly when it  comes to final pricing of a project.   Providing as much detail as possible at the quoting stage is a key to providing estimates that will still be accurate when the production process begins.

Often times, the initial request for quote is referred to as “budget” or “ballpark”.  Allied Bindery will provide a quote that is accurate to the specifications that are provided.  In some instances, the actual job
requirements can be significantly different than the original “budget”
estimate.  If the purchase order contains different specifications than the original estimate, the estimate will need to be validated or revised.

Many times, specification changes may have a slight impact on final pricing.  It may be that the basis weight of the paper was changed, resulting in costing and pricing changes in the amount of adhesive, cartons or shrink wrap film that is required.  These are generally minor revisions to cover
material costs.  Sometimes, the change may be significant.  For example, a
binding project could have been quoted as two-up.  In reality, the final project could be a come & go format, having a significant impact on labor costs.  Maybe you will need a partial quantity bound and delivered before the balance of all material is available.  This will have an impact on set up costs, since an additional set up will be required.  These costs tend to be higher and need to be communicated to your customer as soon as possible.

In all cases, when a project becomes live and a purchase order is provided, our Estimating/Order Entry specialists will review the scope of the purchase order in comparison to the original estimate.  If any changes or revisions are required, you will be contacted prior to the start of the job so that you will have any updated pricing that is required.  It is important to note that all estimates are tentative, pending the actual specifications for a project.