(July 07, 2008) USA printer Bethany Press in Bloomington, MN, has used its new Autobond Mini 74 THS to create what was surely one of the most impressive items of print displayed on a stand at Drupa.  Using its five-colour Komori Lithrone 28, the company printed a four-colour image on Kalima C1S 10 pt. cover stock, then applied a TransilWrap nylon layflat 8500 gloss film on the Autobond Mini 74 before putting the card back through an Akiyama HA-432 to print Autobond matt etch varnish on top of the lamination.
 
“The result was fantastic,” says Autobond’s president John Gilmore.  “We asked Bethany Press if it would design and print the job for us because we have a strong partnership with them.  The company is a high quality book printer, which recently acquired the Mini 74 THS laminator, but for many years it has used our matt etch varnish to print over lamination.  We took hundreds of the cards to Drupa and virtually everyone who walked on our stand picked one up and commented on the stunning effect.  It was extremely eye-catching.”
 
Bethany Press needed to increase its in-house laminating capacity, and after examining what was on the market the company decided upon an Autobond Mini 74 THS, a thermal laminator with a Heidelberg Speedmaster 74 feed head and equipped with a stacker.
 
“It’s a completely different laminator to our previous equipment and Autobond’s training and support has been ‘over the top’ in terms of helping us get into production quickly,” says director of manufacturing Chris Wroblewski.
 
“We produce about 25 million books per year and almost all of the covers are laminated, so the Mini 74 is put to constant use.  We have produced jobs requiring as many as one million copies, so the Mini 74’s fast running speed is extremely important.  Autobond engineering has proved itself to be very reliable, with accurate feeding and handling of cover stock resulting in a consistently high quality lamination.  The automation incorporated into the laminator ensures fast make-readies and reduced waste, which makes the Mini 74 straightforward to use, providing control of both paper and film.”
 
Minnesota based Bethany Press has been in operation since the 1950s and today employs around 100 people.  The company works exclusively with Christian publishers, ministries and authors, providing solutions for production, printing, and binding of paperback books.  Further information can be obtained from the company’s website: www.bethanypress.com