P Chellappan with the Horizon APC 610 Programmable Paper Cutter
Chennai’s PM Digital Products, headed by P Chellappan, has recently invested in and installed binding and cutting machines from Horizon. The first machine is the BQ-270V perfect book binder, which is a fully automatic binder suited even for single copy binding. It is an ideal choice for on-demand book printing and can bind about 500 books an hour. The other machine is a Horizon APC-610, which is a programmable hydraulic paper cutter.
As per Chellappan, both these machines are expected to increase PM Digital’s finishing capacity as well as reduce finishing times, thus saving on time as well as costs.
The BQ-270V offers high-quality production perfect binding with fully automated operation, push-button simplicity, and on-demand production of books with variable thickness. The binder features an automated, sensor-activated digital caliper system which consistently measures book block thickness and automatically transfers this data to the binder for quick, automated set-up with no cycle lag time for books of different thicknesses. The machine has been designed to meet the needs of the short-run, print-on-demand book market.
Horizon BQ-270V
With a capacity for producing up to 500 books an hour, the BQ-270V offers automatic air-suction cover feeding with in-line scoring, a large 10.4-inch intelligent color touchscreen, job programming, and a compact configuration.
The APC-610 is a top-of-the-line hydraulic paper cutter that offers an extremely accurate cutting quality. Featuring advanced set-up automation, the paper cutter has a programmable 5-inch icon-based touchscreen that displays all settings including sheet rotating direction. The APC-610 can store up to 99 steps and 200 jobs in the memory. The highly polished, chrome-plated work table virtually eliminates paper marking and provides a smooth, friction-free surface for lift travel. A high-performance back gauge screw and precision-forged linear raceway accurately positions the lift. A 2-speed motor system precisely positions the back gauge and ensures maximum cutting accuracy. It offers a maximum cutting width of 24 inches, a cutting height of 3.93 inches, and a maximum cutting depth of 24.4 inches, with the minimum being 0.98 inch.
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
