While work on the first issue of 2025 is well underway, we paused to see which PostPress articles from 2024 caught the eyes of our readers. The following stories were the top reads from 2024 for visitors to the website.

1.            Industries Stay Committed to Embellishments
Segments of the printing industry are cautiously optimistic about the next few years. Sales revenue for commercial printing, direct mail, greeting cards, trading cards, and folding cartons and packaging is expected to grow. One contributing factor is the increased use of embellishments, particularly combinations of decorative technologies.

2.             Foil Set-Up and Makeready on a Clamshell Press
Working with clamshell-style foil stamping presses presents specific challenges on press. Correct set-up and makeready are critical to ensure a quality job and one that runs with few rejects and at speeds that provide an adequate ROI.

3.             Saddlestitcher Heads – 7 Deadly Sins to Avoid
The stitching head is one especially critical area for proper operation of a saddlestitcher. Even the simplest of newer stitching heads is a complex piece of equipment which, if not properly handled, will cause slowdowns, poor-quality stitched books and machine downtime. Discover the seven common mistakes that stitcher operators and bindery managers make with their stitcher heads.

4.             In a Design Bind? Try These Unique Binding Options
Since the beginning of books, there has been a need for binding. When Hindi scribes in India began binding palm-leaf manuscripts together with twine during the second century BC, so began the craft of bookbinding. Over time, the need has remained, although the techniques have evolved.

5.             Top 5 Lighthearted Animated Films that Cover Serious Workplace Safety and Health
The Napo Film Consortium is a source for short, animated, lighthearted videos on a variety of workplace health and safety topics. In review of these videos, find out how Everyman Napo and his co-workers humorously illustrate pitfalls, risks and hazards on the job as well as measures for preventing and mitigating harm to employees.