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1. Bookish market. According to the CEO of Muller Martini, the book
industry’s future looks strong. At an open house in September, held at
Muller Martini’s facility in Bad Mergentheim, Germany, Rudolf Muller
claimed that, “despite radio, television, the Internet and electronic
books, book sales have never been higher.” Although US book sales
stalled a bit last year--rising only 0.1% over 2000, for a total of $25
billion—Muller’s optimism has found support in recent sales figures.
New numbers released from January book sales showed some very positive (in
fact, dramatic) results. Sales of case bound books shot up a whopping
93.6% ($47.7 million), while perfect bound sales jumped 48.4% ($88.1
million). Although it’s too soon to tell, this early performance looks
promising.
2. What's new at Seattle Bindery this week? Right now, we’re working on
another Wire-O job for 15,000 books on a 5 day turn. Though I’m
obviously biased, I don’t think there is anyone else in this market area
with our capabilities. With five different punches, along with two
automated inserter/closers, and 3-knife trimmer that cuts 3 sides at once
we can fold, gather and 4-side trim the book blocks, punch and bind all
under one roof!
3. More good news. The NAPL’s Printing Business Index (PBI) rose to 49.2
in February, signaling possible recovery for the print industry. (A
reading of 50 or above indicates that more printers have reported
increased business activity, versus decreased activity. Conversely, a
reading below 50 indicates the opposite trend.) Though February was the
15th consecutive month that the index reading fell below 50, this is the
highest PBI reached since the numbers first dropped below 50 in November
2000. NAPL Chief Economist Andrew Paparozzi says the rising numbers
suggest the end of a recession for print. He also believes growth in 3 key
indicators boosted February’s numbers--namely, general business
conditions, work-on-hand and confidence.
4. Tip of the Week. When selecting Wire-O sizes, be aware that different
brands of paper may bulk differently, even though they’re the same
weight. For instance, one brand of 70lb. uncoated offset text could be
0.0055 inchs thick, while another one measured 0.0065 inches. With all the
sheets assembled, a 2:1 wire might be required for the thicker book, while
a 3:1 would be more appropriate for the thinner book. It could be
catastrophic (translate – reprint required) if you planned for a 3:1
wire, only to find out your book was thicker than anticipated and required
a 2:1 wire and the spine margin spacing was too tight. Don’t assume all
papers of the same weight “behave” the same. Your safest bet is to
have us make up a bulking dummy for you, which we’re always happy to do.
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