Post press is the stage after everything has been printed and before the final product is shipped out of the warehouse. This stage of the printing process can vary widely between jobs as its this final stage where a lot of custom elements can be added. Books are cut, folded and bound together, business cards are cut down and packaged, flyers can get UV or cello applied to the face of the artwork and custom print jobs can get die-cut, folded, and glued.
Cutting Down
Once all the printing is finished the job is taken over to our guillotines to be cut down to size. Any job too big for our guillotines is cut down to size by hand by one of our warehouse staff members.
Folding
Booklets, folded flyers, and greeting cards all get folded either by hand or through our folding machines. Thicker paper stocks need a heavier fold arm which applies pressure to the fold line. More complicated fold jobs may need to be done by hand to ensure the quality of the finished product.
Binding
For booklets and groups of documents we will bind the spines depending on the type of binding that was chosen by the client. Our main binding methods include; wiro binding, spiral binding, saddle stitching, perfect bound, half Canadian, and padding.
Wiro Binding
This method of binding is commonly used for calendars, notebooks, and reports. Wire binding is made of metal and is very durable.
Spiral Binding
Also known as coil binding, spiral binding is similar in function to wiro binding except each page can open fully. Spiral binding is ideal for manuals, notepads, and conference notes.
Saddle Stitch
Saddle stitching is the most common binding method for collated books like magazines and catalogues. Binding options are dependent on the number of pages and their weight (gsm).
Perfect Bound
Perfect bound books have a have a clean book-like spine where pages are grouped together and glued. They are common for booklets that are too thick for saddle stitching. Unlike other binding methods perfect bind also need to rest after being applied to let the glue dry.
Half Canadian
Half Canadian is where a protective cover envelops both the spiral bound spine and the paged contents. They are ideal for a more professional look.
Padding
Padding is where (usually) identical pages are stacked together and glued on one side to create a pad. The pages can be easily ‘ripped’ out as they are used. Like perfect binding, the glue used for the padding needs to be left to cool for a period of time before being shipped out.