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.

According to the German Photo Industry Association, 9.4 million photo books worth 303 million euros were produced in Germany alone in 2017. This boom has been made possible by digital cameras suitable for the mass market, clever software programmers and the rapid spread of social networks - but above all by new, smart booklines such as the Diamant MC Digital Photobook and the EMP 513 for books with straight spines, and the KM 200 perfect binder.

Digital revolutions often lead to the complete replacement of analog products. In the case of photo books, however, digital processes are used to create a physical product made by customers themselves, which has triggered a real hype. It‘s hard to imagine any Christmas tree or anniversary without a photo book.

From photo album to photo book
The feeling of transience in our digital lives is the main reason why the younger generation are increasingly looking for haptic image experiences. However, high customer expectations on digital shopping experiences and smart and responsive ordering systems at rock-bottom prices are major challenges for the printing industry. Efficient printing of runs of one at competitive prices is only possible with optimally coordinated, integrated and networked booklines.

The Diamant MC Digital Photobook is the most efficient digital bookline for the industrial production of digitally printed books and photo books starting from runs of one.

With the KM 200 for book block production and the Diamant MC Digital book line as well as the EMP 513 casing-in machine for the final step of hardcover production, at Muller Martini, we use a complete solution in the area of print finishing systems for short and ultra-short runs. This is the case, for example, for reprints from publishing houses or in the photo book version for high-quality customized printing. The Diamant MC Digital Photobook and the EMP 513 ensure fast and efficient production of digitally printed photo books or real photo books with layflat binding.

The EMP 513 is designed for casing in runs of one or small runs with size changeovers from digital print productions.

Flexible production of short and ultra-short runs
The Diamant MC Digital Photobook is the most efficient digital bookline for the industrial production of digitally printed books and photo books starting from runs of one. The bookline impresses with the highest degree of automation and flexibility. In addition to different workflow variants, the bookline offers full size variability and high efficiency thanks to dynamic change-over.

Together with the Book of One feeder and the book block thickness variance of +/- 2.5 mm, the complete range of formats and products can be processed within two format families without any interchangeable parts or machine modifications. Unnecessary output losses due to empty cycles can thereby be avoided despite perfect product quality.

Thanks to a touchless workflow, the machine accesses a job file or template using barcode control and not only receives machine-relevant information required for production but also additional matching information. Incorrect casing-in is therefore prevented.

Further benefits of the Diamant MC include short processing times and size-variable production. Supplemented by Connex, Connex.info and the many years of experience of our project and service team, this results in a considerable market edge for our customers in the production of small and ultra-small runs, starting from runs of one.

The EMP 513 is designed for casing in runs of one or small runs with size changeovers from digital print productions. The high-precision drive technology of this fast, accurate and powerful generation of machines can be seen in the flawless product quality achieved in industrial book production. These characteristics are also clear from the multifunctional and fully automated adjustment of the EMP 513 during ongoing production.

• For sequential adjustment (by thickness measurement during import)
  3D size changeover (block thickness, length and width)

The required production information is transmitted via digital data transfer:

• Automatically via XML workflow design as a job ticket from the customer system or from the title memory
• Analog via the measured value recording of the machine and data input in the local title memory.