Ashgate equipment helps expand photobook business

Words and Graphics has invested in Fastbind equipment and a Nexpress SE 3000 with dimensional ink, supplied by Ashgate Automation, for its photobook department.

Words and Graphics started looking seriously at producing short-run photobooks two years ago after reviewing an Ashgate installation with Fastbind equipment.

'Quite a few printers are now offering photobooks but I wanted to differentiate from the rest by focusing on the quality end of the market with handcrafted books, supported by a dedicated website and the software to enable professional companies to offer our photobook service under their brands,' said Robert Thirlby, managing director of Words and Graphics.

'The first step was to install the Nexpress at the end of last year and the Ashgate Fastbind equipment followed a couple of months ago,' he added.

Words and Graphics bought the Fastbind Casematic H46 Pro casemaker with the semi-automatic Fotomount F46e lay-flat photobook maker, a Booxter Duo, staple-bind photobook maker, Elite XT perfect binder and a GBC desktop laminator from Ashgate.

Thirlby said: 'We want to be able to produce photobooks of varying sizes, which is why we specified the large-format binders.

'We are also selecting a range of linen and leather options for handcrafted covers.

'The Fastbind equipment gives us the flexibility to satisfy different applications at different price points from the top of the range Casematic for hardback printed and handcrafted books, to the Booxter stapled books and the Fotomount lay-flat books.

'The Booxter uses a stapling system that is hidden by a foam cushion along the stapled edge of the sheet to bind all types of stock very securely.

'It is ideal for thinner books up to 8mm spine thickness.

'The Fotomount F46e is popular for wedding albums with its lay flat, edge-to-edge style.

'It builds the page block by inserting a self-adhesive card mount sheet between each folded spread.

'The Fastbind Mountinglift device controls the accuracy of the page block during its assembly,' he added.

Ashgate Automnation was accommodating in delaying the delivery of the new equipment so that Words and Graphics could complete the refurbishment of the new department.

Lewis Price, Fastbind's product manager, provided a two-day training course.

Thirlby said: 'One of our clients in the motor industry wanted 25 copies of an important presentation, which were initially thought to have soft, wiro bound covers.

'But when Words and Graphics suggested hardback printed and laminated covers, the job was printed on the Nexpress machine, perfect bound on the Elite binder and finished with hardback covers using the Fastbind Casematic system.

'This type of quality finish was the main reason why we bought the Fastbind equipment,' he added.

The Words and Graphics website is also about to go live to help drive the photobook production venture forward.

Thirlby said: 'The web-driven service has got to have impact, choice, be easy to use and the software needs to be encrypted so that customers have to come to us to have the photobooks produced, which is why we have spent a lot of time testing it.

'The Ashgate equipment will allow us to produce at least 1,000 photobooks a week, so we have plenty of capacity.

'We are also looking at running a website for photobased coasters, calendars and greeting cards, for example,' he added.

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