Bindery Highlights at PRINTING United Expo 2025

By Kalie VanDewater

Though not as flashy as the wide-format printers and digital presses on display at PRINTING United Expo, bindery equipment has been a big draw for in-plants at the show. The latest models feature time-saving automation, a big help for operations dealing with staffing shortages and entry-level operators.

“It always comes back down to do more with less," Jim Tressler, executive vice president at C.P. Bourg, says. "More automation means I can take that labor and that personnel and I can use them for a larger plethora of things that need to be done in that plant."

IPI walked the show floor looking at some of the systems on display that can really help your in-plant stand out. Here’s what we saw.

BBM 40/60+ Bookletmaker

C.P. Bourg (Booth 5448) is showcasing its BBM 40/60+ Bookletmaker at the Expo. The machine produces documents from two sheets up to 12mm thick, and has a rated speed of up to 5,000 booklets per hour. It can do both saddle-stitching and top/side stitching.

“It's a much bigger capability than they've had in bookletmaking in the past, and it's a streamlined capability," Tressler says. "So we take things like — not just the bookletmaker, but even the sheetfeeder that it's attached to — we can dock that entire line directly up against their favorite finisher, that finisher directly up there against their favorite printer. But now they can share that resource. That inline perfect binder or inline bookletmaker is not just active to that printer. They can now run it offline and in line, even though it's attached or docked to that press."

Insignia6 PLUS Die-Cutter

Rollem (Booth 3227) is demonstrating the Insignia6 PLUS Die-Cutter, highlighting its versatility with pressure-sensitive decal kiss-cutting. Equipped with a touchscreen controller for simple operation, this model is well-suited for digital users who require frequent job changes.

Insignia7H Die Cutter

The Insignia7 Die Cutter from Rollem (Booth 3227) is a B2-format rotary diecutting solution with a 30" sheet capacity. Designed for digital and offset applications, it offers speeds up to 5,000 sheets per hour and handles diecutting, creasing, perforating, and embossing across a wide range of substrates.

Advanced Die-Cut Postcard Sheeting

EMT International (Booth 2449) introduced its Advanced Die-Cut Postcard Sheeting solution, running at 500 fpm to deliver precision-cut, custom-shaped postcards. Designed for nonstop, high-volume production, it streamlines operations while enabling new creative formats for direct mail applications.

Fold Stream Folder & Gluer

Graphco (Booth 2900) is debuting the Fold Stream Short-Run Folder & Gluer, designed for the on-demand digital print market. The platform integrates rotary creasing, plow folding, and inline finishing with quick-change tooling, precision controls, and a multi-belt transport system to handle diverse short- and mid-run applications efficiently.

“The volume that this is made for is short-run, entry-level packaging, so an in-plant today is not going to be going all in on a huge packaging machine that will convert into small boxes," says Derek Gordon, Midwest vice president of sales at Graphco. "For that short run to medium run, and especially for certain products that they might be marketing that they only want maybe 5,000 or 300, this is an easier ROI cost justification product based on its price point."

Heavy Duty Perf Solution

EMT International (Booth 2449) is introducing the Heavy Duty Perf solution, engineered for 10-18 pt. substrates at speeds up to 1,000 fpm. Designed for dynamic, variable patterns with precise control, it delivers clean, consistent results on thicker stocks, expanding applications in direct mail, packaging, and other high-demand finishing.

TITAN 230Pro

The Challenge Machinery Company (Booth 1830) introduced the TITAN 230Pro hydraulic paper cutter, a U.S.-made 23" cutter with large-machine accuracy. Featuring hydraulic power, a 9" color touchscreen, and full programmability, it meets ANSI and CE safety standards for reliable, efficient operation.

DS-1200 G5iQ Folder Inserter

Quadient (Booth 5436) is showing off the DS-1200 G5iQ Folder Inserter, designed for high-volume mail centers. Featuring predictive intelligence, secure insertion, and rapid 30-second job changeovers, it enhances productivity and minimizes downtime with a modular, intelligent automation platform.

"One of the best things about our DS-1200 folding/inserting system is it's a production inserter, but it's nimble enough to do real small jobs and still be able to handle the big, vast, long run jobs as well," says Kelly McManus, senior director of production mail at Quadient.

InfiniTrim Three-Knife Trimmer

The InfiniTrim Three-Knife Trimmer from Müller Martini (Booth 3234) is a fully automated trimming solution for ultra-short runs and one-off book production. With barcode-driven setup, SmartPress servo control, and speeds up to 2,000 books per hour, it ensures precise, consistent results for digital print workflows.

Coilmaster Jr. Plus

Spiel Associates (Booth 4267) is showcasing the Sterling Coilmaster Jr. Plus, an automatic tabletop plastic spiral binding machine that inserts, cuts, and crimps coils from the first hole onward. It binds books up to 30mm thick and can produce as many as 600 spiralbound books an hour. It can be put inline with a coil former.