Once an order has been printed the flat sheets of both litho printing and digital printing jobs need to be turned into a finished product. This can be as simple as trimming to size or often a more complex process such as folding, binding or adding a speciality finish.
At Peppermint, our in house finishing department can cater for a wide range of print finishing requirements from short run digital printing to larger litho printed orders.
For some complex orders we may use specialist finishing companies that we know and trust to take the same care, pride and attention to detail as we do to deliver the perfect item.

Pagnation

Pagination is the system by which the information on a flyer, leaflet, brochure, manual or any printed item is laid out. The pagination is expressed as pp which stands for printed pages, where one printed page refers to one side of a sheet and is known as 1pp and 2 printed pages or 2pp make up 1 leaf.

1 page = 1pp or 2 pages = 2pp

4 pages = 4pp

6 pages = 6pp

8 pages = 8pp

We can provide all of the following finishing processes:

Guillotining

Our fully programmable guillotines are regularly maintained to ensure they provide clean accurate cutting in all circumstances. They enable us to trim paper at large sizes as big as B1 right down to smaller than a business card.

Guillotining

Folding

We provide a full range of folding options and in addition to the standard folding types listed below regularly produce items with bespoke folding requirements.

ALL-Folds

Brochure Binding

With various binding options available we can produce items such as brochures, catalogues and magazines as well as bound jobs with throw out sections or pockets to add versatile options to the finished item:

Saddle Stitching
This is probably the most common binding method that we use for brochures, magazines and programmes. It consists of  two wires (similar to staples) being punched through the middle of the printed sheets that ‘stitch’ them together. Saddle stitching is a very strong and cost effective binding method as the sheets can not come apart but you do need to have multiples of 4 pages in order to use this technique. Another advantage of this particular binding method is that the finished document can be opened flat out, allowing you to see the whole of the page. There are a maximum number of pages that you can saddle stitch together before the brochure becomes too thick and will not close properly. As an example, an A4 document with a 250gsm silk cover can comfortably have up to 48 pages printed on 150gsm silk, anything more than this and the document would start to fan open. The number of pages that you can have is dependent on the thickness of the paper being used.

Loop Stitching
Here the document is  stitched in a similar way to saddle stitching except that instead of the wire laying flat against the spine, the stitches protrude from the spine edge in the form of a loop. The loops then allow the document to be easily inserted and secured into a conventional ring binder. This is a very flexible method of binding your publications in that instead of having all of your product range in one brochure, you can have multiple brochures containing different products all contained in a single ring binder.  Then as each individual product range changes  you only have to print the one that changes rather than all of them.

Perfect Binding
This form of binding is suited for high pagination products which have a short shelf life.The printed sections are folded, collated into the correct pagination order and then trimmed to remove the edge with the folds to form a ‘book block’. The edges of this block are then roughened and an EVA hot melt  glue applied, the cover is then wrapped around the block  to create a bond with the text and a square backed spine. There is no restriction on the number of pages that you can bind together with perfect binding and you don’t need to stick to 4 page sections but the bond is not very strong and if you try to open out the document flat, you will effectively break the glue bond and the pages will fall out. As a consequence, this method of binding is not used very often today although it is still the most commonly used term for a bound document with a glued spine. Examples of where perfect binding can be used are for paperback novels or for telephone directories, when they existed.

Burst Binding
Burst binding is very similar to perfect binding and is produced in a similar way except that the edges of the folded sections, rather than just being roughened, actually have a series of slots or grooves cut into them.  This  allows the glue to penetrate deeper into the spine to give a much stronger bond and therefore the pages are much  less likely to fall out and you can open the document further than you can when using perfect binding. You still however, lose about 10mm of the edge of the page image into the spine of the book . This method of binding is suitable for products such as manuals or reference guides.

PUR Binding
Again this binding method is similar to perfect binding and burst binding in that a glue is used to bond the pages into the spine, this time however a PUR (polyurethane reactive) glue is used.This type of glue differs from conventional glue in that once it cures it forms a very tough, flexible, pliable bond that is resistant to temperature extremes. The page pull strength of PUR glue is more than twice that of standard glue meaning that the pages will not fall out even under heavy usage and demanding conditions and therefore this method is advised when the product will have a longer shelf life and higher pagination. PUR binding is used for catalogues, brochures and art books and the method that we tend to use at Peppermint Print.

Thread Sewing
Thread sewing is expensive but produces a strong, quality finished product. Once the printed sections are collated they are sewn through the spine with a thread that holds them all together making the resulting finished document difficult to pull apart. This method of binding should be considered for any publication that is to be kept over a long period of time and used frequently for example, text books, high end catalogues and brochures as well as for religious publications. There are certain rules as to the pagination required for this type of binding and due to the cost of this method, careful consideration should be given before requesting it. It does however allow you to open the pages flat and it also allows you to bind a high pagination document.

Loose Leaf Binding

Combe binding
This is the cheapest loose leaf binding method that uses a plastic comb to hold the pages together after they have been punched with a column of slots on the page edge that you wish to bind. The plastic combes come in a variety of sizes depending on the number of pages in the document as well as a number of colours. The final finish of the document looks more like something that has been produced internally and doesn’t hold the pages together very securely.

Spiral binding
A fun method of binding using a plastic coil that is wound down the length of the document through pre punched round holes. The plastic coils come in a variety of colours and sizes depending on the finish that you require but are available in lots of fun colours as this method of binding is most often used for products that are intended for the childrens market such as diaries or exercise books.

Wire-o-binding
For this binding method the sections will be collated, punched with square holes and bound at the required edge with a metal coiled wire. The wires come in a variety of sizes depending on the page count as well as many colours, with the most popular being silver or white. This loose leaf binding method is most commonly used for calendars, diaries and educational products as the pages lie flat when opened.

Wire-o-binding – Half Canadian (Back view)
A similar binding method to the standard wire binding but here the cover of the document wraps around the spine so that the wire is hidden when viewed from the front but is still visible from the back of the book. This gives a neater finish to the document but requires the cover artwork to include a spine. This type of binding will be used when you need a more high end finish.

Wire-o-binding – Full Canadian
This binding method is one step up again from a half Canadian bound document. Here the cover wraps completely around the wire so that it is hidden from view when the document is closed, the wire is only visible when opened. Like all wire bound documents it can be opened out flat and is a possible alternative to achieving a high end finish to a high pagination document rather than PUR binding.

Screw binding
This is a simple process whereby the leaves of the document are held together with screws or rivets. The screws or rivets can be either metal or plastic, the most popular plastic rivets are white or black and the most popular metal rivets are nickel or brass. This is typically used to bind reference books, reports, proposals and low pagination brochures. The number of pages is variable in 2pp increments but will not lie flat when open.

Velo Binding
A binding method that is most often used in the legal environment as it is very difficult to remove any pages once bound. A column of very small holes are punched along the edge of the page that you wish to bind and two thin plastic strips, (one with holes and the other with long spikes) are placed either side of the spine. The two strips are then welded together using heat to form a permanent bond but again the document will not lie flat when opened.

Additional Finishing

Scoring

Scoring and Creasing

Orders printed on heavier weight materials often require creasing or scoring before being folded to ensure a clean, accurate and professional finish. We can then either fold the item or supply it flat to save the customer space. The item can then be folded as and when needed which can save the client money.

Perforating

Perforating

When there is a need for a tear away part to a printed item, perforation provides the ideal solution. The perforated sheets can simply be torn from a book as with a raffle ticket or invoice pad.

Padding

Padding

Notebooks, receipts and delivery notes are all regularly produced as pads and the individual sheets can be glued together in a number of ways depending on the requirements.
Notepads are often used as promotional items when printed with a company logo or marketing message as they will sit on client’s desk or be given to others.

Numbering

Numbering

With many forms and business documents sequential numbering can be essential. We regularly produce items such as delivery notes, vouchers and competition flyers which feature unique codes and numbering.
Numbering can be added to an item in any position, horizontally, vertically and in as many different positions as needed.

Speciality Finishes

To make an item stand out from the competition there are many special finishes which can be used. We can advise on the most cost effective choices and provide samples to ensure you find the most suitable way to enhance your printing.

Sealing

Varnish – Seal and Spot – matt and gloss

Spot-Varnish

UV – Flood/Spot – matt and gloss

Laminating

Lamination – matt, gloss, silk, anti scruff and soft touch

Rounded-Corners

Round cornering

Hole Drilling

Foil blocking

Embossing and de-bossing

Die cutting

Re-moist gumming

Hand Finishing

Sometimes it is necessary to finish items by hand, for example when an there is no suitable machine to carry out a task. In these cases we are able to carry out the work in house or organise additional help as required. Typical hand finishing tasks can be assembly of multi part marketing packs, eyeleting or punching.

Hand-Finishing

 
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