FOLDER-GLUER Update
American Printer

Now more user-friendly and versatile, the new generation of folder-gluers still demand that you do your homework for the best fit

A commercial printer's decision to invest in folding-gluing equipment is often rooted in the desire to take complete control of the printed product.

"Commercial printers are saying, 'If I'm printing enough of this work, why don't I bring its finishing in house, where I can control delivery, quality and keep the profits to myself?" explains Luis Campos, sales and marketing manager at Dick Moll & Sons (Warminster, PA). Campos says commercial printers comprise 35 percent of the bindery equipment manufacturer's clients, and that percentage is increasing every year.

Some commercial printers evolve toward a folder-gluer investment, purchasing finishing equipment in steps until they reach this area of production. "Once you begin to diecut, it makes sense to glue. One thing always leads into the next. A lot of printers are still at the folding and stitching stage-we're at the diecutting and gluing stage," notes Joe Corvino, director of finishing at L.P. Thebault Co. (Parsippany, NJ), a commercial printer that specializes in annual reports. The printer's bindery already contains saddlestitchers, folders, guillotine cutters and diecutters. L.P. Thebault invested in a Dick Moll & Sons' Regal pocket folder-gluer two years ago after examining the volume of finished products it was outsourcing.

Other printers understand the potential of an expanded product line, with the most popular applications being presentation folders, CD sleeves and even some carton work. "We wanted the ability to offer new products in a wider range where there were growth opportunities," explains Jeff Taylor, vice president of manufacturing at Hemlock Printers Ltd., a full-service commercial printer in Burnaby, British Columbia.