GIANT DECORATIVE GROMMETS

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GIANT DECORATIVE GROMMETS

GIANT DECORATIVE GROMMETS

Grommets are purely functional pieces added to reinforce holes made in paper or fabric. Are they just functional or can they be something more? This week, I’m showing you examples of how we use Grommets to elevate otherwise basic, perfect bound books to unique, memorable pieces!

GIANT DECORATIVE GROMMETS

We start with pre-bound books (e.g. perfect bound) up to 1/4” thick, and add one, two or three Decorative Grommets along the spine. Grommets are available in a range of diameters, flanges and colours.

GIANT DECORATIVE GROMMETS

As you can see, they’re very distinctive and really add that special something to the look of a book. If your client wants something highly unusual, give us a call!

GIANT DECORATIVE GROMMETS

LAYFLAT BINDING

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LAYFLAT BINDING

LayFlat Binding (also called Otabind or RepKover binding), sounds self-explanatory, but it’s a unique binding technique that is done in two stages. Cold glue is first applied to the spine and, when dried 24 hours later, the cover is attached to endpapers on either side of the spine. This creates a visible gap along the spine, giving Layflat Binding its unique appearance. LayFlat Binding takes patience but produces a superior book!

LAYFLAT BINDING

LAYFLAT BINDING

LAYFLAT BINDING

Layflat Binding has two advantages over regular perfect binding. First, unlike regular books, Layflat Books open almost flat. If your client has a graphics-heavy book design, the images are almost uninterrupted across the spine. Second, because the pages aren’t attached to the spine, continuous opening and closing the book won’t crease the spine! This means the spine remains smooth and book titles and copy are always easily readable.

Deckle Edges in Books

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Deckle Edges

Deckle Edges

The product featured this week is the use of Deckle Edge paper in modern binding.

Deckle Edges

Deckle Edges

Deckle Edges

The image below shows a mold and deckle, which are used to handmake paper. As paper was pressed, it seeped below the edge of the deckle, resulting in a slightly uneven edge. This uneven edge is known as a “Deckle Edge”. Today, machine-made paper can have artificially made Deckle Edges, which gives it an older, handmade appearance. While more costly than trimmed paper, sometimes a job just doesn’t look as nice without a Deckle Edge!

For the perfect bound book shown below, the Deckle Edge paper used for the front cover really made this book look amazing.

Does your client have a job that needs that extra “wow” factor? Think about how adding the use of Deckle Edge paper for either the cover or interior pages can elevate your next book project!

 

VELCRO CLOSURES

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The product featured in this email is Velcro Closures. We get calls for jobs that require a closure of a flap, whether it’s on a book, folder, printed folder on 10pt stock, cloth wrapped board flap on a box, etc. Depending on the product and its intended use, a Velcro Closure is often a great option because it is incredibly durable and it’s cheaper than snap and magnet closures.

VELCRO CLOSURES

VELCRO CLOSURES

VELCRO CLOSURES

Velcro comes in a range of sizes, shapes, colours and degrees of ‘stickiness’. A folder made of 10pt stock would require Velcro that has a lower ‘stickiness’ level than a folder made of 120pt stock.

VELCRO CLOSURES

As you can see from the images, we can supply Velcro Closures in dozens of colours and sizes. While they are applied manually, if there’s a trick to do it faster, we know what it is!

FLOCK

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FLOCK

Are you a designer, print broker or printer that’s on the hunt for something different and unusual to differentiate your product? Flock is just that – different and unusual and it can be applied to books, boxes, packaging, etc.

Flock is the fuzzy stuff you see on paper and books! It feels and looks like velvet. Flocking is the process of applying tiny synthetic fibers to an adhesive-covered surface like paper or cloth. The resulting look is lustrous and durable. Once the adhesive is dry, the fibers cannot be rubbed off.

FLOCK

FLOCK

The image above shows a case bound book job for a printer in Western Canada that required printing on the front cover. To add extra interest to the cover, flock was added to the title. Every person I’ve shown the book to, who sees the flock, is always intrigued and impressed. Currently, there is a limited range of colours. But if you need flocking, please give us a call.

SEEDED PAPER

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We love a challenge, so when clients have an unusual job or want to incorporate non-traditional materials into a job, we’re all in. One of the benefits of working with us is our experience in experimenting with different products and knowing the right suppliers. We’re used to doing a lot of experimentation for different projects!

Seeded Paper

Seeded Paper

When a client wanted to use Seeded Paper for a die creased 4pg stringed tag, we directed them to the best Seeded Paper suppliers for this specific job. We experimented with 8 stocks and only 1 ended up working. Another job required experimentation because we needed to guillotine square Seeded Paper cards and automatically tip them onto a carrier.

 

 

We do not sell Seeded Paper, but we can direct you to specific suppliers. Some Seeded Paper is extremely textured because of the size and type of seeds used. Other Seeded Paper options are much smoother. Seeded Paper can be either is very stiff or flexible. Depending on the application, there are various degrees of difficulty in using Seeded Paper.

Button & Tie Closures

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The product featured in this email is called a Button and Tie or Button and String Closure. This type of closure is often seen on inter-office envelopes, but that’s not the only application.

Button and Tie Closures are not just for envelopes. Every year, we produce over 1 million eyelets, many of which are used to add Button and Tie Closures to products like books, boxes, brochures and portfolios.

Button & Tie Closures

Button & Tie Closures

Using a combination of several die cutting machines and 17 eyeletting machines, we produce Button and Tie Closures in quantities ranging from 100 to 100,000+! Our huge capacity allows us to produce jobs more quickly, providing our customers with faster deliveries.

Button & Tie Closures

Our plant is fully equipped to do all the Button and Tie operations automatically – cutting the string to length, die cutting the paper circles and eyeletting.

PLASTIC MAPS

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Everyone has seen a folded paper road or trail map, but have you ever picked up a folded plastic road or trail map? This email features a new product we now offer you: finishing and folding plastic! We are one of the handful of binderies that can efficiently fold any quantity of map, in sizes up to 44” x 74”, printed on plastic.

Plastic Maps

Plastic Maps

The above images show a plastic map with a number of accordion folds. We can do up to 12 accordion folds on our machines.

Plastic Maps

The Killarney hiking and ski map shown above is a very large finished piece, which first opens as a book (see image below).

Plastic Maps

Then, this map opens fully to a large, 44” x 74” plastic map.

You might be asking yourself, “Why plastic?” Or you might be thinking, “Finally! A map that won’t rip when it gets wet or when it’s repeatedly folded and unfolded!” Producing tear-proof, waterproof options might just be what your customer is looking for! This product is great for any product that will be used long term or a wet environment. We’re seeing a growing demand for “plastic” folded products like maps and books. There’s a need for this kind of material and now there’s the technology on the print end to produce a great consumer product.

Embroidered Covers

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Embroidered Covers

Are you looking for a new way to make your hardback/casebound book stand out? Look at what a beautifully embroidered covers can do for a book! We can produce embroidered hardback/casebound books.

Embroidered Covers

While we do not do embroidery in-house, we know what fabrics and materials work for both the bookbinding process as well as for various embroidery styles. Embroidery designs can vary in the number of levels and the amount of detail. For instance, the company that embroidered the image below uses different technology than for the picture below.

Embroidered Covers

 

Each embroidery company has different kinds of technologies. The range in technology can produce designs that can be highly detailed or very simple and with various levels (height and layering of stitches). We can produce runs of casebound/hardback books in runs from a hundred to several thousand. We’re noticing more frequent requests and use of embroidered covers, largely because the companies that do embroidery are increasingly sophisticated, automated and efficient. If your client is wanting a new idea for their book project, think about adding an Embroidered Cover!

Hexagon Box

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The brightly coloured Hexagon Box showcased here is litho-wrapped and is actually two separate pieces. The top piece nests into the bottom piece and has a flap that opens to a compartment. We produce 5-plus sided boxes in smaller quantities from a few hundred to a few thousand. We can do various sizes and configurations and all we need is a printed litho-wrap!

Hexagon Box - Anstey Book Binding Canada

Hexagon Box - Anstey Book Binding Canada

The neon pink base you see in the image above was produced automatically. The top piece nests into the bottom and acts like a lid.

Hexagon Box - Anstey Book Binding Canada

The lid and neon pink cavity you see in the image above were both produced automatically.  The majority of the finishing cost is the assembly of the five Hexagon Box components.