ANDOVER, MA, August 29, 2023 – Standard Finishing Systems, a leading supplier of post-press and paper handling solutions, has announced that they will once again bring their diverse line of feeding and finishing solutions to PRINTING United Expo, the annual industry-wide event hosted by the PRINTING United Alliance.

Standard’s 4,800 square feet of exhibit space, one of the largest displays of feeding and finishing at the show, will host live demonstrations of die cutting, perfect binding and trimming, slitting and creasing, folding, saddlestitching, and roll-fed print solutions. Show attendees will see first-hand the impact that advanced post-press automation can have on variable production efficiency and production capabilities. Examples will include the automatic adjustment of stitch lengths, registration guides, trim sizes, and more on the new Horizon iCE StitchLiner Mark IV Saddlestitcher for true variable booklet production and the variable production flexibility in Hunkeler’s Generation 8 Roll-to-Cut-to-Fold Direct Mail solution featuring the DP8 Dynamic Perforator that can produce complex, variable-data direct mail pieces in one pass.

“We look forward to the first-ever PRINTING United [Expo] in Atlanta,” says David Reny, Executive Vice President at Standard. “Last year’s show was such a success for Standard and the industry at large, and we want to build on that success this year. Along with the latest in feeding and finishing solutions from our partners at Hunkeler and Horizon, we’ll bring our decades of experience to help attendees find the equipment they need to make their businesses more efficient, productive, and competitive ‒ from standalone systems to end-to-end solutions.”

Horizon Designing for Variable Production

At PRINTING United Expo, Standard will feature Horizon’s latest release: the StitchLiner Mark IV Saddlestitcher.

The Horizon iCE StitchLiner Mark IV Saddlestitcher combines signature scoring and folding, saddlestitching, and three-knife trimming into a single system. On the Mark IV, stitch length, balance adjustment, and thickness settings can all be changed automatically from booklet to booklet during operation for true variable booklet production with consistent quality. Compared to previous StitchLiner generations, the StitchLiner Mark IV also features a more modern design, customizable machine status indicator lights, safer and easier system access points for operators and technicians, and more flexible configuration options for both offset and digital output. The Mark IV can run at speeds of up to 6,000 booklets per hour for A4 portrait applications and 5,300 booklets per hour for A4 landscape applications.

Visitors to the Standard booth will also be able to see more of the latest Horizon solutions including the BQ-500 Perfect Binder with case binding accessories and the RD-N4055 Die Cutting System. The BQ-500 Perfect Binder can efficiently produce book blocks for short-run, case bound books when combined with the ESF-1000 End Sheet Feeder, LBF-500 Book Block Feeder, and GF-500 Gauze Feeder. Gauze width and length are setup according to book block information from the binder for consistent quality and minimal waste. Operators can easily switch between gauze application and soft-cover book production via the binder’s touchscreen. The RD-N4055 Die Cutting System from Horizon combines a feeder, a single or dual-magnetic cylinder die cutter, and an optional separator and card stacker into one efficient, versatile system. It can die cut, kiss-cut, emboss/deboss, crease/score, perforate, slit, hole punch, and round corner in a single pass or in multiple combinations. At speeds of up to 6,000 sheets/hour, the RD-N4055 can easily handle short, on-demand runs as well as high-volume applications.

Visitors will also get the opportunity to learn about iCE LiNK, a cloud-based information and diagnostics management tool from Horizon that will be connected to the BQ-500 Perfect Binder, BQ-270V Perfect Binder, HT-300 Three-side Trimmer, HT-1000V Three-knife Trimmer, StitchLiner Mark V Saddlestitcher, StitchLiner Mark IV Saddlestitcher, RD-N4055 Die Cutting System, and AFV-566FKT Folder. iCE LiNK is a subscription-based service for production management that can be connected across multiple finishing devices, at one or more facilities, and provides real-time access to information about works-in-progress and other critical production data. iCE LiNK can send alerts about parts that need to be replaced, schedule preventative maintenance based on historic production levels, and collect performance data so that subscribers can identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and more. iCE LiNK is compatible with a wide range of Horizon solutions, even those that are not part of the latest iCE Series of Horizon products.

Alongside these products, Standard will also showcase other solutions for creasing, slitting, folding, perfect binding, and trimming – each loaded with advanced automation to provide increased flexibility and maximum productivity. These solutions include the versatile SmartSlitter, an all-in-one sheet processing system that can slit, gutter cut, edge trim, crosscut, perforate, and crease in a single pass, as well as the popular PF-40L Folder, CRF-362 Creaser/Folder, APC-610 Cutter, and SPF-200L Landscape Bookletmaker.

Hunkeler Demonstrates Versatility in Paper Handling and Processing

Standard will showcase two award-winning Hunkeler Generation 8 solutions at PRINTING United Expo. The first will be a Roll-to-Cut line featuring the UW8 Unwinder and CS8 Cutter in-line with the Horizon StitchLiner Mark V Saddlestitcher producing stitched booklets from pre-printed rolls. The second Hunkeler line will feature the UW8 Unwinder, DP8 Dynamic Perforator, and CS8 Cutter in-line with the Horizon AFV-564F Folder producing two-up, tri-folded direct mailers with in-line gluing. The Hunkeler Roll-to-Cut solution handles coated and uncoated stock – from 27 lb. text to 12-point card stock -and features the hallmarks of Hunkeler’s Gen8: greater automation, increased speeds (590 fpm), greater web width support (22.5”), service-friendly design, and remote troubleshooting access for operators and service technicians. The DP8 Dynamic Perforator offers customizable, independent processing of 2 web lanes in 2-up production for highly variable jobs, and it can be equipped with up to 3 cross perforation cylinders and up to 12 longitudinal perforations as well as cross and longitudinal scoring and file hole punching tools. The UW8 Unwinder can handle rolls up to 1,980 pounds, and it has been streamlined to reduce the time it takes to change rolls by up to 30% compared to previous generations. The WM8 Web Merger slits the web in half and merges left-under-right or right-under-left for east-west printing of 2-up forms delivered as a single stack. The CS8 Rotary Cross Cutter delivers accurate cuts based on a top-of-form register mark on either side of the web, ensuring high levels of productivity and output quality. The CS8 also features optional, individually driven longitudinal cutting devices for processing multiple-up forms, slitters for simple separation, and edge trimmers, gutter cuts, and chip outs for the removal of full bleed, marks, and white areas. Optional cutting devices can be used in both the WM8 and CS8, either separately or in combination.

Partnerships and Collaborations

To demonstrate the benefits of pairing Standard Hunkeler and Horizon finishing with digital print solutions, Standard has partnered with Canon Solutions America, HP, Ricoh, and Screen on a series of pre-printed, roll-fed, and cut-sheet applications. The sample applications will run live in the Standard booth to highlight finishing’s role in the print production workflow and best practices for production efficiency. Screen will also showcase Hunkeler’s Generation 8 winders on the Truepress Jet520HD+ in their booth (#B2544) at the show.

For more information on these Horizon and Hunkeler solutions, visit Standard Finishing Systems at PRINTING United Expo, October 18^th-20^th, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA, at Booth #B2532. Attendees are encouraged to arrange a private equipment demonstration at the Standard booth tailored to their application requirements at https://www.sdmc.com/printingunited/