The topic of Laminators and UV Coaters is under debate in our industry and following is an article from Dealer Communicator magazine. You may be interested to know we’re quoted in the article, (that’s not too self serving is it??) To find more on this subject, you can find the DC magazine at their .com address on the web. Hope this helps you understand differences, here it is:

As a dealer that understands consultative selling, the most important thing that your print shop customers must understand is this: Lamination equipment is not a huge capital expense. Lamination can be a huge source of revenue for your customers by cutting their production time and outsourcing costs.

Ronelle Ingram of Stevens Enterprise (North Tustin, CA) discovered lamination pretty much by accident. “We bought a small pouch laminator for our own use and thought it a good idea to bring it to a business show to offer attendees a free laminated business card. We found there was more interest in the laminator than the wide format products that we were there to sell. With that, we began offering laminators as a convenience or add-on sale.”

No longer merely a trade show novelty or specialty item, laminators have come a long way showing up at printing companies as labor-saving finishing technology. Today there are much larger roll-fed laminators that can run without constant intervention.

Dealers that help their customers add laminators to their services enable them to add value to just about any print job. Lamination protects menus from food stains and fingerprints, protects outdoor signs from the weather, protects sales presentations from spills and creases, protects instructional and training materials from unwanted writing, and protects factory tags from dirt, grease, and solvents. And the list goes on.

Bill Gaspelin, General Manager of DryLam (Shawnee, KS), a manufacturer of lamination equipment and supplies made this comment: “Selling the machine is only the beginning of a dealer’s income. Printing customers will spend a lot more on supplies in the long run. Changes in the industry” adds Gaspelin “are driven by the digital print revolutions which in turn are opportunities for distributors. As little as 10 years ago, the market was very different.”

Because there are so many choices, technologies, and parameters to consider, the printer and dealer must both do their research to find the right equipment. Sean Solomon of Time Graphic Arts
(Cinnaminson, NJ) tells of his research. “Our goal is to fine a new line of laminators, designed for the digital or on demand market, with an easy set up for low volume, but still with automatic feeding, and a film cut off. We see several features of various brands that we like, but we are still searching for what we see as the right fit for our customers. Value for the dollar is a huge driving force, as a small print shop will take longer to get a return on investment, compared to the larger production run binderies and commercial print shops we work with.”

“Many customers simply do not understand the value of applying laminate to an inkjet print” says Ike Harris of Daige (Albertson, NY), a manufacturer of adhesive and laminating systems. “The biggest benefit is abrasion and dirt resistance. The laminate keeps the print looking new over a long period of time. It also enhances the colors of the print.”

Printing customers should understand that there is a wide selection of laminators as well as UV Coatings.

What About Lamination Versus UV Coating?
Is ultraviolet (UV) coating providing competition for laminating? The consensus is no, for varied reasons.

Printing Customers may not know the difference between lamination and UV coating. As our publisher commented, “dealers that are at the pinnacle of success are those that know the products they sell.” Therefore manufacturers make the equipment, train you to understand the technology and you, the dealer, are expected to help your printing customers make the right choice.
Let’s face it; there are pros and cons to making choices. Following are some observations from distributors and manufacturers.

“Each technology has its benefits” explains Gaspelin (DryLam). “The UV process is liquid coating that is applied and then cured or dried. Lamination also provides protection: tougher and more durable. UV is especially appropriate for consumer packaging, giving an attractive, shiny appearance. Lamination costs a bit more.” Varying jobs will determine the process.

“UV-curable inks create a molecular bond to the substrate which is very durable, and will move and flex with that surface), stated, John D. Peterman, Executive Vice President of Big Systems (Menomonee Falls, WI).”Adhesive-backed film on a digitally printing surface has problematic limitations and is subject to failure and deterioration much quicker than raw UV-printed materials.”

Jay Udovich of Digital Color Ink LLC (Beltsville, MD)’s comment adds another dimension: “Lamination will protect printed jobs from scratching, moisture, marring and add extra rigidity to the work. UV printing can be reverse printed on a clear substrate – saving the step of needing front surface protection.” Larger presses have a coating units that applied UV to the printed substrate during the print-process.”

“Laminating is a better solution for customers who cannot afford UV equipment” says Anthony Nadais of SID Signs (Miami). “We have an economical laminator that makes it very easy for our customers to begin doing their own lamination. It is one more service that we can offer our customers and a way for them to also add new services for their clients.”

MaryAnn Dalessi of Presentation Solutions (Spokane) summarized the difference in a non-technical way that every dealer can appreciate. “As to lamination versus UV coating neither is better or worse but each has their own place. From a sales perspective right now, I would say UV is better because there aren’t too many in place: the field is wide open for dealers and for new sales!”

Bottom Line
Once your print shop clients understand the lamination process, they’ll buy laminators from you. Don’t chuckle. We all know that there are times when you do all the research only to find that a customer takes your information, goes online and buys the product cheaper, and that’s what they’ve done: they’ve bought it cheaper! But, they lose what only a local dealer can offer: On site training, service and support. And that’s where you come in.

Why concentrate on laminators? Judy Heft, Product Manager – Equipment & Software for Nazdar Source One (Shawnee, KS) Estimates that 20% of her customers now use laminating equipment. Dalessi estimates that 50% of her customers use laminators.

With so many comb binding machines on the market, how on earth can I pick the one right for my needs? There are several factors to consider.

Determining your document requirements and use is the first step. Therefore, I recommend answering the following questions to help you determine the best finishing solution.

1. What is the document application?
2. How will the document be used? Who will be using it?
3. How many documents a day or week will you be making?
4. What are your most common document sizes …letter, A4 or legal?
5. How important is the image or appearance of the document?

If you are comb binding just a couple of projects a week or only a few a month, you should consider a manual comb binding machine. No electricity, just you punching and inserting the pages in the comb binding spines manually.

On the other hand, if you are assembling multiple jobs a day, you definitely need an electric punching feature with a manual-binding element.

Alternately, if you have enormous amounts of proposals and reports daily, you definitely should look at an electric punch and electric comb binding machine. There is just no other way to get the production finished in a timely manner unless you are outsourcing the work, which defeats the cost savings purpose. Be sure and get a model with a foot pedal to make this a hands free operation.

The versatile comb binding machine system is great for price lists, brochures, reports, etc. Pages lay flat when opened and can be easily changed later. Be sure if you have legal size paper, that you choose a model that can accommodate your needs. They usually have adjustable pin placements just for this.

Comb binding supplies and accessories put the finishing touches on your presentations. Plastic binding combs are available in many colors. Comb spines can also be custom printed with your name or logo and using your firm’s colors. What a great combo!

Cover sheets come in many styles, colors, and thicknesses. Remember, an attractive cover captures your reader’s attention. I recommend oversized covers (11 1/4″ X 8 3/4″) if you are using plastic comb binding. Oversized covers have two rounded corners and are ¼” larger than the document to protect it from fraying edges and tearing. If you are using desktop publishing software for your presentation, a transparent or frost cover can enhance the finished look. There are many customization options available to enhance my document finishing. Choose from custom printing options such as silkscreen, offset, embossing and foil stamping. Add index tabs to separate topics or sections.

Remember, a consistent look to all your documents supports the brand image of your firm.

Binding Supply

Binding Supply covers a broad spectrum of binding products including, VeloBind, binding combs, comb binding machine, coil binding machine and plastic binding combs. It could conceivably also cover the binding covers and backs used to make your reports.  GBC Consumer Research says that 69% of business professionals are impressed when they receive a bound presentation. I find it true as well and strive to make my proposals look top notch every time.

Using a high quality binding supply of material will make your ideas stand out. Show you mean business at your next big meting by binding your reports and proposals. Using staples or paper clips just won’t cut it any more. Binding increases the value of your work in an instant. Additionally bound documents are more likely to be read, and they help you communicate your ideas more effectively.

Let’s look at the ways binding supply helps:

• A memorable presentation has personality, you can show your unique style.
• Binding keeps loose pages where they belong, keeping you organized.
• The protection afforded by binding keeps your documents safe from wear and tear.

Now you need to pick the right binding spine for the project from your binding supply. Plastic binding combs are used everywhere and the most affordable option. On occasion you may even notice some have a business name imprinted on them. Using binding combs lets the pages lay flat when the book is open, and with a comb binding machine, you can edit your document by placing the spine back on the hooks and opening the comb to remove the pages, then close again.

If your binding supply includes plastic coil and a coil binding machine, you can add excitement to presentations by using these colorful binding spines. They keep their shape with bounce-back flexibility, even if shipped and treated roughly. Plastic coil spines let the pages lay flat when open plus they allow for 360º rotation.

Wire binding spines, also called wire-0 and twin loop wire are a classy hi-end addition to your binding supply. These are used frequently by architects and engineers and compliment the metallic colors of foil stamped logos. The pages lie flat and allow for 360º rotation. Wire spines permanently binds documents.

VeloBind is seen most often in depositions because of its sturdiness and 1”, 2” or 3” depth capabilities. These spines add a smooth, book-like finish to your presentations and are permanent without visible holes, tape or fasteners. This method is good for mailing, filing or stacking.

ProClick is a relative new comer to the binding supply field. This interesting binding element allows for editing by using the zip tool. The pages will lay flat and also rotate360º. If you have a wire punch with 3:1 pitch, it will work for this spine size also making it versatile in your binding supply arsenal. These spines come in frost, black and navy.

Look closely at the inventory of your binding supply and see if you have the versatility to change out your binding system for the occasion at hand. Some binding spines seem to work well for internal use, while others are meant to show an expression of yourself, get the job done faster and with consistently great-looking results. The more binding supply choice you have the more versatility in your presentations and the better you will look.

Its always fun to give a pop quiz to my friends who aren’t in the binding or post-print finishing business about binding supply items. They make funny faces and come up with ridiculous answers to my questions. And so I’m asking you if you know the advantage of using plastic coil?

Its so simple, coil binding spines are fresh, exciting, they come in a variety of colors. I’m so bored with comb binding spines, it seems they have been around forever, but coil, oh aren’t they cute! Ever seen them in clear/frost?

Buying a new coil binding  machine for your office is a big decision, not to be taken lightly. There is a wide range of choices based on size, features and affordability. Think the long run here, don’t short change yourself because of budget, you may regret it later. The Akiles Coil Mac EPI is a semi-automatic punch and coil inserter that works wonderfully in busy offices.

• Tip 1  Decide if you are binding enough reports on a weekly and monthly basis to justify using a semi-automated machine.
• Tip 2  If you punch heavy or coated paper, be sure to purchase a machine with a reverse (anti-jam) function/button. There’s nothing worse than having your documents bunch up in the equipment. The reverse option will allow you to ‘undo’ any problems that may arrise.
• Tip 3  Check out the foot pedal operation. This is a big time saver because you can work with both hands  on your document. Its always a balancing act when you have to manually push buttons for punching and switch to binding mode.
• Tip 4  A spinning electric coil inserter is a wonderful asset . This drastically reduces time and costs by making the inserting surprisingly fast and easy.
• Tip 5  Check to see if your choice has a U-Shaped alignment channel built in. This aides in conforming the spine on  larger diametr documents to the coils shape. These bigger spines can be cumbersom and this feature makes for faster and easier insertion.

Akiles CoilMac EPI is a powerful elecstric punch and coil inserting combo piece of equipment. It has a heavy duty punch motor you will be grateful for down the road.