Immediate Release: KBR Graphics Canada, a major supplier of printing equipment throughout Ontario and Quebec, has installed a new Standard/Horizon BQ-470 PUR perfect binder at Quadriscan, a Montreal full-service commercial and book printer. The perfect binder was installed in June 2011.
 
“The new BQ-470 perfect binder with PUR (polyurethane reactivate adhesive) offers the best size, quality, and turnaround for our customers,” says Roger Blanchette, president of Quadriscan. “We used to send the work out before but now we can keep it under our own roof, ensure high quality, and provide faster turnaround for our customers. We are able to streamline production for shorter runs to meet and often exceed client deadlines. We’re very proud of our excellent products and our customers love the new machine and the binding process.”
 
The Standard/Horizon BQ-470 fully-automated four-clamp perfect binder, with its state-of-the-art design and fully-automated setup, is easy to operate with minimal operator training required. It produces up to 1,350 superior-quality perfect bound books per hour, with four clamps that travel on a vertical elliptical track. The BQ-470 is the latest in an expanding line of products that draw on Standard/Horizon’s core competence in finishing automation. The BQ-470 binder’s 10.4-inch LCD touch-screen is used to provide stepper motor-controlled automation. The BQ-470 can bind books up to 2.5-inches thick and its interchangeable glue tanks support both EVA and PUR adhesives.
 
“Our new binder offers two huge advantages,” says Blanchette. “One is the perfect binding system that customers prefer for look and longevity. Customers cite its classic, professional look; its versatility; its visual appeal; and durability.  The second advantage is the newer PUR adhesive that customers prefer for its lay-flat ability and its durability. PUR dries by absorption; moisture from the paper stock and the surrounding air aid in setting the adhesive. PUR adhesives set faster and require less backbone preparation but cost a little more than other glues.”
 
Blanchette believes that the PUR adhesive feature on the BQ-470 will drive additional customers to his business. “The PUR system is the best,” he says. “Customers will see it and adopt it. Sometimes it takes longer for our high-end customers to switch to a new bookbinding capability. They need to analyze and weigh its attributes and determine how it will exceed their expectations. It takes six months or so for them to test it in the field and to conclude that it is perfect for their product and to move to that technology. Libraries are especially conservative. They don’t move quickly to new technology but they know quality. They are discovering the positive attributes of perfect binding and PUR.”
 
While most of Quadriscan’s work is produced for the Montreal vicinity, the firm’s reach has spread to France where it is supplying perfect bound books to the French-speaking African nations. “We work for a book publisher in France that supplies books to many French-speaking countries such as Mali, Madagascar, Côte d'Ivoire, Chad, Cameroon, and Congo,” says Blanchette. “Adding the BQ-470 with PUR aids our efforts in producing these important books for the local centers to continue usage of the French language. Having PUR adhesive will ensure that the book binding is maintained and does not crack or melt in the diverse climate and weather conditions in Africa—from dry to humid, cold, and hot. ”
 
One of Quadriscan’s specialties is the one-of-a-kind high-end table-top photo books that require high quality printing and binding. These limited run books are produced in quantities as small as one to a hundred. Blanchette had studied the larger perfect bound machines but decided that it was too big for Quadriscan’s needs. Smaller perfect bound machines on the market were manual rather than automatic and did not offer high quality.
 
“When Standard/Horizon introduced the BQ-470 with PUR, it was the perfect size for our short-run specialized production,” says Blanchette. “It was easy for us to adapt to the new machine. Our bindery employees were already used to a similar Standard/Horizon machine with comparable software. It wasn’t hard for them to get used to it. We had three days of training and we were up and running.”
 
Blanchette was equally pleased with his relationship with KBR Graphics who sold him the Standard/Horizon BQ-470 with PUR. “They did a great job in helping us to purchase and install our perfect binder,” he says. “We were challenged early on in producing a small 20-page book that we thought we would need to stitch and not be able to perfect bind it. KBR Graphics stayed right with us, helping us through the challenge, and, in the end, the customer was completely surprised and satisfied that we could produce a beautiful thin perfect bound book for them.”
 
“Since the start of our company in 1991, our goals have always been the same: to provide our customers with exceptional quality and offer innovative products at competitive prices,” says Blanchette. “We always strive to become experts and industry leaders in all areas in which we work. Our new Standard/Horizon BQ-470 with PUR is the newest key to ensure that we maintain this goal.”