There are no special considerations for trimming FlexBind® sheets compared to standard coated paper. It is recommended to wait a minimum of 2 hours after printing before trimming to avoid damage to the ink, typically seen as “picking”.
The recommended sequence for trimming 4 sides of a FlexBind® sheet is below. The rule-of-thumb is to cut the gap stiffeners off last. Without the gap stiffeners, the hinged edge of the sheet becomes very unstable and it is easy to collapse the hinge while trying to square-up the sheet against the back gauge.
- Cut the spine to the required dimension for binding
- Cut the outside edge of the sheet (opposite the hinged edge)
- Cut the bottom stiffener off
- Cut the top stiffener off
Obviously this order of trimming cannot always be followed when multiple books are printed on the same sheet. Operators need to be trained to take care when squaring up the book block that the spine is not flexed.
Duplo or other in-line trimming equipment can used normally.