Muller Martini at drupa 2012

Muller Martini Prepares for drupa 2012

Muller Martini to present the world premiere of solutions for a changing market under the motto “one world – one drupa” at the leading print and media industry tradeshow held from May 3rd - 16th in Dusseldorf.

At its 22,000-plus square-foot booth, Muller Martini will showcase ten machines representing all of its business divisions: variable size web-offset printing presses, saddle stitchers, perfect binders, hardcover systems, newspaper mailroom systems, as well as systems for modern digital book production.  With hybrid solutions for digital finishing, Muller Martini is focusing on smart process solutions for existing and new markets.

Commented Bruno Muller, CEO of Muller Martini, “Developing exciting new technologies for the digital market, as well as continuing to offer innovative, automated solutions within the traditional book binding space, are integral to our customers’ success – and to our own.  But equally important is Muller’s commitment to the life cycle management of the machines and technology we’ve already developed.  Our customers can depend on us for that as well.”

With solutions from Muller Martini, printing houses and finishing companies can position themselves successfully in a changing market environment and stand out from their competition with a new flexibility and efficiency.  Highest standards of quality, state-of-the-art technology, process automation and intelligent networking are the main elements that Muller Martini will be presenting at drupa 2012 in Hall 14, Booth C21.

ABOUT MULLER MARTINI

Muller Martini (www.mullermartiniusa.com) is the world’s largest producer of print finishing solutions for commercial and book printers, trade binderies, newspapers, and digital book manufacturers. They are also the world’s leading manufacturer of variable size web offset presses. Muller’s innovative workflow solutions optimize processing efficiencies, while helping to build new revenue streams. With U.S. headquarters in Hauppauge, New York, Muller’s sales and support team provides training and responsive service to printers and binderies nationwide.

What Apple Is Wading Into: A Snapshot Of The K-12 Textbook Business | paidContent

Photo: Flickr / flickingerbrad

What Apple Is Wading Into: A Snapshot Of The K-12 Textbook Business | paidContent:

Here's a great article on the economics of the textbook business model from Laura Hazard Owen at paidcontent.org.

There is tremendous opportunity, but significant barriers as well.

Germany Goes Out of Print as Manroland Files for Insolvency - Bloomberg

From Bloomberg.com

Manroland’s collapse highlights the threat to manufacturers as banks curtail financing of machinery that sells mainly to small and mid-sized customers. Manroland, whose machines typically cost more than $1 million, became the country’s largest corporate failure in two years, denting Germany’s resilience to the European debt crisis.
“Normally the next investment would be this year, but due to the crisis I am afraid to do it,” said Claude Vandevelde, who owns a business printing brochure, poster and packaging business in Kruishoutem,Belgium. “Going to the bank and asking for so much money is not so easy anymore.”

Read the whole thing here

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS ANNOUNCES “COMPREHENSIVE BACKLIST” PROMOTION FOR PHYSICAL BOOKSTORES USING THE ESPRESSO BOOK MACHINE

Today's press release from Harper Collins highlights the push publishers are making to assure that their content is available everywhere, anytime in paper format.

"The ability to have available any book that our customers could possibly ask for is key to our vision of how to thrive in this challenging environment," said Jeffrey Mayersohn, Owner of Harvard Bookstore. "The HarperCollins partnership with On Demand Books brings us much closer to realizing that vision. This is great news for independent bookstores everywhere.""With HarperCollins making their titles available for the Espresso BookMachine, the original vision and full potential of the machine will begin to be realized. Thousands more titles will be directly available to my customers, and we will capture many, many sales which are currently lost," said Chris Morrow, Owner of Northshire Bookstore. "I hope other publishers see the potential of this sales channel and get on board. This can be a key element in the development of the bookstore of the future."

The printed book still offers value over and above the growing array of digital offerings of the same content.

Here's the video of the Expresso in operation

Muller Martini Sigma Trimming Center

The Muller Martini Sigma Trimming Center made its World debut two weeks ago at GraphExpo.  This device's unique trimming method provides for true one-off trimming in a medium to high volume production environment.

Here's a video of the demonstration from the show.

GraphExpo 2011

If you couldn't make it to the Muller Martini booth at GraphExpo this year, here is the link to their YouTube channel with video highlights of equipment displayed at the show.

Muller Martini put on an impressive display of their newest products tailored for the rapidly emerging digital inkjet web technologies.  Wider webs, faster speeds, and improved color fidelity will require more productive finishing solutions to keep up with these developments.

Drupa here we come!

Shown here is a clip of the Primera Digital stitching books from HP and Kodak preprinted rolls.

Muller Martini’s fully-automated SigmaTrimmer

Muller Martini’s fully-automated SigmaTrimmer delivers commercial quality book trimming for the digital market

Graph Expo visitors to Booth #845 can “Connect with MM Digital” during the live demonstrations of this “Must See ‘Em” nominee.
Muller Martini’s SigmaTrimmer technology is designed for the finishing of both offset- and digitally-produced books in a one-off, short-, or large-run workflow.  It is the only fully-automated, true one-off 3-knife trimmer available in today’s market.  This ultra-efficient digital book trimming system also boasts zero makeready for optimal one-off book production.
Visitors to Muller Martini’s Booth #845 will experience a variety of the SigmaTrimmer’s powerful capabilities and features, including:

• Industry-first zero makeready delivers true 1,000 fully variable books per hour.
• Infinite trim variability within the machine specifications easily accommodates non-standard trim sizes.
• Barcode technology enables real-time error-free data input and machine set-up, minimizing production delays.
• A fixed-position knife station design with limited moving parts helps eliminate wear and provides high-end commercial trim quality.

Bindery professionals whose books are currently being trimmed on multiple inline trimmers, nearline trimmers or flatbed cutters should take special notice.  This inefficient workflow can be consolidated and efficiently processed through one SigmaTrimmer work center without any additional production planning effort and with considerable labor savings.  Bound, untrimmed books of varying sizes and thickness can be fed into the SigmaTrimmer continuously without stopping to change parts or key in any data.
The SigmaTrimmer is part of Muller Martini’s fully scalable SigmaLine technology, the world’s first commercial-quality and totally modular digital book manufacturing system.  Scalable SigmaLine was honored with a “Must See ‘Em” award at last year’s Graph Expo. This year, the stand-alone SigmaTrimmer has been nominated for the same award.
Graph Expo takes place September 11-14, 2011 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.  Muller Martini engineers and experts will be on hand in Booth #845 to provide insight and ideas about how Muller’s innovative technology can help printers and binderies “Connect with MM Digital” and grow their businesses.

Muller Martini’s SigmaTrimmer delivers commercial quality book trimming for the digital market.

ABOUT MULLER MARTINI
Muller Martini (www.mullermartiniusa.com) is the world’s largest producer of print finishing solutions for commercial and book printers, trade binderies, newspapers, and digital book manufacturers.  They are also the world’s leading manufacturer of variable size web offset presses.  Muller’s innovative workflow solutions optimize processing efficiencies, while helping to build new revenue streams.  With U.S. headquarters in Hauppauge, New York, Muller’s sales and support team provides training and responsive service to printers and binderies nationwide.

Quotes from Steve Jobs

There will be acres of words written about Steve Jobs.  All I can say is Thank You.



While not an obituary, this is a passing.  Steve Jobs is stepping down as CEO of Apple.  You may have heard of the company.  His accomplishments are many, and he will be recognized as one of the most influential figures of the baby boom generation.  For me, he is the stubborn man that overruled his design team and insisted his new music player have no buttons.  The design team got one. Thus was the ipod born.  If you need proof that one man and his vision can change the world, look no further than Steve Jobs.

Here are some of his quotes collected by Jennifer Valentio-DeVries on the Digits blog at WSJ.com.  Some selections here:

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]

“The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste. And I don’t mean that in a small way, I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don’t think of original ideas, and they don’t bring much culture into their products.”

“I am saddened, not by Microsoft’s success — I have no problem with their success. They’ve earned their success, for the most part. I have a problem with the fact that they just make really third-rate products.” [Triumph of the Nerds, 1996]

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

Printing is a Green Sustainable Technology

Despite the constant drumbeat that print is a wasteful, planet destroying technology, the facts are that printing and paper manufacturing are supported by the maintenance and expansions of forests that could otherwise be lost to other forms of development.

Finally, industry heavyweights are getting serious about countering the negative narratives regarding print technology.  International Paper is making a major push to elevate the benefits of paper manufacture for reforestation, paper recycling and "green" manufacturing techniques.  "Save a forest - Print Your Emails" is but one example of the new narrative.

A similar effort is being made by IP's paper distribution subsidiary Xpedx with a recent press release focusing on their recycling and waste reduction efforts.

Local and regional trade associations are also picking up with banner to promote printed media.  Printing Industries of Georgia hosts Rediscoverprint.com to highlight the utility of print for memorable communications.

Check them out below:






Rediscoverprint.com

Amazon Extends its Reach Into the Publishers' Space

The lines between printing, publishing, and distribution continue to blur.

Here's a good article from the New York Times outlining Amazon's efforts to increase their role as a publisher.
  

"Amazon has been publishing books for several years, but its efforts went up several notches in visibility when it brought in the longtime New York editor and agent Laurence Kirshbaum three months ago as head of Amazon Publishing. “I hope we can do some exciting, innovative things,” Mr. Kirshbaum said on Tuesday. “But I don’t want to overpromise.”

Or get his friends in the business worried. “Our success will only help the rest of publishing,” he said.

Traditional publishers do not necessarily believe that. Some are downright nervous about the intentions of Amazon, with its deep pockets and a unparalleled distribution system into tens of millions of living rooms and onto electronic devices.

Read the whole thing here