Orchard Press has installed a Duplo DBM 350 bookletmaker. The Swindon-based printer, which produces digital work on a Ricoh Pro 7100, invested in the system to help overcome the bottleneck their digital department was struggling with, trying to produce upward of 70,000 booklets per week.

The DBM 350, which arrived at Orchard Press in November 2019, can produce up to 3000 booklets per hour on paper grades ranging from 64 – 300gsm. It can handle a maximum sheet size of 320 x 460mm and Orchard Press’s system was fitted with the square back option. Now that it is up and running the company is aiming to produce closer to 100,000 booklets per week.

‘We looked at various equipment suppliers,’ said managing director Jason Grubb. ‘Duplo just gave us the all-round aspects we required; flexibility and compatibility, but was also sensibly priced. The new bookletmaker was brought in to help us keep up with our order book; with it, we can now keep control of the work, both in set-up time, logistics and profit, whereas previously we always outsourced the saddle stitching. All our fold/stitch/trim work was outsourced, and it was significant how much of it there was. The DBM 350 just takes the jobs we throw at it which isn’t surprising since we have a four year old collator and it’s still going strong. The installation happened just as a couple of key contracts were coming up and we hammered them out on the Duplo perfectly.’

Orchard Press, which employs 14 staff, caters to large blue-chip clients, estate agents, medical companies and the motor industry for a wide variety of jobs including normal commercial print along with business stationary, promotional materials, exhibition stands and window signage.