[Editors] Advice on custom binding

[Thomas S Pixton]

It depends on the type of end product you want. Acme is a bookbinder, not a printer. They do have a Zeikon roll-fed digital press but it is rather old and cannot compare to the quality of an HP Indigo in common use these days (and on which Blurb books are printed). If you do want a two-tone cloth-bound foil-stamped case binding with a slip case, Acme is your best option. But I'd have the inside printed elsewhere like Puritan Press or DS Graphics on an HP Indigo digital press and have the pages sent to Acme for the binding. Keep in mind also that you pay die and setup costs for custom binding, whereas an all cmyk digital job has no setup charge.

We designed a two-tone cloth foil stamped binding for the Hockfield Portugal book, intending it to be done at Acme. We imitated that binding effect in cmyk with Blurb for the early proof-of-concept models. The client liked it so much we stayed with it.

Tom Pixton

On Feb 9, 2011, at 9:21 AM, William T. G. Litant wrote:

I've done these with Apple and other DIY online services. They make very nice gifts for donors (especially the books with the cloth bindings) but they don't come close to a real custom bound item. Acme is good. You might also call North Bennet Street School. They have a superb program in bookbinding and I am sure they can refer you to one of their artisan alums.

Bill
On Feb 9, 2011, at 9:09 AM, Thomas S Pixton wrote:

Hi Nicolene:

Acme Bookbinding in Somerville does such projects. However, you might consider doing a photobook with Blurb<http://www.blurb.com/>. We had a similar request last year to create a commemorative book for Dr. Hockfield from the MIT-Portugal program. They wanted to create a leather-bound book of photos and text of her 2009 visit to Portugal. Rather than create a leather-bound volume, which would have cost upwards of $1000 each, we created an oblong case-bound book with a printed jacket using Blurb. The service allows designers to upload their own files using Blurb's specs, and Blurb sends a complete book as a proof within a week or two. Cost was $45 per book. We did a few proofs, and then a run of 8 books. MIT-Portugal was so thrilled with the quality they ordered another 12 and then again another 16 a few weeks later. I have a sample in my office should you wish to take a look.

Best,

Tom Pixton

On Feb 9, 2011, at 8:54 AM, Nicolene Hengen wrote:

Hello folks,
LAI has just finished a significant research project and we plan to present half a dozen (leather)bound copies to the CEO who shepherded along this project.
Does anyone have any experience with custom binding projects? I'm looking for a reliable vendor (preferably local) and would appreciate any leads.
Thanks,
Nicolene
__________________________________
Nicolene Hengen
Membership and Communications Manager
Lean Advancement Initiative at MIT
lean.mit.edu<http://lean.mit.edu/>
Managing Editor
Journal of Enterprise Transformation
www.tandf.co.uk/journals/UJET<http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/UJET>
292 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
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Tom Pixton
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Advisor, MIT Publishing Services Bureau
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Tom Pixton
617.258.0648
Advisor, MIT Publishing Services Bureau
292 Main Street, E38-254, Cambridge, MA 02142

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