The roll-to-perfect-bound-book system comes with a digital in-line folder and cross folder and runs at speeds of up to 180m/min.

It is connected to a Hunkeler unwinder and cutter and uses Horizon’s press stacker PSX-56 as delivery.

The books are delivered individually to a Horizon BQ470V four-clamp perfect binder, which is automatically set by Horizon’s pXnet bindery management software to take the arriving books and covers at the infeed. The completed books are conveyed automatically to the HT80 3-knife trimmer.

IFS joint managing director Bryan Godwyn said: "What sets this system apart is that it allows complex folding because of the folding machine. It was requested by customers who saw the opportunities and asked Horizon if they could make a system like this.

"The presence of the automated folding element enables far more variety in the folding, such as different sizes, formats and paginations.

"Horizon’s pXnet, jdf compatible bindery management software automatically sets the cutting section and the binding section so that the machine is set for the parameters of each individual job."

Godwyn said that the starting price was around £100,000 for the system depending on customer requirements.