Author: Douglas Stryker

The majority of my 34-year graphic arts career has focused on post-press equipment which involved working at a large commercial printer and now for Muller Martini Corp. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you. I meet many professionals in my travels to printing plants, large and small, across the country. People ask me what’s new in saddle stitching. Saddle stitching systems have improved with automation over the years but in baby steps compared to the pressroom. This automation I am referring to deals with Make-Readies (MR). Depending on the vintage of saddle stitcher, the MR process can be time consuming and frustrating for the operator and management. So how can MR continue to improve? One current solution I applaud is the standard function called the Setup Wizard by MM. This is a seven-step process that the operator must follow at the main control screen. When completed the feeders, drop timing, gathering chain, stitching unit and trimmer are set into motion to the set values. Do you know of another solution? What can be friendlier than the Setup Wizard vs. the manual labor-intensive processes printers and binderies continue operate with today? The only process I am aware of would be the JDF/JMF workflow integration between the stitcher and a MIS. This type of integration is powerful but requires in-depth knowledge and support from internal resources. What works best for your day-to-day operation? Given the difficult times the graphic arts industry is currently facing the value in automated MR can be an added value to a quicker ROI. Anything that can improve your throughput can add to your bottom line, so let’s share our ideas with each other. I invite you to be my guest for a private demo of this MR technology at the Muller Martini Demo Center Allentown, PA, NY. This way you can experience automation that will deliver cost savings to your plant, before making the big purchasing leap.

Hunkeler Innovationdays February 27th – March 2nd

Hunkeler Innovationdays an internationally important industry meeting for many innovations and further developments in digital printing and finishing.   Muller Martini is looking forward to being live and on-site at the 2023 Hunkeler Innovationdays to be held on February 27th through March 2nd at the Lucerne Exhibition Centre (Switzerland). At…

Hunkeler Innovationdays an internationally important industry meeting for many innovations and further developments in digital printing and finishing.   Muller Martini is looking forward to being live and on-site at the 2023 Hunkeler Innovationdays to be held on February 27th through March 2nd at the Lucerne Exhibition Centre (Switzerland). At…

Is it time to say goodbye to your old saddle stitcher?

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. If you are finding it increasingly more difficult to repair your saddle stitcher due to limited parts and electrical components availability, it may be time to start getting ready to say your goodbyes.     The truth is, your older saddle stitcher…

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. If you are finding it increasingly more difficult to repair your saddle stitcher due to limited parts and electrical components availability, it may be time to start getting ready to say your goodbyes.     The truth is, your older saddle stitcher…

Introducing an all-new, fully automated saddle stitcher that delivers more runs per shift. No matter the size of the print run.

It’s hard to believe that our founder, Hans Muller, introduced the first saddle stitcher back in 1954 when the competition was running around 1,000 cycles per hour. Ours quadrupled that figure—while offering better quality. Now, more than 65 year’s later, Muller Martini offers the ultimate in automated finishing with the…

It’s hard to believe that our founder, Hans Muller, introduced the first saddle stitcher back in 1954 when the competition was running around 1,000 cycles per hour. Ours quadrupled that figure—while offering better quality. Now, more than 65 year’s later, Muller Martini offers the ultimate in automated finishing with the…

Announcing an all-new saddle stitching system from Muller Martini.

Some welcomed news during this challenging time. This October Muller Martini is launching the Prinova, the ideal saddle stitcher for printing facilities working with conventional and digital printing methods or for those who want to enter digital production in the future. The Prinova offers a clear advantage in terms of…

Some welcomed news during this challenging time. This October Muller Martini is launching the Prinova, the ideal saddle stitcher for printing facilities working with conventional and digital printing methods or for those who want to enter digital production in the future. The Prinova offers a clear advantage in terms of…

Great news for a resurging market: Touchless digital book manufacturing that’s more efficient than ever before.

Publisher’s Weekly recently reported continued growth in the printed book market with a 15.1% jump in August 2020 unit sales compared with August 2019. Juvenile nonfiction posted the largest gain with units rising 40%. And, sales of adult nonfiction were up almost 19% over the same period. All told, year-to-date…

Publisher’s Weekly recently reported continued growth in the printed book market with a 15.1% jump in August 2020 unit sales compared with August 2019. Juvenile nonfiction posted the largest gain with units rising 40%. And, sales of adult nonfiction were up almost 19% over the same period. All told, year-to-date…

Want to take the stress out of installations? Plan ahead.

Management has just ordered a new post-press system, and you now have the responsibility to get this equipment on the floor and operators trained. What should you plan for? A lot! A successful installation requires pre-planning as well as some flexibility to adjust your timeline for a few unexpected surprises.…

Management has just ordered a new post-press system, and you now have the responsibility to get this equipment on the floor and operators trained. What should you plan for? A lot! A successful installation requires pre-planning as well as some flexibility to adjust your timeline for a few unexpected surprises.…

Considering a new stitcher in the New Year? Consider our customers’ feedback on the Primera MC.

We’ve installed numerous Primera MC saddle stitchers in 2018, undoubtedly due to greater production challenges including product variability. The Primera offers excellent flexibility and can quickly and cost efficiently process varying format sizes and thicknesses. What’s more, its robust structure ensures a higher level of reliability and value retention. Here’s…

We’ve installed numerous Primera MC saddle stitchers in 2018, undoubtedly due to greater production challenges including product variability. The Primera offers excellent flexibility and can quickly and cost efficiently process varying format sizes and thicknesses. What’s more, its robust structure ensures a higher level of reliability and value retention. Here’s…

Could Your Saddle Stitching System—and Your Bottom Line—Benefit From This Revolutionary Upgrade?

We all know that stitching heads are a critical component to your machine’s performance. What you may not realize is that there is a groundbreaking development in stitching head technology—Performance Plus II—that greatly surpasses the output and reliability of conventional systems.   What makes this possible? An ultra-compact head design…

We all know that stitching heads are a critical component to your machine’s performance. What you may not realize is that there is a groundbreaking development in stitching head technology—Performance Plus II—that greatly surpasses the output and reliability of conventional systems.   What makes this possible? An ultra-compact head design…

ASIR 3 – Q/C System with a quick ROI

ASIR stands for Automatic Signature Image Recognition. (ROI is less than 1 year) The ASIR control system from Muller Martini is a vision system directly connected to the machine control. This system is used for quality assurance on saddle stitchers and gathering machines. It monitors the composition of products and…

ASIR stands for Automatic Signature Image Recognition. (ROI is less than 1 year) The ASIR control system from Muller Martini is a vision system directly connected to the machine control. This system is used for quality assurance on saddle stitchers and gathering machines. It monitors the composition of products and…

Coupons Bring New Value to Newspapers

Newspapers are mysteriously vanishing from racks across the country. Thieves are swiping Sunday papers from driveways, and others are digging through people’s trash looking for discarded newspapers. Authorities and newspaper executives attribute the rash of nationwide thefts to “extreme couponing,” a growing trend in which shoppers use dozens — sometimes…

Newspapers are mysteriously vanishing from racks across the country. Thieves are swiping Sunday papers from driveways, and others are digging through people’s trash looking for discarded newspapers. Authorities and newspaper executives attribute the rash of nationwide thefts to “extreme couponing,” a growing trend in which shoppers use dozens — sometimes…