The device, which was installed at the Edinburgh-based firm’s premises in November, cost £8,500. It has replaced a Fastbind Elite XT table-top perfect binder, which the company had used for the past three years and has part exchanged with Ashgate.
The compact table-top binder produces both soft- and hard-cover bindings, using a choice of standard EVA or PUR interchangeable hotmelt cartridges depending upon the job.
It uses an electronic adjustable temperature control with single button operation when switching between glue types.
Managing director Alun Joseph said: “Before we would accept perfect-bound orders, no problem, but we didn’t always have total confidence in the product to tell all of our clients that we had this service available.
“We were pleased enough with the Elite for most of our binding work but we did not have the PUR facility, which is preferable for some jobs.
“One particular book which we produce regularly is a 368-page hard-back book printed on 170gsm silk. We wanted to see what the Pureva could do using PUR glue on a book which is over an inch thick.
“We were impressed with the results compared to the standard EVA and when Ashgate installed and demonstrated the machine, we realised how easy and how reliable it was going to be in the future.”
The Pureva can accommodate almost any binding job up to SRA3 size or A4 landscape format and up to 45mm thick.
“From a production point of view it makes sense wherever possible to batch the PUR jobs but it only takes a couple of minutes to change cartridges and remelt the EVA glue. Typically each job ranges between one to 50 books,” said Joseph.
“The PUR glue comes in small pellets which we store in a vacuum-sealed bag. We simply take out what we need so there is virtually no wastage.
“Even when using the EVA glue, it is quicker and easier thanks to a sturdier build quality and much improved system for the roughing and gluing heads. It self-adjusts for book thickness from 1 to 1,000 pages, depending on paper stock.
“PUR is still a small part of our business but we expect it to grow quickly and for the investment to pay for itself within the first year.”
DTP also operates three Ricoh digital presses: a C751, a C901 and a C5100S, and finishing equipment from Morgana, Duplo and D&K.
The business has 13 staff and a turnover of around £1m. Printing for estate agents makes up around 85% of its work with commercial print making up the remaining 15%.
