Cartim Print, the “Printer for printers,” was in search of a fast, efficient, cost-effective solution to modernize its bookbindery. The company, hailing from Ghent, found just what it was looking for at Müller Martini: The world’s first Antaro perfect binder in a conventional configuration went online in Belgium in January.
Printer Cartim Print follows a clear concept: Founded in Ghent in 1991, the company has specialized in the delivery of print jobs from day one. Quality, speed, and low prices are the company’s hallmark: advantages that enable them to perform their role as a service provider for their numerous customers – efficiently and continuously. Besides Belgium (which represents about half of sales), orders also come from the Netherlands, France, and other neighboring countries.
Focus on prices and deadlines
“For us, the challenge is that our customers have to maximize their margins too. So we have to lower prices while also keeping very short deadlines,” explains Laura Goedertier, General Manager at Cartim Print. “We specialize in saddle-stitched and glued brochures and automated our entire production based on that. Our strength is producing online orders through our webshop, which specialists can access via a login.”
To keep this promise, Cartim Print and its 48 employees rely on modern machinery that even includes finishing: two XL106 8-color retransfer offset printing presses, nine folders, five saddle stitchers – and last but not least, the brand-new Antaro perfect binder from Müller Martini. “Around one-third of our print jobs are ultimately perfect-bound: brochures, books, newspapers, catalogs in small and medium runs,” says Laura Goedertier. “It was clear that we had to replace our 20-year-old Acoro perfect binder from Müller Martini. Müller Martini offered us the new Antaro for this performance segment, which was still in the test phase when the decision was made.”
Laura Goedertier (right), General Manager at Cartim Print, and Luc Sonck, Sales Manager Benelux Müller Martini, in front of the new Antaro perfect binder.
Technological fusion with Kolbus
Presented September of last year, the Antaro is a compact perfect binder for the midrange performance segment. It is the first development resulting from the acquisition of Kolbus’ book line business by Müller Martini. “The Antaro combines the best technologies from both companies,” says Luc Sonck, Sales Manager Benelux at Müller Martini. “For instance, the Antaro has the same stable base frame as the
Alegro, which runs at speeds up to 7,000 cycles per hour, and the proven swing clamp system of the major
Publica PRO lines.”
Numerous servo motors ensure fast, precise setup. Forgoing a wear-prone mechanical central drive guarantees a high binding quality and reduces maintenance costs. In the digital version, the swing clamps make it possible to process blocks with a thickness of up to 20 mm without operator intervention and without an empty gripper, that is without losses in productivity. Finally, the machine benefits from the latest version of the Asir PRO image and barcode recognition system: Thanks to a significantly higher resolution, even the smallest of errors are recognized.
Highly modern and highly automated
The Antaro installed at Cartim Print is equipped with the also newly developed GM 3684 gathering machine, which features no less than 24 feeders. A servo-controlled
Solit PRO three-knife trimmer and an
FA 650 front trimmer are also responsible for trimming. The FA 650 enables the trimming of fold-out brochures in one pass. “This fold trimmer is a game changer for us,” emphasizes Laura Goedertier, summarizing: “The Antaro is the most modern and automated machine on the market in its segment. We are confident that it offers us the speed we need to keep our promise: from order to bound book in three days. Only very few printers can do that. And the minimal setup times are also crucial to manage the small runs we deal with on a daily basis and keep the costs per copy as low as possible. Without a doubt, the Antaro is the best choice for us!”