The mass production of those catalogues was both a challenge and a triumph for our printing facility. With several versions of high-volume catalogues for different European markets, we navigated the intricacies of the project perfectly.

Rotary offset printing for mass volumes
A significant portion of the catalogues was printed with our web heatset presses, which handled the massive quantities seamlessly. This technology is incredibly crucial for thick catalogues produced in high volumes because it delivers ready-to-bind, folded sections, saving us valuable time by eliminating additional processing steps. Some of the markets required small print runs and using our web presses would not have made economic sense, so we used our sheet-fed printing presses for this portion of the production.

Plate changes for the language versions
Different language versions required plate changes between versions for each section of the catalogue. Catalogues’ production files for different markets usually contain additional separate colour for different language. So all the colours except for black are the same for the whole production run for all languages, and only one colour representing the language is changed – black. This required perfect logistics and procedures to not mix the sections between the languages. Our facility has significant experience in the production of many-language publications, where the plates must be changed for each language version. Also, in the prepress stage, we customised each version with separate barcodes, which are placed in the spine and in the perfect binding process, the machine automatically checks if the correct sections are applied.

Hard and soft cover, cut-out tabs system
Regarding the finishing, we provided flexibility for different markets with a mix of hardcover and softcover options. The catalogues, a testament to complexity, featured a cut-out tabs system on different levels. The cut-out indexes divide the book into various thematic sections, making it quicker and easier for users to find the specific product they are looking for. In those catalogues, the cut-out tabs system had 3 different levels.

Undoubtedly demanding, this project brought immense satisfaction to our printing house and proved that we are a reliable printing partner for big, challenging production projects of catalogues at the full European scale.