UK-based commercial printer Vario Press has invested in a Horizon BQ-500 iCE perfect binder from Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS) to elevate production, streamline digital print processes, and strengthen its offline trade service.
The family run Berkshire operation specialises in personalised marketing campaigns. It produces B2 litho print on two LED UV Sakurai presses and B2 and B3 digital print on HP Indigo and Xerox presses.
To support its existing machinery, the company decided to invest in a new binder. David Clarke, managing director, explained, ‘Our B3 and B2 Indigos can now print and pre-collate multi-page documents, ie manuals, etc, and now the sets can come off and go straight on to the BQ-500. They are then trimmed on our three-knife trimmer. It speeds up the whole process. Recently we printed, bound, and trimmed 1200 A4 84-page manuals in a four-hour work period.’
The four clamp Horizon BQ-500 iCE binder is equipped with cloud-based iCE LiNK workflow that provides access to a dashboard. It reports real time production analysis for improved efficiency and profitability, remote update capabilities and scheduled maintenance resulting in less downtime, explained IFS.
Mr Clarke stated that the binder’s initial impact already suggests that it will be a strong addition for the company. He cited the BQ-500’s book block thickness caliper, that measures the thickness of the book block for automatic setup, and the gentle soft drop delivery, that prevents damage to more delicate books, as key features which influenced the decision to invest.
