Customized Travel Brochures with Runs of One are Produced Automatically

Located in Lowell, Massachusetts, DS Graphics specializes in digital strategies and integrated marketing solutions, including customized, digitally printed travel brochures with runs of one. Recently, the company shifted from manual production to a new Muller Martini Primera Digital saddle stitcher equipped with a flat pile feeder and a proprietary, highly efficient barcode system.

One of their customers is a leading supplier of small-group package holidays for those travelling to Europe, South America, Asia and Australia. Visitors go to their website and enter a preferred travel destination. What results is a customized and unique "My Catalog" travel brochure which enables the supplier to communicate even more effectively with prospects.

Previously, the distribution of these brochures (which are printed using a digital sheet-fed press) was performed manually and was resource-intensive. Thus, DS Graphics switched not only to producing the brochures fully automatically, but also to preparing them for distribution in the same manner. They installed Muller Martini's Primera Digital saddle stitcher for that purpose. The saddle stitcher is equipped with a flat pile feeder, a pocket-folding unit and an MBO processing folder.

DS Graphics produces the travel brochures, which have the address of the recipient on the back page, at staggered intervals in a bundle, rather than daily. Muller's proprietary ASIR3 signature recognition system not only simplifies production and ensures cover/content match (variable data production), but also provides for the routed preparation of the bundles in the compensating stacker (variable bundle production). The barcode that is printed on every signature and cover contains a product ID, a copy ID (which ensures the correct sequence of the signatures) and a bundle ID (for stacking). DS Graphics then delivers the customized products, which have been optimally sorted by the various mailing routes, on pallets to customers.

Thanks to this "world premiere" Primera Digital solution (which was previously only available for the Presto II Digital saddle stitcher), DS Graphics can also produce products with runs of one efficiently and with massive timesavings compared to their previous manual solution. The Primera Digital, which is equipped with six flat pile feeders, the new 0507 cover feeder and the Robusto compensating stacker, is also a hybrid solution that can be used for the stitching of conventionally printed products as the majority of products at DS Graphics continue to be conventional, commercial products that are offset printed.