PRESS RELEASE

28 February 2005

Watkiss Collating & Booklet Making solutions - addressing the needs of a changing industry

Northprint ‘05 - Watkiss Automation - Stand C338

At Northprint, Watkiss Automation will be demonstrating a range of collating and booklet making machines running a variety of applications relevant to both digital and offset print technologies.

An increasing number of printers are now using a combination of digital and offset printing devices. So, assembling documents from multiple print sources - offset and digital, colour and black & white - is an essential function of the modern print finishing department.

Watkiss will be demonstrating several finishing and booklet making jobs of this nature.

The Watkiss Document Finishing System (DFS) is a multi-purpose booklet making system which can be used for conventional collating and booklet making and as a finisher for electronically collated digital print. It will be demonstrated producing customised documents using barcodes, printed on the sheets, to control the insertion of covers and multiple additional sheets. The Watkiss barcode system is totally adaptable, accepting flexible barcode positions and formats. In addition to controlling sheet feeding sequences, the barcode also provides multi-level security verification at sheet, set and job level.

The Watkiss Vario Collating and Finishing System will be demonstrated feeding special selective feed sequences, programmed on-machine without the need for an external computer, to produce non-standard sets.

The Watkiss Vario is still the only truly modular (bin by bin) vertical collator in the world. Users can specify up to 16 bins per tower, and can combine suction feed and friction feed if they wish. Machines can be upgraded or enlarged at any time, with long term compatibility assured. It collates full B3 sized sheets (520x364mm) from 52cm presses without requiring pre-trimming and will also accommodate sheets down to 120x160mm; collating at up to 7,200 sets per hour. A full range of ancillary on-line finishing equipment for jogging, stacking, stitching, folding and trimming are available.

The Watkiss DigiVAC Collating and Finishing System, which offers the unique 'load on the run' facility (an industry first in a tower collator), will also be demonstrated. The DigiVAC’s revolutionary patented suction feed system takes sheets from the underside of the paper stack so that the operator can reload the bins whilst the machine is still running, so there is no down-time.

The DigiVAC includes an integral set handling facility and a built in hand merge station, which enables large sets to be combined prior to booklet-making. It collates sheets from 120x200mm to 350x500mm, is extremely gentle on delicate stocks and digitally printed work and will handle stocks from 50 to 300gsm+.

The Watkiss SpineMaster will be producing SquareBack™ books which are rapidly becoming an industry standard, demanded both by printers and by end-users of printed material. The SpineMaster transforms traditional stitch-fold booklets into SquareBack™ booklets which are flat and easy to pack, stack and handle. They have the superior appearance of a perfect bound book but with the security of a stitched spine. There is no risk of loose pages and you can print on the spine.

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Press Contact

Jo Watkiss
Watkiss Automation Limited
Watkiss House, Blaydon Road
Sandy, Beds. SG19 1RZ England
Tel.: +44 (0)1767 682177
Fax.: +44 (0)1767 691769
Email: jowatkiss@watkiss.com

Notes for Editors:
Watkiss Automation Ltd. is a wholly family owned and managed company which has been designing and manufacturing innovative collating equipment since 1974. Design and manufacturing facilities are located in Sandy, Bedfordshire (UK). As part of the Watkiss Group which includes printing companies, Watkiss Automation is uniquely placed to develop equipment for the Graphic Arts marketplace. The company has been the recipient of two British Design Awards and the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement. The principal product ranges, the Watkiss Vario and Watkiss DigiVAC Collating and Finishing Systems, the Watkiss BookMaster and Watkiss SpineMaster are exported to over 60 countries worldwide.