When a Single Copy is Enough Automation for a run of one
Integrated Book Technology, Inc., known as ,
is a world leader and pioneer in providing complete, full-service
digital book manufacturing services. Serving more than 250 publishers
around the world including more than 40 university presses, the company
has made a name for itself producing short runs of scientific,
technical, medical and professional books, scholarly monographs and
elementary, high school and college textbooks quickly and
cost-effectively. Now, IBT Global has teamed with Books International,
Inc. a global book distributor, to launch a burgeoning print-on-demand
operation that prints books to order in quantities as small as one and
as large as several hundred.
Installed in December 2008, the
IBT production line comprises an Océ VarioPrint® 6250 digital duplex
cut-sheet printer to print book pages, a CEM DocuConverter to
split/merge the pages into book blocks, and an Océ CS650 Pro color
system to print color covers. A CP Bourg perfect binder marries book
blocks with perfect-bound covers. A Challenge three-knife trimmer trims
the book blocks, while a GP Squared semi-automatic case binder helps
produce hardcover books. Océ PRISMAproduction® software imposes files
and enables a smooth, efficient workflow. "We worked with Océ to
develop a solution combining a fast, powerful print engine and the
post-processing equipment we needed to build a complete print-on-demand
book line," relates IBT Global Chief Technology Officer, William
Clockel. "Océ architected the solution, assembled the vendors, and put
all the pieces together for us.
When we receive an order for multiple titles with different trim sizes
and stocks, we can print the books one right after another to keep the
order together," explains IBT Director of Technology, Stephen Pratt. "Instead of picking and packing, we print and
manufacture to order. This saves time and money because publishers are
paid as books are manufactured, which reduces costs and risk and
improves cash flow and profit margins.
The IBT Global
operation runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, printing an average
of 200,000 to 250,000 pages or 700 book units per day. Powered by Océ
Gemini Instant Duplex technology, the Océ VarioPrint 6250 system
features a speed of 250 duplex prints per minute, eight trays that
support different types and grades of paper and a monthly duty cycle of eight million impressions. In addition, operators benefit from features
like an intuitive graphical user interface, simple paper and toner
changes, and advanced ergonomics, which reduce operator maintenance to
an industry-leading minimum.
"As schools and colleges purchase
fewer books, publishers no longer have to print more books than they
need or maintain costly inventories of books that sit on shelves
unsold," says Mal Baboyian, President, Production Printing Systems, Océ
North America. The combination of speed, quality and input capacity
makes the Océ VarioPrint 6250 system an ideal solution for book
printers like IBT Global who are looking to print books on demand in
quantities as small as one."
About Océ
Océ
is a leading international provider of digital document management
technology and services. The companys solutions are based on Océs
advanced software applications that deliver documents and data over
internal networks and the Internet to printing devices and archives --
locally and around the world. Supporting the workflow solutions are Océ
digital printers and scanners, considered the most reliable and
productive in the world. Océ also offers a wide range of display
graphics, consulting and outsourcing solutions. Océ employs around
23,000 people, with 2008 revenues of approximately $4.3 billion,
operates in more than 90 countries and maintains research and
manufacturing centers in the Netherlands, the United States, Canada,
Germany, France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Romania and Singapore.
Océ North America is headquartered in Trumbull, CT, with additional
business units in Chicago, IL; New York City; Boca Raton, FL; Salt Lake
City, UT and Vancouver, BC. North American revenues represented
approximately half of Océs worldwide business in 2008, and employment
is approximately 10,000. For more information about Océ, visit . Outside the U.S., consult .
