Of course, there are plenty of ways to put paper together. Heck, the stapler in your office is a crude, but functional piece of binding equipment.

Here are the top Binding Methods

• Perfect Binding (used for books)
• Hot Adhesive
• Cold Adhesive
• Thermal
• Plastic Comb
• Spiral
• Double Loop
• Loose Leaf
• Post Bind

Two popular dealers for this machinery are PFequip and APRsales.

Since there are a lot of different binding methods, not surprisingly, there are a lot of different manufacturers. This isn’t an all inclusive list, but it does cover some of the top makers of bindery machines:

• NSC International
• GBC
• Ibico
• J Hewit & Sons Ltd
• C.P. Bourg
• Muller Martini
• Renz Group
• GP2 Technologies
• Unibind
• Horizon

In the days before digital technology was able to put together high end copiers and bindery equipment, book printing was a process that required printing about 2000 copies to be economically feasible. While printing in large quantities is still cheaper, on demand book printing (printing one book at a time) is now completely viable.

As you might expect, pricing really depends on what you need. If you need an office duty thermal binder, you can pick one up from Fellowes and get their TB250 for $79.95.

A similar product from Standard is the Accubind Pro2 which does the same task by in a semi-automatic fashion and it will run $4995.00.

When you get into industrial settings, prices go up very quickly. For an example of an industrial machine, check out the Perfect Book Binder Machine Single Clamp from Friends Engineering.

Offset presses are still the best choice if you’re looking for cost efficient, high quality, high volume printing.

While digital has it’s own set of advantages, offset has managed to hold it’s own in commercial print settings.

One reason printers like these machines is their cheaper to maintain than digital.

With offset printing you get a consistent high quality image and it’s still the cheapest method when dealing with commercial printing qualities.

While film was used in the past, these days most systems are plate based.

Types of commercial offset presses:

• Perfecting Press
• Offset Duplicators
• Sheetfed Offset
• Web Offset
• Blanket to Blanket
• Blanket To Steel
• Keyless Offset
• Variable Size Printing

Types of inks:

• Letterset inks
• Waterless inks
• Single fluid inks
• Ink / water balance

Top manufacturers

• Heidelberg
• Ryobi
• AB Dick
• Presstek

Top dealers

• PressXchange
• Sellpress
• Alliedgraphic

One popular sheet-fed press is the Heidelberg QM QMDI 46-4 4-Color. It can be found in used condition and purchased for about $20,000.

There are plenty of higher end systems available as well in used marketplaces like the 5 color Heidelberg 102 FPP+L speedmaster.

First of all, the term “digital printing equipment” can be a bit ambiguous as it can refer to printers, copiers, and presses.

So if it’s printers and copier systems you’re looking for, I recommend HP or Konica Minolta.

HP has a variety of laser, multifunction, color, and wide format printers to choose from.

The Konica Minolta bizhub line which ranges the fairly light duty c200 to the high end c652 are great for office printing needs.

However, for the rest of this article, I’ll focus on digital presses since that’s generally our focus here at KinneyPrinting.com

Top Manufacturers

• HP
• Xerox
• Konica Minolta
• Gottscho
• Canon
• Kodak
• Oce
• Xeikon

Top Dealers

• PressXchange (used)
• eBay (used)
• DigitSmith
• JSI Sign
• Adorama

Xerox Digital Presses

Xerox has four lines of digital presses, the iGen3, iGen4, and Nuvera 200/ 288 EA Perfecting Production System, and Xerox 700 series.

They also feature production printers and copiers. Their DocuColor 242 / 252 / 260, 4112 / 4127 Enterprise printing system, and Docutech 180 Highlight color systems are in this category.

HP Indigo Digital Presses

HP also has a formidable digital press with their Indigo Line. Their latest model is the Indigo 5500 and features their electrostatic ink technology.

There are two main types of banders. Tabletop and Automated.

Tabletop units are cheaper and are ideal if you only need to work in smaller quantities. However, if you’re going to be doing high volume, then you’ll want to get an automated banding machine.

For example, the ATS US-2000 is a well regarded Ultra Sonic Banding machine designed for use in industrial settings. There is also a wide format ATS Bander, the US-2100.

One of the nice features of ultra sonic sealing is that there is no unpleasant smell or smoke and the machine doesn’t need to be preheated.

If a Tabletop unit is more along the lines of what you’re looking for, then be sure to check out the JD Series or MS-420 tabletop banding machine.

The MS-420S comes with a roll dispenser stand and can use paper or plastic banding material. It has adjustable band tension and is easy to setup and use.

Dealers and Manufactuers of banding machines:

• Felins
• PTI Packaging
• Wexler Packaging
• Dynaric
• ThomasNet
• Polychem

If you need to print on three dimensional objects, then you’re going to need pad printing equipment.

It’s well suited to printing on small spherical objects.

Here is just a small list of what it can be used for:

• Golf Balls
• Pens
• USB Flash Drives
• Coasters
• Stress Balls
• Spherical Objects

With a pad printing machine, you can personalize or brand almsot any object.

It’s better suited to small printing areas – if you need a large area of ink coverage, you’ll probably be better served by a screen printer.

The way pad printers work is by using a contact-based printing process with a silicone ball (pad)that lifts the color off the design plate and transfers it to the surface of the item you’re printing on.

Costs

Pad printers vary dramatically in price. For example, you can get a Padeasy Manual-Penumatic 90mm Closed Ink Cup Printer for $2195.00. 135 mm systems can be purchased for $6595.00. However, custom systems can easily run several hundred thousand dollars.

Where To Get Them

There are quite a few manufactuers of pad printers, and who to choose really depends on what your needs are going to be.

Here are some of the top resources and companies:

• Printex USA
• Reisch & Associates
• Imprintor
• Pad Print Machinery
• Innovative Marketing Systems
• Inkcups
• Trans Tech
• Service Tectonics
• Assembly & Automation Technology
• Marking Methods
• Accupad
• Quint Company
• CPS Resources
• ThomasNet (directory of more manufacturers)

Used Equipment

Two of the best sources for used pad printing equipment are eBay and Digismith. I did a quick look through eBay and was able to find some fairly high end, custom built equipment going for pennies on the dollar of their original cost.

A shrink wrap machine provides you a great way to not only protect your products, but also to group certain items together.

Let me give you an example. I recently purchased a home study course and it was divided into four weeks. Each week included a manual, DVD, and CD. To make it extremely simple to keep everything organized, each week was shrink wrapped together so you didn’t have to assemble the materials each week.

To introduce you to the world of shrink wrappers, I found this three part video series that I think does a realy good job showing the different capabilities and your options.

There are six main types of shrink wrap machines: straight bar, l-bar, mail bagging systems, continuous band sealers, sleeve wrappers, and vacuum sealers.

Straight Bar (aka I-Bar) - This type of sealer is best if you’re dealing with small volume and is well suited to items like DVDs and CDs.

L-Bar -- These machines use a Polyolefin film and electricity (not heat) to cut and seal the film at the same time. There is a large range of models available ranking from the small AIE-1313L, priced at $550 to the a large, high volume, Shanklin CF3 that will run $25,000 used.

Mail Bagging Systems - These systems are designed to package… well, a lot of stuff. They can wrap newspaper or catalogs; boxes, gadets, games,wallets even traffic signals. The Mail Bag Digit Mail Bagging system can wrap 20 units per minute and will run $6,662.00 while the Continua Automatic Mail Bagging System can wrap 50 units per minute (16.5 x 11.5 x .5) and runs $33,268.00

Continuous Band Sealers - These machines are well suited for easily spilled items. They’ve been called “the most efficient, versatile semi-automatic sealing equipment machines available for a wide range of applications in the market place today.” A GBS-1100 Band Sealer will run you $3196.00 brand new.

Sleeve Wrappers -- These devices are well suited to many different package shapes, as individual packs or collations. A Rochman SVS 60/35 Semi Automatic Sleeve Wrapper System will run you $19,809.

Vacuum Sealers -- These come in two different types -- external and chamber vacuum sealers. Prices range from $955 for a Minipack Mini 2010 Vacuum Sealer to $14,018 for a MVS 250 Double Chamber Sealer.

The film can be shrunk using a handheld heat gun or if you’re doing high volume, using a heat tunnel and conveyor belt.

Where To Buy

• Uline
• Office Zone
• ABC Office
• Amazon
• Binding.com
• Polypack
• Factory Express
• eBay (great for used equipment)

The combination of digital printing equipment and the Internet has made cheap short run printing a reality.

In the old days of offset printing, the major expense was getting setup. It cost almost as much to print 1 copy as it did to print 1,000 copies.

Digital technology has change all that, however, and setup costs are now near zero on high end equipment making on demand printing highly affordable to consumers.

The Internet has helped because the high volume digital equipment is extremely expensive. For example, an HP Indigo Press 5500 will cost about $245,000.

However, since the printing companies can make their products easily accessible globally vs working only locally, they can afford the higher end equipment which means higher levels of automation making their printing costs are lower… therefore, you save money.

If you’re looking to purchase digital printing equipment, Imagers is a great place to start. If you’d rather get used equipment, eBay is actually a great place to look to get the best prices.

These days, just about everything can be done in a short run including:

• Books (Hardcover and Paperback)
• Brochures
• Business Cards
• Calendars
• Canvas Prints
• Catalogs
• CDs
• Door Hangers
• DVDs
• Envelopes
• Event Tickets
• Flyers
• Folded Cards
• Folders
• Greeting Cards
• Hang Tags
• Labels / Stickers
• Letterhead
• Menus
• Night Club Flyers
• Postcards
• Posters
• Rack Cards
• Sales Sheets
• Videotapes
• Vinyl Banners
• Wall Graphics
• Window Cling

Recommendations

CD & DVD Duplication

• Kunaki
• Disk Duper

Book Printing (Paperback and Hardcover)

• Lulu
• VanVolumes
• Royal Palm Press
• Pub Graphics
• Wert Bookbinding
• Endeavor Printing
• ShortRunBooks.com
• Art Book Bindery

Business Cards

• VistaPrint
• Overnight Prints

Postcards

• Prints Made Easy
• 48 Hour Prints

Multimedia (booklets, DVDs, manuals, etc)

• Corporate Disk Company (Disk.com)

Cloud Printing

• HubCast

Brochures and Posters

• Digial Graphic Services
• Digital Printing Company