T.L. Visuals offer the full range of print finishing services and will source the very best in the required field. Below is a simple guide to the more popular commercial processes we can offer. Call us to discuss and explore the possibilities of finishing and even combining an element of hand finishing. 'Putting ink on paper' is a line you may hear often at T.L. Visuals - and because that is what we do best, we concentrate on just that. Only the very best trade finishing houses are used to complete your work. From simple folding to complex multi-process finishes, you can be sure that your finishing specifications are fulfilled to your satisfaction, on time, every time.

Cutting  
Most modern guillotines are computer controlled for accuracy. Cut positions should be marked up on artwork as short continuous lines and folds as short broken lines. Suitable allowance for bleed and binding should also be made. To a degree, bleed work can cost more than unbled. Apart from requiring a larger SRA size sheet, two cuts are required to separate pages on a sheet. With unbled work, pages can be butted together on the sheet and separated by a single cut. T.L. Visuals may trim your work in house before forwarding it to a selected trade finisher.
 
Machine Folding  
Most printed material requiring folding will be done on machine, either to create a finished product, or as preparation for further finishing operations. There are two basic mechanical methods of folding sheets - buckle and knife. Folding machines can be set up as all buckle or as a combination. The combination machine is capable of a wide variety of options and substrates. All material of 150 g/m2 and above may be pre-creased to prevent cracking on the fold: this avoids cracking where dense ink solids or tone are present.
 
Punching and Drilling  
Drilling is the term used for producing round holes in a sheet. Punching is used for other shapes. Both are semi-mechanical operations when applied to short and medium run work, with specialist houses capable of economical long run finishing. Artwork specification should state neck distance (the distance from the spine or edge to the centre of the hole), the distance from the centre of one hole to another, the size of the holes and their position on the sheet. This will normally be supplied as a separate film overlay with key lines for hole positions. The possibilities of punching as part of the combination of finishing process could greatly enhance your design and its effectiveness.
 
Perforating  
Perforating is another semi mechanical operation most commonly used for tear off reply paid cards.
 
Stitching  
Saddle and side stitching are the two common methods of wire stitching in commercial printing. Saddle stitching is used mainly for brochures and magazines, but it is limited in the depth to which it can penetrate - a rough guideline would be 7.5mm. Side stitching is suitable for products up to 25mm in thickness, but an allowance must be made for loss of page area within the spine.
 
Perfect Binding  
For magazines or publications exceeding 7 or 8mm, adhesive binding is required. An adhesive binding machine will gather, prepare spine, glue and attach the cover in one operation. It is a more expensive operation than saddle stitching and requires careful execution and planning to achieve a secure and professional finish. Two types of adhesive are used - PVA (water based) and hot melt (wax based). For uncoated papers, hot melt is recommended due to its good sticking and hard drying properties. For coated papers, where penetration is required through the coating, plus a more flexible spine, then PVA should be used. The adhesive binding process requires careful planning because varying amounts of paper have to be trimmed from the spine to expose the fibres for glueing. The greater the number of pages, the more that must be removed thus reducing the page areas.
 
Section-Sewn Book  
A book in which sections are sewn together for greater strength of binding prior to glueing. This process requires a different image position than perfect binding and also another element of finishing - it is therefore more expensive than conventional perfect binding.