Under the theme “The World Loves Books” Horizon International will showcase 13,000 square feet of highly automated post press solutions at Drupa 2012 in Dusseldorf, Germany.  With headquarters in Kyoto, Japan, Horizon has 550 employees and operates the largest facility in the world devoted to manufacturing folders, binders, collators, stitchers and cutters.

The World Loves Books

The digital media revolution continues to spark innovations, but Horizon believes that the paper book will enjoy a long and prosperous future alongside e-books.  One can even argue that the digital revolution has elevated the value of the printed book by making it less of a commodity. Today books are printed on demand when they are needed, or more importantly when they are “wanted”.  

“As the paradigm changes and e-books become the commodity, the value of the printed book will grow,” says David Reny, Executive Vice President, Standard Finishing Systems, Horizon’s exclusive North American distributor.  “Together with Horizon, we are committed to providing the highest quality equipment to efficiently produce books as and when they are needed.  Paper books will remain an important part of our lives, our history and our future.”

The Horizon booth will also focus on finishing from the point of job creation, to ensure efficiency through each step of production, cut down on waste, minimize touch points and increase profitability.  Two daily live presentations will illustrate the point of super-efficient finishing for both conventional offset and digitally printed product.

Flexible Binding Solution Presentation

Many printers are transitioning some of their book production from offset to digital, creating a need to efficiently bind books that have been imaged on both print platforms. The new Horizon Flexible Binding System produces short-run offset or digitally printed books in a relatively small footprint with the quick changeovers needed for short-runs.  The CABS 4000S Perfect Binding System will be shown with conventional signature gathering stations for offset-printed signatures, but will also accept direct input from a digitally pre-printed roll that will be unwound, cut, signature-folded and accumulated into book blocks to flow through the same system.  A live demonstration will feature three different format books being produced from both offset and digital print.

Digital Finishing Solutions Presentations

Two highly versatile digital finishing systems will be featured in the Digital Finishing Theater.  The Horizon StitchLiner 6000 Digital will produce saddlestitched books from a pre-printed roll and cut sheets.  A “Smart Book” solution will show a pre-printed roll converted to book blocks for perfect binding, featuring the new HT-1000V Variable Three-knife Trimmer, book block and cover matching, and a digitally managed workflow including Screen’s EQUIOS and the Horizon pXnet system.  The presentations include Hunkeler unwinders and cutters, and printed products from partners Komori, Océ, and Screen.  These presentations will be shown 4 times a day.

Partnerships Take Center Stage

A broad range of Horizon equipment will be shown in 6 different partner booths throughout the halls at Drupa.  The Horizon StitchLiner 6000 Digital Roll-to-Saddlestitch solution will be demonstrated in the Komori, Océ, and Xerox booths, and the ColorWorks 8000 in-line Bookletmaker will be shown by Xerox.  The new BQ-270V Variable Perfect Binder will be featured in the Océ and Tokyo Kikai booths, and the BQ-470 4-clamp Perfect Binder will be shown in the HP booth with the HT-30C Three-side Trimmer.   

In the Screen booth a Standard Hunkeler UW6 will unwind a pre-printed paper roll which will then be sheeted in the CS6 rotary cutter and signature folded in the Horizon AF-566F Digital folder.  Individual signatures are then accumulated and pressed into book blocks in the intelligent PSX-56 stacker, before being delivered to a Horizon perfect binder for book production.          

The new Horizon SmartStacker will premier in the HP booth as a technology demonstration, paired with the new HP Indigo 10000 B2 size press.  The in-line or off-line SmartStacker converts a B2 size / 20” x 29” sheet into up to 28 individual cut sheets, with intelligent accumulation and stacking, and end-to-end JDF control. The sheets can also be conveyed for in-line finishing, for example saddlestitching or perfect binding.  The system performs up to 7 double-slits in one direct and four in the other.  The new SmartStacker process is designed to minimize material handling, with fewer touchpoints, lower labor costs, fewer mistakes because of the JDF workflow, faster turnaround time, and improved document integrity. Most important, it lets you efficiently produce more jobs per shift, which equates to higher printing and finishing profits.

Several World Premieres at Drupa

Horizon will introduce several other products in their booth at Drupa. The HT-1000V Variable Three-knife Trimmer is capable of one-to-one variable trimming, in-line or off-line.  Setup and variable trimming is achieved by reading a barcode printed on a cover sheet, and it can trim up to 1000 variable-thickness and format size books per hour.  The HT-1000V will accept a wide range of input sizes and deliver trimmed books from 5.7” x 4.05” up to 13.38” x 11.69”.

Horizon’s best selling automated folder - the AFC-566FG - has been improved with exciting new features including folder set-up to a register mark position, allowing registration to print as opposed to traditional sheet size and fold panel setting.  Multiple panel folds can be balanced on a sheet by entering a single measurement, versus entering a separate value for each fold.  And, the folder will now automatically notify the operator of scheduled preventative maintenance that is required to maximize up time and optimize performance. 

The new AFC-762KLS is a dedicated signature folder with an integrated banding unit and a space-saving design.  The small foot print is achieved by using two buckle plates and two folding knives instead of cross folding sections, and the banding unit is situated below the last fold station.  The system features accurate knife folding, and high productivity is assured because the folder does not pause to push-out signatures for banding. 

The new CRF-362 Creaser/Folder has been designed to handle the unique requirements of creasing and folding of digital color output across a wide range of light and heavy weight stocks, coated or uncoated.  The impact scoring eliminates or minimizes cracking of the stock or printed image.  The CRF-362 comes configured with seven selectable fold patterns and six selectable cover creasing patterns for perfect binding. Jobs can be saved to job memory, and up to 10 creases can be placed on a sheet. Paper weights up to 400 gsm can be creased without folding (350 gsm with folding), and it can handle sheets up to 14.33” x 34”.

The HOF-400 is the latest in Horizon’s line of versatile sheet feeders. The HOF-400 can be connected to the SPF-200 Series Bookletmaker and the StitchLiner 5500 for saddlestitching of digitally printed output at speeds up to 45,000 sheets per hour.  The modular system can be configured to fit various customer requirements.  Variable page count production is possible with the standard mark reader, which the operator can quickly change between top and bottom reading for different applications.  The HOF-400 can accommodate a maximum sheet size of 14” x 24 “ to produce landscape format booklets in-line with the new SPF-200L Landscape Bookletmaker, another machine that will premier at Drupa.  This configuration will be ideal for producing landscape brochures or calendars.

Horizon bookletmaking systems now support more diverse printed formats than ever before, with a new entry-level near-line solution designed especially for cut-sheet digital color.  The new Horizon SF-100 Sheet Feeder was designed to operate in-line with the compact, multi-functional Standard Horizon ColorWorks finisher.  The system feeds pre-collated color (or black-and-white) output from any cut-sheet digital printer, creases and bleed trims each sheet, then stitches, folds, face trims and stacks for highly efficient near-line bookletmaking with edge-to-edge color.

Drupa attendees are invited to arrange a private equipment demonstration tailored to their application requirements by pre-registering for the Standard VIP Program at http://www.sdmc.com/drupa2012

Standard Finishing Systems is based in Andover, Massachusetts and celebrated “100 Years of Finishing Strong” in 2010. A leading supplier of print finishing systems, paper handling equipment, mailroom and reprographic products, Standard utilizes a network of independent dealers and a direct sales force in the United States and Canada. For more information, call 877-404-4460. Or, visit the Standard website at http://www.standardfinishing.com.