NEWS
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Congratulations to Michele Brennan: 2016 William A. Dwiggins Award Recipient
We congratulate BNB's Michele Brennan on receiving the 2016 William A. Dwiggins award for her innumerable contributions to New England publishing and education.
Read more about Michele, and the Dwiggins award here.
Michele will be presented with the William A. Dwiggins Award at the 59th Annual New England Book Show on May 3, 2016.
BNB produces photography book, Aftermath: The Boston Marathon Bombings
Nearly three years after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, photographer Joshua Touster has released Aftermath: The Boston Marathon Bombings, his take on the bombings as a professional photographer and resident of Watertown, MA. Bridgeport National Bindery is the sole manufacturer of his new book.
"This book is a testament to a city, a region, and its residents who struggled to overcome the physical, emotional and psychological wounds that the bombings created - and what it took to begin to overcome them," said Touster.
A radio interview is also now available here, where you can find Joshua Touster discussing his experiences with, and perspectives on the bombings with WBUR, Boston. His hope is to "help place this book in thousands of Massachusetts public institutions and into the hands of those directly affected by the tragedy."
You may purchase the book and prints, as well as donate to the Aftermath: The Boston Marathon Bombings project at these two sites:
www.bostonmarathonaftermath.com
www.igg.me/at/bostonmarathonaftermath
JetComm 2 - April 13-14, 2016
Over 400 mid to large-sized printers from the USA arrived in San Antonio two days before Dscoop for JetComm 2, a meeting of production inkjet providers to discuss innovation and advancements related to specialty printing.
Left to Right: Panel host Cary Sherburne of WhatTheyThink, Tony Pelc, COO at Allied Printing Company in Detroit and Kent Larson, VP Print on Demand Division at Bridgeport National Bindery, Inc.
Panel was hosted by Cary Sherburne of WhatTheyThink. Cary is a well-known author, journalist and marketing consultant whose practice is focused on marketing communications strategies for the printing and publishing industries. More about Cary Sherburne.
Topics included spot UV and priming units that serve to differentiate print options and offer ROI to customers' products.
Sources:
BNB Represented at Dscoop 2016
BNB's very own Michele Brennan, Jonathan Jacobsen, Kent Larson and Celina McMahon arrive at Dscoop's annual conference 2016. Learn more about Dscoop in San Antonio.
Awaiting Dscoop speaker, Steve Wozniak on day one of Dscoop's annual conference...
Michele will be speaking April 15, 2016 at the InfoTrends session, representing Bridgeport National Bindery as a thought leader in inkjet and digital print technology.
"InfoTrends is the leading worldwide market research and strategic consulting firm for the digital imaging and document solutions industry. We provide research, analysis, forecasts, and advice to help clients understand market trends, identify opportunities, and develop strategies to grow their businesses." Learn more about InfoTrends.
To our Library Binding customers:
An important announcement from BNB's President, James M. Larsen.
Please click here for an important announcement from Bridgeport National Bindery's President, James M. Larsen.
Matte vs. Gloss Lamination: Which is right for your book?
Learn more about your often overlooked and under-considered book cover laminate options.
Often overlooked and under-considered is book cover lamination, or the finish which gives the book protection from the world around it. Lamination can change the visual and tactile experience of shopping for or reading a book. It can also affect the perceived quality and value of the book. Let's review a few of the pros and cons of gloss and matte finishes for soft covers (paperbacks).
While gloss lamination catches the eye with high-contrast colors and sheen, matte lamination offers an understated, soft look and feel to your paperback book.
Gloss Laminate
Gloss laminate is visually stunning. It produces deeper, cleaner and crisper lines and colors, and gives vibrancy to cover photos. The glossy, reflective finish grabs attention and implies a richer product. Gloss laminate is durable in that it repels dust, dirt and fingerprints. Even when it does come into contact with surface dirt, it is easily wiped clean. Gloss is the standard for trade paperbacks.
Some considerations to make when choosing gloss lamination: Scuffs, scratches and indents can be more visible with gloss covers - by nature of the glossy reflective finish, the imperfections catch light and draw attention. The vibrancy of color and sheen of the finish can sometimes overshadow the subtlety of an understated cover design.
Matte Laminate
Matte Laminate is often described as a more professional and elegant finish. Matte is currently the more "fashionable" choice for laminate. It is currently very popular among Young Adult titles. Authors, designers and consumers are enamored with the look and feel of matte lamination. The velvety texture of the finish makes for a pleasant tactile experience. The matte soft cover finish is less reflective than gloss, giving a more natural look to cover art. A less shiny cover absorbs more small scratches and scuffs without looking "beat up." The simple contrast of a matte cover among many glossy covers may draw its own attention on the bookstore shelf.
A few caveats regarding matte lamination: While many love the soft feel of matte lamination, the texture can be unusual and unexpected for some. The less reflective finish can lessen the intensity of cover color, producing a more "washed-out" or muted palette. Matte lamination can produce lower contrast on darker colors, resulting in an overall softer look. While scratches and scuffs are more readily absorbed by matte lamination, this finish can be more susceptible to stains and spills.
In the end, laminate is a personal preference - that can only really be evaluated with book in hand. Ordering proof copies of your book in different laminates can give you the ability to compare and contrast finishes on your own, side by side before you order many copies. You may even choose to produce the same title in both finishes to appease all audiences!
For answers to more detailed questions on soft cover laminates, please email info@bnbindery.com or fill out the general information form here.
BNB celebrates talented employees
Adding a touch of beauty to the break-room, thanks to our employees!
Along with all the promise and potential that the New Year brings, BNB has been buzzing with excitement over our “New Year, New Break Room Art” redecorating project. We are calling on BNB employees to showcase their talent for the visual arts – through paintings, photography, drawings, sculpture, collage or any medium that can be scanned or photographed and printed for display in the break-room.
For several years, faded framed book illustrations hung in the break-room, attracting dust and repelling inspiration. Our goal is to personalize the atmosphere and bring a touch of beauty and life to the industrial gray factory atmosphere. We are proud to have received so many beautiful submissions from our talented workplace family.
BNB is recycling old frames for the new artwork, as well as building new ones by hand. One talented BNB wood-worker is donating his time to constructing custom sized frames for our employee art. Our Prepress department will scan paintings, resize digital photography, and even set up “photo shoots” of sculpture and pottery. Our press operators will digitally print the final files for framing.
As the year progresses, we plan to rotate out the artwork if space becomes an issue. Otherwise, we look forward to as many submissions as our talented workforce can provide!
BNB exemplified as innovator of hardcover “book-of-one” manufacturing
Book-of-one manufacturing: Not just for soft cover anymore...BNB helps make hardcover POD a fast and efficient reality.
The "Book-of-One" binding model, once criticized for its inefficiencies and cost prohibitions, has now become a reality in the digital printing world. A print on demand bindery such as BNB, has shown the benefits of “one book at a time” production – less inventory/warehousing costs and quick turnaround. From ordering to shipping– and all the processes in between - the entire “book-of-one” model has been proven to be a cost effective, efficient way to get books to the end customer.
In a recent blog from Printing Impressions (www.piworld.com), Don Piontek of IBIS Bindery Systems, Ltd. based in the U.K. discussed the challenges of the modern printer/binder with regards to hardcover "book-of-one" production. Compared to soft cover finishing, hardcovers have many more components to marry together into the final product. This necessitates a longer production time, more handling and less efficiency when every unit has the potential to be a different title.
Defending the hardcover “book-of-one” model for BNB is Werner Rebsamen, Professor Emeritus RIT. Rebsamen challenges Piontek to consider companies such as Bridgeport National Bindery who have “amazing technology at work.” Electronic ordering, barcode tracking of book components and drop shipping to customers are all factors which make BNB and the hardcover “book-of-one” a smart choice. Customers such as Amazon can electronically request titles for themselves or their customers, and finished orders are often shipped within 24 hours of receipt. Rebsamen continues that the cost of binding a single hardcover book can be comparable to a 5000 book print run of the same book. “Traditional book manufacturers adjust to this trend,” he concluded, with BNB as a successful example of changing with the times.
BNB gets into the Holiday Spirit with Christmas Book Trees
It all started three years ago with a small stack of books and a string of lights in our prepress department...
The first attempt, 2012...
It all started three years ago with a small stack of books and a string of lights in our prepress department.
This year, BNB decided to up our game with a 5-foot Christmas Book Tree to celebrate the season.
Employees from several departments gathered books earmarked for recycling, and took time early in December to build a tree. Glue and creativity flowed freely as the small group added, subtracted and rearranged books into a pleasing (and structurally stable) shape.
Onlookers may have heard phrases like, "I'm not an engineer, but...." or "I think it's leaning forward, try this..." However, in general the tree building process went smoothly.
After stringing a few twinkle lights, our BNB Christmas Book Tree was complete. Of course, no tree is complete without a special tree topper - our own gigantic pine cone!
BNB 2015 Christmas Book Tree
Accessorizing our large Book Tree are several folded book trees, sprinkled throughout the bindery.
Mini folded book trees on display in our front office
Here are a few resources if you're looking to build similar book trees:
One of the Ways BNB Streamlines POD Workflow
Celina McMahan, Digital Workflow Specialist, describes how HP SmartStream Production Center can manage files to save operator time and efficiency.
BNB Execs asked to Join DSCOOP Committee
July 13, 2015 - Bridgeport National Bindery's Jonathan Jacobsen, VP of Operations and Michele Brennan, VP of Marketing and Business Development have been asked to join the DSCOOP Community Committee. Jack Glacken, President of TGI and former Chairman for DSCOOP met Jon and Michele while attending DSCOOP EMEA in Dublin, Ireland. Both will be assisting Jack and Leta Woods, DSCOOP Global Liason Manager at HP and others to develop a user group Community that will be located at the Solutions Showcase area at DSCOOP11 in San Antonio Texas 2016.
Agawam Junior High School Authors are Published...
Future Authors Program, a second year program at Agawam Junior High School, has produced over 300 new authors in 2015. The article cataloging this year's group is attached.
Thank you to the Agawam Advertiser News, and Turley Publications for allowing us to repost this article.