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Nut's and Bolts

Topics:

Stacking Signatures | Preparing Skids for Bindery | Mylar
Reinforced Tabs | Ink on Foil | Burnishing

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Stacking Signatures
Q: Do you want to receive folded signatures stacked on a skid low page up or high page up?

A: When your job is to be saddle stitched or sewn, send us the signatures low page up. If the job is to be perfect bound, send them to us high page up.

-Gene Turek,
Flat-Sheet Cutting, Saddle Stitching & Receiving Supervisor

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Preparing Skids for Bindery
Q: Would you prefer us to stretch-wrap or to strap skids we're sending to you for post-press work?

A: When it comes to transporting printed sheets to a bindery for processing, we find that strapping of flat sheets is sufficient. If the load is small and will not be transported very far, the stock is uncoated, and the sheets are in a single pile, one strap should be enough; otherwise use four straps. If the product is in folded signature format and not logged (bundled), then stretch-wrapping and four straps are best.

-Gene Turek
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Mylar
Q: Why do tabs that require mylar reinforcement cost so much more to produce if they have body copy?

A: On automatic mylar tabbing equipment the printed sheet passes through rollers that are hated as high as 300° or more. Therefore, unless certain precautions are taken, tracking and ink-smearing problems will develop, thus requiring hand tabbing instead of automatic tabbing. If printers observe the following guidelines, we will have a better chance of successfully running tabs with body copy;

1. Use heat-resistant inks.
2. Use wax-free inks.
3. Over-varnish with a wax-free, heat-resistant varnish.
4. Porous paper is better than a hard-finish paper.
5. Never use rubber-based inks.
6. Let the sheet dry thoroughly (48 hours) before tabbing.

-Scott Buswell,
General Manager, Tabs & Indexes
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Q: In the first issue of Solutions you provided some useful "Nuts 'n' Bolts" information about registering a foil-stamped area correctly over printing. But doesn't my printer also need to use some kind of special inks if my design calls for foil stamping over top of ink?

-Don McClane,
Lawrence Direct Marketing

A: Here's what your printer will do to make sure foil stamping over an inked surface will give you the results you want:

1. Use wax-free inks, so melting wax won't build up jagged edges in the foil.
2. Make sure the sheet has plenty of time to dry before sending it to Bindagraphics for foil stamping. The darker the inks and the heavier the ink coverage, the more drying time is needed. (And no rubber-based inks, because they never completely dry.)

-Erik Bohnenstengel,
Bindagraphics Sales Service Representative
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Q: What is burnishing?

A: Burnishing is a byproduct of the embossing process. Embossing requires great quantities of pressure and heat-up to 400°- which will slightly darken the paper stock. The discoloration is called burnishing.

-Brian Gebhart,
Die Cutting & Stamping Supervisor
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