Seattle Bindery Newsletter: Issue No. 59. We welcome your comments.

1. On the humorous side. This piece comes from industry consultants Gorelick & Associates’ monthly newsletter: “Some cynical friends in Washington told us about the discovery of a new element in the periodic table. It’s called governmentium and is the heaviest element known to science. It consists of one neutron, 125 deputy neutrons, 100 supervisory neutrons - and all of this is held together by a force called morons which, in turn, is surrounded by vast quantities of peons.”

2. Technology Forecast. If you don’t receive the GATF World publication, it would be worthwhile to at least check out the January/February 2002 issue. This issue has a comprehensive compilation of articles by all the leading industry experts-PIA’s Davis, NAPL’s Paparozzi, Trendwatch, Seybold, etc.-dealing with economic and technology trends. It even has chapters pertaining to international industry trends. Of particular interest is the article “A Brave New World for Prepress” by Steven Bonoff, President of the International Prepress Association. He predicts prepress houses will soon be offering a full line of integrated services, including digital printing, variable data, digital photography, creative planning & strategy, facilities management, project management, network support, data transmission, broadcast services, CD authoring, technical training, etc. etc. Others have suggested commercial printers should also look “upstream in the production workflow” to gain more revenue and customer loyalty. You can buy the issue for $12.50 by calling 412-741-6860. Or, if you’re a PIA member, go to www.gain.net and register for on-line access.

3. Contact your state legislators. Don Brunell at AWB is warning us that the Machinery and Equipment sales tax exemption is in jeopardy. Some legislators are proposing to do away with the exemption. If rescinded, the price of new equipment and repairs and parts for existing equipment would go up by 8.6%, according to an interesting article posted on the Association’s website at www.awb.org. AWB has  sample letters and email on its website to send to members of the state legislature on this issue. It is in all our best interests to get involved. 

4. Tip of the Week. Damaged material and improper labeling are the two most common problems effecting efficiency in the bindery. Here are a couple of suggestions. Take extra care when handling signatures prior to sending them to us, since properly folded and stacked sigs can significantly reduce our production time. Four-way banding is recommended for palletized material that’s to be shipped long distances and, of course, stretch-wrapping helps protect from scuffing during loading and unloading. Make sure you accurately label each pallet or box, and include a sample on the top. Including a rule-up, or layout, that shows pagination is also very helpful. And don’t forget that purchase order!