For the Entwistle Group, haste is not always the best policy. Established in 1899 by the grandfather of the current owner, the Manchester-headquartered printer has had time to learn the ropes of the industry and so it knows when to push things through and when to take a more considered approach.

Unsurprising then, that the company is unperturbed by the fact its Fastbind FotoMount 42, a specialist layflat photobook binder manufactured by Finish company Maping, is not the fastest machine out there. On the contrary, managing director Jason Richards says it is this slower approach that means the binder gives what he considers the highest quality finish for photobook work available.

Launched in 2009, the machine is aimed at the high-end market from photographic studios, photo labs and professional photographers to printers servicing architects and designers – much of the work the Entwistle Group produces is in the latter category. However, it also meets the needs of digital printers, copy shops and on-demand publishers who offer premium photobooks to their customers.

Entwistle Group’s machine was supplied by UK reseller for Fastbind Ashgate Automation. The dealer says the binder was launched to provide a reasonably priced and easy-to-use solution that could produce lay-flat photo albums without losing any image in the margin.

"With other lay-flat binders there is always a loss of image but with this you can layer each page at a time," says Lewis Price, Ashgate’s Fastbind product manager. "It is not the fastest way of binding but is designed for low-volume high-value products that are worth taking the time over to get the finish right."

Entwistle’s Richards agreed, but he did not make the purchase until he had done some homework. The key concern for him was to find a product that would complement the £5m-turnover company’s Indigo presses and maintain the quality clients were used to.

"We asked around in the marketplace and got recommendations from people who said that the machine was good and that the service from Ashgate was also excellent. It sounded like the complete package," says Richards.

Impressive results
Richards then met up with Ashgate at the Focus on Imaging exhibition. He took along some samples to run on the machine and was impressed with the results. But that did not mean he didn’t look at the competition. Two other systems caught his eye, but, impressed with the versatility of the FotoMount, which can handle a range of substrates including leather and acrylic covers, he opted to stick with that machine. To complete the set up, he also bought a Fastbind BooXter staple-binding system, a Casematic H46Pro hardcover maker and a C500 creaser.

"The challenge was to equip ourselves to make whatever bespoke covers our customers wanted," he says. "The FotoMount 42 is a key part of that; it is solidly built, simple to use and highly productive. We needed a machine that would get the job right first time and this has not disappointed in that respect."

Installation of the machine was, according to Richards, very simple.

 The machine came pre-configured, so it took no time at all to set up and after just one morning’s training the machine was up and running. Since then, despite Ashgate being based a significant drive from Manchester in Oxford, Richards can find no fault with the pre- or post-sale service the company offered.

Entwistle is running the machine alongside its two HP Indigo 5000 presses to service its client base in the construction and architecture sectors, who appreciate the fact the machine can produce double-page prints with no image loss around the margins. An example of how it does this is by taking A3 printed sheets and folding them across the middle to make an A4 lay flat book so there is no image loss. Maximum book size for the machine is 470x420mm and maximum book thickness is 60mm.

According to Price, this appears to be a natural client base for the machine, with installations tending to be centred at printers producing work for architects. However, he says there are other willing recipients of the machine’s work.

"Another big market is high-end estate agents, many of our customers have been serving this market with high quality short run products," adds Price. "It is a very different market to high-street print, but we are finding more investments in the sector."

The area Entwistle had its eye on for the binder most keenly, however, was photobook work. This is a sector that has enjoyed much growth in the past few years and, realising the potential of this added-value service, Entwistle Group decided to set up their own photobook website using customised Fotopix software, through which it is targeting professional photographers who use the company’s print and finishing services.

"Photobooks and high-quality digitally printed presentations with customised covers were a natural extension for our customer base. We put a toe in this market two years ago when we bought a competitive photobook maker, but soon realised that our customers wanted a range of bespoke covers," says Richards. "We were limited by only being able to produce fixed formats in three spine widths. Consequently, we outsourced more and more jobs with paper on board covers and were dependent on third-party finishers to turn the work around to meet our deadlines."

Competitive market
The FotoMount investment solved that problem, but while Entwistle has performed well over the past few years despite the headwinds of the recession, business in the photobook market has proved tougher than expected. The market has certainly added to the bottom line, but it was not the revolution that was hoped for.

"We thought that if we bought the software and equipment and set up a website, we would be inundated, but it is a competitive market and difficult to make significant ground. Instead, we moved back to a more retail-focused presence and offer the service now more as a very successful add-on," explains Richards.

So, although photobooks remain an important aspect of the binder’s work, it is now also used to finish a range of products including school books, slip cases, folders and ring binders to name a few.

"We are winning new jobs from our existing customer base who realise the benefits of adding impact to their presentations, tender bids, etc, by using professionally bound customised paper on board covers," says Richards.

Entwistle opted for the manual version of the FotoMount, but Richards says that if volumes increase significantly, it might upgrade to the automated 46E model.

Richards has been involved in the firm for 27 years and has witnessed its development from graphics supplies and art materials through to the early days of digital print and beyond. He sees the market has changed significantly and that products such as the FotoMount are now integral to the market as they enable added value services that help a business stand out.

"Today, we are more fixers than printers," he says. "Everyone is working towards tighter and tighter timescales and we have to deliver a product that will look different and make a difference to our clients’ business. The investment in the FotoMount 42 has enabled us to do that."

SPECIFICATIONS
Max print size (wxl)
426x946mm
Min album size (wxl)
50x50mm
Max album size (wxl)
With extension table: 470x420mm
Without extension table: 310x420mm
Max binding thickness
60mm
Machine size (wxl)
With extension table: 540x790x320mm
Without extension table: 540x610x320mm
Price £2,375
Contact
Ashgate Automation
01865 891904

COMPANY PROFILE
Founded in 1898, the Entwistle Group today offers a range of digital print services with a particular focus on high-end print to clients in the construction and architecture sector. The company runs two HP Indigos alongside an array of kit, including machines from the likes of Océ, Canon and Ricoh.

Why I bought it...
We invested in the Fastbind FotoMount 42 in order to boost our offering in the photobook market. We are also using it for wider purposes servicing our high end clients who demand a high quality finish on a high quality print.

How it has performed...
It has been great. It took just one morning to train up the staff on how to use it and then it was up and running. We have had no problems with it since we started running it.