Job code PR-02
Journal Issue Printing and Perfect Binding
A journal is a repeating job, and the value is in the repetition. We hold the specification, stock lot and colour target across issues so volume seventeen looks like volume one on the shelf, and we work to the issue calendar rather than to a one-off deadline.
| Binding | Perfect bound, EVA or PUR adhesive |
|---|---|
| Extent | 32 to 400 pages; PUR advised above 250 or on coated text |
| Spine | Squared, with printed volume, issue and year |
| Trim tolerance | Plus or minus 1 mm on the registered size |
| Cycle | Quarterly, half-yearly or annual, worked to the issue calendar |
| Retention | One reference copy of each issue retained for comparison |
Output
What you receive
- Perfect bound issues trimmed to the registered size
- Held specification sheet reused for every subsequent issue
- Spine copy set from the volume, issue and year supplied
- Issue-to-issue colour and bulk comparison against the retained sample
Suited to
Suited to
- Journals published quarterly, half-yearly or annually
- Institutions producing proceedings on a fixed calendar
- Titles moving from an inconsistent supplier to a held specification
Process
How the work runs
- Register the title specification once: size, extent basis, stocks, spine rule
- Receive each issue file against the calendar and preflight it
- Print, fold and gather, then perfect bind and three-knife trim
- Compare against the retained sample from the previous issue
- Pack by distribution list and release to dispatch
Questions
Questions we are asked
- Why does adhesive choice matter?
- EVA is adequate for uncoated text at moderate extents. PUR holds better on coated stock, on heavy extents, and where the volume will be opened flat repeatedly, which is normal for a reference journal.
- What if an issue arrives late?
- The calendar slot is held for a defined window and we say plainly what the revised date becomes. We do not compress binding cure time to recover a schedule.