Print is Back — and Books are Changing at Bidvest Data · Kim Farinha · Sales Manager
At Bidvest Data outside Cape Town, books are an important part of the business — and for Kim, selling them is about much more than price.
Publishers expect competitive pricing, excellent quality and increasingly fast turnaround times. Digital print has changed those expectations dramatically, but it has also created new opportunities. With Canon ColorStream inkjet technology, Bidvest Data can produce short runs efficiently and offer affordable colour printing while maintaining the quality customers expect.
Today, typical book orders may start around 50 copies, but the direction is clear. Book-of-one production, fulfilment and direct distribution could become an increasingly important part of the business, allowing publishers to reduce inventory, lower financial risk and sell titles without having hundreds or thousands of copies sitting in a warehouse.
Bidvest Data already serves customers beyond South Africa, shipping into Sub-Saharan Africa as well as international markets including North America. The ambition is to make the company an increasingly complete partner — printing, fulfilling and ultimately delivering books directly to the customer.
And while technology continues to develop, some traditions remain. Hardcover books at Bidvest Data are still case-made largely by hand. It may sound old-school compared with highly automated book factories elsewhere in the world, but Kim explains that the craftsmanship and resulting quality are exactly what bring customers back.
After many years in the printing industry, Kim has seen enormous technological change, particularly with inkjet. Colour quality, productivity and economics have reached a point where completely new business models are possible.
Her outlook for the future is equally clear:
Print is not disappearing.
Print is back — and here to stay.
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Thu August 20th
From Vinyl to Books · Lance Svoboda · VP o...
As we arrived at OnPress in our Uber, we immediately noticed that the building seemed to house several different businesses. It quickly became clear, however, that many of the names were actually part of OnPress itself, reflecting the wide range of services the company offers. Back when CDs and DVDs were huge, they represented a significant part of OnPress’ business, and as those markets changed, so did the company. Interestingly, OnPress still produces a considerable number of CDs and DVDs, so despite the obvious decline in demand, these formats remain popular for certain applications and markets. We quickly moved on to the printing side of the business, where a line of Xeikon presses was set up to produce roll-to-roll. As the VP of Book Manufacturing Lance Svoboda explained, these machines are true workhorses. They run almost 24/7, deliver remarkably consistent quality, and rarely require major service, making them ideal for the type of production OnPress handles. The main reason for our visit, however, was OnPress’ recent investment in Meccanotecnica’s perfect binding line. The system is used for both paperback production and producing book blocks for hardcover books, and everything is installed in an impressively compact and efficient setup. I must admit that the print quality from the Xeikon presses combined with the chosen binding technology was a very convincing match. The finished books simply looked great. Talking with Lance Svoboda also made it very clear that he understands technology and knows exactly what he wants from his production. His enthusiasm for the Meccanotecnica perfect binding line was impossible to miss. And that is perhaps particularly interesting when you remember that Meccanotecnica has spent decades building its reputation around Smyth sewing. Moving into perfect binding means entering a market where several competitors have just as much experience in perfect binding as Meccanotecnica has in sewing. That takes commitment, confidence in the technology, and a clear understanding of what customers need. At OnPress, that decision appears to have paid off. The combination of Xeikon digital printing and Meccanotecnica finishing creates a remarkably efficient book production environment, and judging from Lance Svoboda’s enthusiasm, OnPress is a very pleased customer — for sure!