October 2005: Prime Applications for PUR Adhesives

PUR is ideal for books with heavy ink and coating coverage, especially those printed on thick stocks.

The use of PUR binding adhesives has become much more prevalent in the industry in the past few years. That’s a result of more binderies offering PUR binding capabilities, as well as improved binding and adhesive technologies that make PUR an economical solution for shorter-run projects. Two traditional pitfalls of PUR – cost and turnaround time – have largely been alleviated.

At The Riverside Group, we’ve also noticed an increased awareness of PUR’s advantages among printers and designers. Where we previously suggested the use of PUR for projects that required it, customers are now designing products with PUR specifically in mind. To that end, here are couple examples of projects that are a good fit for PUR binding:

Catalogs
Almost by definition, catalogs possess these three characteristics: Plenty of images, a long shelf life and a heavy usage pattern. While this might sound like a “triple whammy” for binding strength, they aren’t a challenge for PUR.

Catalogs often possess full-bleed images on every page; that amount of ink and coating in the gutter requires the strength of PUR, which can still create a strong bond despite the lack of direct adhesion with paper fiber. Likewise, catalogs are typically designed to spend several months or longer in the hands of customers, and must be constructed to withstand that extended usage. PUR adhesive is worth the added investment to ensure your catalogs stay together.

Thin Books, Thick Stocks
One popular trend in the design of annual reports, brochures and marketing collateral is the use of cover-weight stocks for very thin books (those that bulk ¼” or less). These projects often include heavy ink and coating coverage to create products with a high perceived value.

The combination of thick, coated stocks with minimal bulk generally wreaks havoc on user-friendliness and places excess stress on the binding edge. Traditional hot-melt binding adhesives tend to be more rigid, reducing the flexibility of the book, creating an increased failure rate. PUR adhesive doesn’t have this problem, as it’s applied thinly, creates a great bond, and remains flexible.

The Riverside Advantage
The Riverside Group has been a leader in PUR binding services for several years. We use PUR adhesives to enhance the strength, flexibility and durability of Otabind, Smyth-sewn and perfect-bound books. Our complete range of binding and finishing services includes mechanical binding, hardcover case binding, folding, gluing, die cutting, foil stamping, UV coating and much more.