14.01.2020 | Knud Wassermann

Digitalization is also creating space for new ideas – for example, indie mags

Digital-savvy young people are also manifesting their creative potential in printed magazines. Completely independent of traditional publishing companies, an agile community has emerged with impressive content and design concepts.

07.01.2020 | Knud Wassermann

drupa 2020 – greet the future!

It's that time again: 2020 is a drupa year. The international print industry will meet in Düsseldorf from June 16 to 26 for the 19th time. This is already the eighth drupa for me and slowly but surely I am one of the veterans of the industry. That also has its upsides. You takes a slightly calmer approach to it all, can better classify the developments and foresee which solutions will actually prevail.

17.12.2019 | Editorial Staff

Review of 2019

2019 is coming to an end and all of us here at Muller Martini are already keeping a close eye on drupa 2020, which will again be a highlight for our industry and our company. But before we start the new year with a preview of Muller Martini's trade fair appearance, let's first take a look back at the past year. What were the highlights in our blog and what topics were our readers particularly interested in?

10.12.2019 | Leo Schulthess

“To this day, I don’t regret my career choice – it was a stroke of luck”

I am 18 years young and in my third year of training at Muller Martini to become a design engineer. I enjoy putting ideas into practice and my dream is to invent something one day.

03.12.2019 | Heinz Businger

How to avoid markings and pressure marks on your print products

It is the nightmare of every machine operator and production manager: The job is completed on time, the stitching quality is perfect, all products are complete, the sheet sequence is right for every single copy. If only there weren't these markings....

26.11.2019 | Alexander Kraitsch

Well-positioned for the digital market with the Ventura MC Digital

The digitalization of the print industry and the demand for customized print products is progressing and is more noticeable than ever due to new publishing models and the short response times demanded by publishers from suppliers. As the digital market is increasingly gaining influence and changing the print market worldwide, Muller Martini has developed the Ventura MC Digital. It will enable you to respond to the new market challenges in thread sewing.

19.11.2019 | Matthias Kandt

Green printing – the Arnold printing plant shows how it works

The Arnold printing plant in Grossbeeren near Berlin presented impressive figures to its customers at two ecology days: use of the environmentally friendly PURe printing ink enables annual savings of 135,000 liters of water, 2,000 liters of chemicals and 4,500 kilowatt hours of energy thanks to the use of processless printing plates – as well as up to 175 tons less of CO2 emissions a year thanks to a photovoltaic system on the roof of the company building. As a representative of Muller Martini, I had the pleasure of experiencing this successful event live.

12.11.2019 | Fredy Haessig

When I was a boy, I wanted to be a racing driver

Switzerland, as it was when I was young, was the wrong country for my dream job, so I became a machine mechanic. And that only happened by chance because they weren't actually expecting me at Muller Martini, but my best friend Urs. Now, 47 years later at 63, I am more than happy and satisfied in early retirement.

05.11.2019 | Niklas Siegrist

Well-positioned for life on the ground and ready for take off soon

When I was born in 2001, my father was just starting his new job at Muller Martini. Today, at the age of 53, he still enjoys the versatility of his profession as a hardware designer, while, at the age of 18, I am a business administration apprentice who is responsible for the Muller Martini website and I am dreaming of becoming a pilot.

29.10.2019 | Marcus Stich

Even machines built for eternity need periodic servicing

Under the MMServices.Print label, Muller Martini offers a wide range of services for web offset printing presses – from control retrofits to ink zone control, printing inserts, machine relocations, maintenance, delivery of original spare parts through to training.

22.10.2019 | Frank Baier

More Value for the Book

No two books are the same when you take a look at a bookshop shelf. Print finishers get the print product into shape in a variety of ways.

15.10.2019 | Ronald Reddmann

What you need to know about paper in perfect binding

The paper characteristics are of preeminent importance for good perfect binding. But that will not be anything new to you. However, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about a few tricks from our many years of experience at Muller Martini. From practical experience and numerous damage case clarifications, we know how you can quickly identify problems in advance, for example during order acceptance, and then also take the necessary measures on your perfect binder.

08.10.2019 | Knud Wassermann

Digital is no more sustainable than print – on the contrary!

Energy consumption and the associated greenhouse gas emissions of information and communication technologies (ICT) are largely ignored by the general public. Digital is generally considered to be "green" and even a problem solver to get climate change under control. But the internet already accounts for 10 percent of the world's electricity consumption today – and this figure is even set to be 20 percent by 2030. We went on a fact-finding mission.

01.10.2019 | Ronald Reddmann

Expert tip: Interaction between printing ink and adhesive

Do you process full-surface offset printed papers with mineral oil based printing inks? Or are digital printing systems employed which use fuser oils? Depending on the technology, these substances, which are relevant for the printing process, can have a significant impact on the durability of the perfect binding.

24.09.2019 | Andreas Aplien

Connex imposer module: The perfect software solution for fully automatic digital page assembly

After first presenting the SigmaLine digital book production system at drupa 2004, Muller Martini is now offering a software solution for digital page assembly as well. Muller Martini worked with partners in this area for many years, but since 2017, it has developed its own solution, the Connex imposer module.

17.09.2019 | Knud Wassermann

Printed Superheroes

We all experience days in our life that we don't forget. For me, this includes the day when my grandfather caught me reading a comic. He couldn't understand why people would spend their pocket money on what he called a “trash book”.

10.09.2019 | Knud Wassermann

Notebooks – the ultimate analog gadgets

Smartphones, tablets and laptops are an expression of our mobile society. Always charged and handy – and despite all this, hordes of people march into meeting rooms with conventional notebooks, take them with them on trips and record their spontaneous ideas in them.

03.09.2019 | Stefan Kocher

Control Update: Plan Ahead to Avoid Long Downtimes

As spare parts for the control system are no longer available for some older machines, it is advisable to replace them in good time. The timely replacement of the control system – and, if necessary, the control terminal and frequency converter – reduces the downtime to a predictable one to three days.

27.08.2019 | Knud Wassermann

Books for a digital detox

Who would have thought it? Cautious optimism has returned to international book markets. The feared widespread fire caused by mobile apps and e-books has failed to materialize, sales figures have stabilized - and in some markets they are even rising slightly.

20.08.2019 | Hans Leuenberger

A new Vareo perfect binder for future managers in the graphic arts industry

Students at Hochschule der Medien (HDM) in Stuttgart, Germany, can now make their first experience of softcover production on a Muller Martini Vareo perfect binder and gain an insight into the growing importance of run-of-one production.

16.07.2019 | Editorial Staff

Congratulations: All our apprentices have passed!

The hard work has paid off for our apprentices in their final year of training at Muller Martini. They have now all been informed that they have passed their exams and successfully completed their training. We are proud of our new professionals and congratulate them warmly.

09.07.2019 | Hans Leuenberger

Welcome to the Mailroom Days at Oppermann in Rodenberg on September 23/24, 2019!

On September 23/24, 2019, Muller Martini is inviting you to take a look behind the scenes of Europe's most modern mailroom and experience at first-hand how Oppermann produces five daily newspapers and 50 weekly papers with a total of three ProLiner newspaper inserting systems in Rodenberg in northern Germany.

02.07.2019 | Martin Baltisberger

Taster day for pupils at Muller Martini

Which profession would I like to learn? A crucial question! As one of the largest training companies in the region of Zofingen/Switzerland, Muller Martini invites schoolchildren looking for a suitable apprenticeship to its vocational information day every year.

25.06.2019 | Stefan Kocher

How to keep your mailroom up to date

Did you know that, over an average of ten years' service, your conveyor's chain covers a distance equivalent to several orbits around the world (exactly 4.5 times)? Despite this top level of use, I very often experience that the least attention is given to the newspaper conveyor. Probably because its function does seems relatively banal. But only until it fails, for whatever reason, thereby paralyzing the entire newspaper production.

18.06.2019 | Alexander Kraitsch

Trusting is good – control is better: quality assurance in thread sewing with MMVision

When used as a signature control on the Muller Martini Ventura MC 200 thread sewing machine, the new MMVision control system offers internal recognition of the correct sequence and sheet opening with fully automatic image area adjustment (real-time live image). In the area of conventional thread sewing, MMVision is used exclusively on Muller Martini's most powerful and automated thread sewing machine, the Ventura MC 200.

11.06.2019

An innovative business model gives the postcard a new lease of life

The summer holidays are just around the corner again. Pack your bags and off you go! To the sea, to the mountains, no matter where – just relax. And once the stress starts to recede slowly but surely, the thought flickers through your mind that maybe you really ought to send a postcard to your loved ones.

04.06.2019 | Jürg Brunner

Predictive maintenance is based on trust

The buzzwords Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 are currently on everyone's lips. And at a time when we are moving ever further away from mass production into the industrial manufacturing of customer-specific products, new business models are becoming more significant. However, in order to implement these business models efficiently, more than simply the most contemporary machines and technologies are needed.

28.05.2019 | Erik Kurtz

"So why don't we try this for a change"

With creative hardcover and softcover solutions, Germany's leading book producer Kösel has made a name for itself beyond national borders as an innovation leader. As this Muller Martini blog’s guest author, Managing Partner Erik Kurtz, who was named German Printer Manager of the Year in 2016, explains the 425-year-old company's recipe for success and is confident that printed books will continue to play out their strengths in the future.

21.05.2019 | Blerim Shala

CEO at Meet-and-Greet Event

At the end of March, the new recruits at the Muller Martini head office in Zofingen (Switzerland) gathered for a meet-and-greet event with our CEO. When the door opened and Bruno Müller, Managing Director of the Muller Martini Group, entered the room, I was surprised at how informally he greeted us.

14.05.2019 | Pascal Keller

Part 4: Touchless workflow – and it runs like clockwork

To conclude our small series on Finishing 4.0, we'd like to say a few words about touchless workflow. Imagine the following: You press a button and the next jobs are simply perfect-bound, thread-stitched or saddle-stitched. You might now say to yourself: He talks about "touchless" and then in the following sentence he says you have to press a button! Of course you're right, it does sound a bit strange. But when you compare the new workflow possibilities with conventional production, the new variant is truly touchless.

07.05.2019

Self-publishing: The dream of your own book

With the advent of self-publishing thanks to the internet, the structure of the book market that has been established over decades between authors, publishers and booksellers is beginning to change. Self-published books are on the rise around the world and have seen solid growth. The majority of self-publishing authors have their books printed to the delight of the printing industry.

30.04.2019 | Ronald Reddmann

Hybrid print finishing – Your answer to rapidly changing market needs

The increasing demand for ultra-short runs, customized printed matter, photo books and on-demand book orders means that many printing houses are switching to digital printing and finishing systems. Digital printing processes take into account the needs for both customization and short runs.

23.04.2019 | Andreas Aplien

Into the Future with “Connextivity”

Networking through integration is becoming increasingly important in print finishing. With the related high degree of automation, graphic arts businesses can address the pressure on margins.

16.04.2019

Circular economy in the printing industry

Since the European Union (EU) included the idea of a circular economy in its growth strategy, this topic has moved more into the public focus. Is the circular economy also something the printing industry needs to consider? Yes - and some companies have already adopted the idea and are successfully putting it into practice.

09.04.2019 | Michael Kämpf

Procurement 4.0 - cost-optimized purchasing

The opportunities and challenges of Industry 4.0 are also making inroads into our jobs at Muller Martini. Using an example from my job in strategic purchasing, I will illustrate how we are integrating and taking advantage of these opportunities in our day-to-day work.

02.04.2019 | Roland Gautschi

Spare Parts: Do you also Rely on High Quality?

Just like the parts in a car, more stress is placed on some finishing equipment parts than others, meaning they have to be replaced more often. If you want to ensure continuous production at a high level, you need to keep a few key points in mind when choosing your spare parts supplier. Because in addition to the source of the spare parts, their quality is also important.

26.03.2019 | Martina Reinhardt

Bookbindery 4.0 - from a future dream to a future project

It is being billed the fourth industrial revolution. That is how the website of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research explains the concept of "Industry 4.0". "Driven by the internet, the real and virtual worlds are growing together into an Internet of Things," it continues. The Industry 4.0 project is intended to support this process.

19.03.2019

Why does Generation Z find print daunting?

The use of media has changed considerably and this is also reflected in print volumes. Added to that is the fact that this generation finds it difficult to place print orders. Digital allows you to try something out quickly and change it, whereas print is static and its finality makes it slightly daunting. It is therefore important to teach young people about the benefits of print and show them how digital tools can be used today to make print production very simple and flexible.

12.03.2019 | Harry Marian

Trusting Is Good – Monitoring Is Better! Quality assurance with MMVision

Have you ever received customer complaints because of incorrectly cased books? I see this error occur time and again with my customers when manual interventions are required during various stages of the casing process.

05.03.2019 | Selina Schmitter

My training as a commercial clerk

When I opted for this vocational training course, I came up against various kinds of stereotype ideas in my environment. "Great job! Another pencil-pushing clerk that doesn't have to do anything and earns a lot. You can make coffee all day, fill up the printer and look after the office chair!" That was just one comment I had to put up with. But I don't let such prejudiced ideas get to me.

01.03.2019 | Adrian Mayr

"Exactly What We Need"

At the Hunkeler Innovationdays in Lucerne, Muller Martini had two reasons to celebrate. On the one hand, we registered a big crowd of visitors at our stand over all four days. On the other hand, some customers decided to purchase our solutions for finishing digitally printed products presented at the trade fair.

28.02.2019 | Paul Fischer

The motor show for digital printing

In the automotive industry, there are numerous global trade fairs for the sector to present and celebrate itself: the IAA in Frankfurt, the Tokyo Motor Show, the Detroit Auto Show, the Paris Motor Show, and the Geneva Motor Show. The fact that such a gigantic show is also held in Switzerland is actually astonishing. Although Switzerland is home to many industrial companies that supply the global automotive industry with key components, the lack of any major final assembly lines makes it impossible to speak of "automobile nation Switzerland".

27.02.2019

A digitalization hotspot

The Hunkeler Innovationdays are always worth a visit - as they are again in 2019. In recent years, the event has developed into an international hotspot for digital printing and everything it takes to map end-to-end workflows.

26.02.2019 | Ronald Reddmann

"Do you also offer this for hardcover?"

The large number of visitors at the Muller Martini stand on the opening day of the Hunkeler Innovationdays in Lucerne shows that we are hitting the bull's eye with the new endsheet feeder/Vareo/InfiniTrim solution for the industrial processing of hardcover book blocks in runs of one, which was presented to the public for the first time.

25.02.2019 | Andreas Aplien

"And what's your solution?"

Our customers know that Muller Martini is the world's leading manufacturer of finishing equipment and they rely on a wide variety of machines from our company around the clock. However, only a few people know that Muller Martini is also the leading manufacturer of individual integration and workflow solutions for finishing.

19.02.2019 | Randy Shannon

Quality saddle-stitched products ensure customer-saving results

When I was a young bindery manager, a customer service representative handed me a stack of books, all with signatures in the wrong order. Naturally, the rep was upset. The order was for an important customer – and the books had been delivered to their office.

12.02.2019 | Pascal Keller

Every product is different – with Finishing 4.0 you still make money!

The subject of variable data is highly topical in the graphic arts industry and, in addition to automation and an integrated workflow, is an important component of our Finishing 4.0 development strategy. Today, Variable Data Printing (VDP) goes well beyond simply printing the name of the customer on the product or switching blocks of text. Businesses that have precise knowledge of their customers and their requirements can produce customized print products in a targeted manner.

05.02.2019

A book - a media accolade for YouTubers

This is not the first and certainly not the last example of how the internet is giving new impetus to the book market and making children and young adults more familiar with printed books again. The first books written by social media celebrities were already being published five years ago, and the trend continues. YouTubers consider having their own book to be a media accolade. The positive aspect of this for publishing companies is that the authors already bring potential buyers with them in the form of subscribers. This is not an entirely new, but nevertheless an interesting business model with a lot of innovation potential.

29.01.2019

The post-digital age has already begun

In their annual report, Matthias Horx and his Future Institute based in Frankfurt and Vienna offer an insight and outlook into current trends and innovations. A source of inspiration to look outside the box at the start of the year and perhaps take a few things into consideration in your own plans.

22.01.2019 | Richard Allart

If you want to produce a high-quality book spine, don’t ignore these tools – or you may pay dearly!

Behind ink on paper, the printed word, and the stunning images found in a book, lies the critical binding step, “spine preparation.” Far too often, spine preparation tools are not properly maintained or forgotten about. If ignored too long, or not properly configured, the binding process can become compromised or fail, resulting in costly resolution.

15.01.2019 | Alexander Kraitsch

Printing ultra-short runs: The photo book is revolutionizing the printing industry

Over the past ten years, gluing in holiday and family photos for hours on end has been digitized: Photo books produced digitally by end customers in very small runs or even runs of one have been experiencing a real boom since their market launch in 2006.

08.01.2019 | Roland Kost

Will there be a need for printing plants in the future?

Our high-quality and durable print finishing systems often give rise to the following question during the purchasing process: Is it worth investing now? Many customers sense the great uncertainty over the future of the printing industry. Will printing houses still exist in 2040? To what extent will machines purchased today be compatible when the next major technological revolution occurs?

25.12.2018

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a good start to 2019!

Baking cookies, wrapping up the last presents and enjoying mulled wine while snowflakes gently fall: During the idyllic festive season, the blog editors will also be treating themselves to a break. And at the same time, the end of the year offers us the opportunity to take a look back: Since starting our blog four months ago, 19 posts have been published and we‘ve had lots of fun!

18.12.2018 | Adrian Mayr

We‘ve turned two into three – and are taking it to the Hunkeler Innovationdays in Lucerne as a world premiere!

We will be presenting a world first at the Hunkeler Innovationdays from February 25 to 28 in Lucerne. With its new endsheet feeder, presented to the public for the first time, Muller Martini will be demonstrating how the Vareo perfect binder/three-knife trimmer InfiniTrim Duo can industrially produce hardcover book blocks of the highest quality in runs of one copy.

11.12.2018

Why is print still the anchor for strong media marketing?

No matter what part of the media industry you’re in – digital transformation will affect everyone. Preparing for the future requires the development of a 360-degree perspective that integrates all channels, with print as the anchor for strong multimedia brands. We’ve put together some interesting ideas for how you can implement a 360-degree perspective.

04.12.2018 | Pascal Keller

What role do automation and networking play in Finishing 4.0?

In the first article of our Finishing 4.0 series, I provided you with a basic overview of the Finishing 4.0 development strategy. Today, I would like to provide you with a more detailed look at the role played by automation and networking.

27.11.2018 | Patrick Treyer

Is Practice Alone the Way to Perfection?

Do you know the risks you run with poorly trained machine operators? Your company is at risk of losing extensive knowledge and years of experience if an operator with longterm expertise retires, is promoted or seeks a new challenge elsewhere and therefore leaves the company. Knowledge that a new machine operator will not initially have and that must be learned from his or her colleagues.

20.11.2018 | Adrian Mayr

A cool day at Muller Martini

Many companies in Switzerland hold a “future day” once a year. This event allows boys and girls aged 11 to 13 to swap their school desk for a work desk and spend a day at the company where their mother, father or another family member or friend works. It provides them with a “live” look at the world of work, giving them an opportunity to see what adults do all day long.

13.11.2018 | Andy Fetherman

What happens, if you only think about your new digital printing technology – and forget about finishing?

Here in the United States, digital printing established itself over the past years faster than in other countries, taking root in many of our customers’ business segments. For fifteen years as Director of Digital Solutions at Muller Martini, I had the chance to work on various projects regarding the investment in new digital printing technologies. While working on these projects, I have seen many operation and production managers spend countless hours combing through print engine specifications and running samples after samples on various competitive technologies. At the end they proudly choose the printer that rises to the top as a result of their analysis. However, this sense of achievement is short-lived, when they realize that they ignored the most important aspect of a digitally printed product – how will they finish it! That’s when I usually get a call for help.

06.11.2018 | Jim Kaeli

How Touchless Workflow Optimizes the Efficiency of Simple Hardcover Production.

Touchless workflow is an integral building block of Muller Martini’s Finishing 4.0 engineering philosophy. It provides the intelligence and automation to help speed the processing of products that are printed traditionally, digitally, or in combination to handle changeovers largely without operator intervention.

30.10.2018 | Pascal Keller

Finishing 4.0, or: How can you get the most out of your print finishing?

The concept of Finishing 4.0 has been around or a little more than two years. Today I’d like to take the opportunity to tell you a bit more about our development strategy. What exactly does this term mean?

23.10.2018 | Lukas Budde

Something good is bound to come of it

It has been ten months since Muller Martini and Kolbus set their joint course for the future. The cultures of the two companies have quickly merged – after all, we have the same DNA.

16.10.2018

Where do the challenges in online printing lie?

Having finally set up an online shop, the main thing is to be able to compete successfully. That this is no easy task was evident from a visit to the 6th Online Print Symposium (OPS) in Munich.

10.10.2018 | Volker Leonhardt

IFRA – Muller Martini Booth Attracts Large Numbers of International Visitors

My experiences of the first two days of IFRA have been thoroughly positive – an excellent visitor response, large numbers of international customers and numerous interesting discussions.

09.10.2018 | Danja Stadelmann

Berlin Becomes the Center of the Newspaper World

People in the newspaper industry from around the world will be gathering at the IFRA World Publishing Expo & Digital Content Expo at Berlin’s ExpoCenter City from this Tuesday until Thursday. Taking “Finishing 4.0: Advanced inserting, zoning and workflow optimization” as our motto, Muller Martini will be presenting economical and forward-looking solutions for processing larger volumes of inserts efficiently, even in smaller zones.

02.10.2018 | Reto Hofer

Planning on moving?

Everyone has to move at least once in their lives. Whether it’s to a new job, a new apartment, a new city or even a new country – nowadays it seems so easy to pack up your things and make your way – confidently or with a bit of trepidation – to somewhere new. But can the same be said when moving a company’s entire range of machinery to a different production location? Judge for yourself.

25.09.2018 | Ulrich Rickli

Consolidation – Survival Strategy for Newspapers

The newspaper market is changing and not a moment too soon – consolidation is the order of the day. This is because publishers are saving where they can – selling publications and merging editorial and production locations. Currently, five publishing groups in Germany own more than 40% of all newspaper titles.

18.09.2018 | Ronald Reddmann

When Mushrooms Sprout from the Spine

Processing thread-sewn book blocks on a perfect binder represents a unique challenge for every bookbinder. This is because, depending on the quality of the thread sewing, the block thickness and the paper used, the so-called “mushroom effect” can damage the print finishing along the spine. But this needn’t be the case.

11.09.2018 | Patrick Treyer

Incorrectly stitched signatures: The Asir 3 serves as insurance against this type of error

Have you ever lost money because of incorrectly stitched or glued signatures? Read about the problems that occurred at of one of our customers and what could have been done to prevent them.

04.09.2018

Who still uses haptics in their communications nowadays?

At first glance, no one. But on closer inspection, just about everyone does! While the role of the haptic experience in the customer journey is dwindling because of the increasing pace of digitalization, studies and cases show that in a cross-media world, haptics are a crucial factor in determining whether a customer buys a product.

28.08.2018 | Dragan Volic

Saddle Stitcher Market Slowly Recovering

Following a lean stretch, the market is again making increased investments in saddle stitchers. What is the story behind this development?

21.08.2018 | Georg Riva

Welcome to the Muller Martini Blog

Muller Martini is joining the blogosphere! We are launching our new company blog, where we’ll provide you with regular news, not only about the world of Muller Martini, but also about topics related to the graphic arts industry, industry events and selected highlights.