From digital file to the warehouse, the Pebbling Printing Group can facilitate every step of the stationary and book production process with the highest environmental standards and innovative methods.
Pre-Press
Before printing begins, your files will be checked and prepared to move to the press. Close communication at this step is critical to the excellent printing of a publishing product.
File Preparation
Here we will communicate with you to make sure your color profiles, format, and other aspects of your files are in order for production. At this stage, all feedback comes from a dedicate pre-press engineer with high information security standards.
Digital Proof
Your job cannot move forward if you do not agree with colors and layout. Here we will provide a free digital proof with a color simulation that is adapted to the printing machine we will use. Once you approve, we can start the machines.
Dummy
Another important part of the design process is seeing how your product will feel physically without any print. We can prepare free dummies to show you the structure of your product in stone paper, whether it be a simple notebook or a children’s book with sliders and flaps.
Printing
The Pebble Printing Group is experienced with all major printing methods and uses this experience to suggest a suitable method based on a customer’s needs and the cost-efficient use of stone paper for their project.
Digital Printing
Stone paper is a heat-sensitive paper that cannot tolerate the heat of common laser printers. This limitation can be circumvented using special digital printing machines for smaller volumes, for example that one might find for independent publishers. This method has the lowest MOQ (minimum order quantity) and is usually cost-effective at under 1000 copies.
Offset Printing
Offset printing is the most common form of printing found in the publishing industry. The coating of most types of stone paper is optimized for fast offset printing and drying speeds. But still precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of the sensitive surface of stone paper when going through the drying process especially. The Pebble Printing Group has optimized production for these characteristics. This method is recommended for volumes from 1,000-10,000.
Gravure Printing
Gravure, or intaglio printing, is when a roll of paper is used to print a continuous stream of paper called a web. This is the best method for printing especially thin papers and high volume jobs. This however has higher startup costs, as special printing cylinders must be engraved for production. This method is recommended for 10,000+ copies.
Binding
Binding is when the printed sheets are finally brought and fastened together to create the heart of the book on its way to be finished. The Pebbling Printing Group has solutions to match any market need and knows how to adapt binding machines to the needs of stone paper. Among these are the most common types of binding:
Perfect Bound
Casebound
Sewn Bound
Saddle Stitching
Wire-O
The Pebble Printing Group can bind products using any adhesive i.e hot melts, dispersion adhesive, and more, but adhesive selection is sometimes limited to the requirements of stone paper. Stone paper’s surface is not porous and therefore does not have the same mechanical adhesion properties of traditional paper. The exact demands of each project must be considered and will be communicated clearly.
Finishing
While the properties of traditional paper allow for a large spectrum of finishing methods for publishing products, stone paper often requires special approaches to finishing. The Pebble Printing Group is the only printer to offer such a large selection of finishing methods on stone paper.
Jackets
Head/Tail Bands
Folded Pockets
Elastic Enclosures
Rounded Edges
Flaps
Lamination
Labels
Bellybands
Foil Stamping
Bookmark Ribbon
Slipcases
Logistics
Depending on the location of production, logistics solutions need to be chosen accordingly. This is a critical step to determining the overall environmental impact of delivery. It is also important to maintain satisfactory delivery times that arrive on schedule.
Local Delivery
The fastest and greenest method of transport is also the shortest. If we print your stone paper project locally, direct delivery can be organized to your door or warehouse within a few days.
Sea Freight
Shipping by sea is the most environmentally friendly way to transport goods long distances like from the Far East. It is also the cheapest option. For reference, a delivery from a large port in China can take 4-5 weeks.
Rail Transport
Rail transport is environmentally friendly and faster than sea freight. As the One Belt One Road Initiative progresses, this method allows for the passage of trains from the Far East to Europe in under 4 weeks. It is also surprisingly affordable.
Air Freight
Dummies and proofs are usually shipped using air freight, traveling on shared cargo planes to reduce their environmental impact. Globally, air freight usually arrives within a few days and ensures that high-priority printing jobs are communicated physically.