What Courier Stoughton Does Best

“We provide flexible schedules and first-rate service to publishers of one-color softcover books, ”says Paul DeGasparre, Plant Manager at Courier Stoughton. “Our strong reputation as one of the book industry’s most nimble and flexible manufacturers stems from the eagerness of all our employees to help the customer succeed.”

When you combine this positive attitude with the extremely broad capabilities of the plant you get a very powerful and agile operation. Courier Stoughton produces most jobs entirely in-house. Typically, they will do the prep, supply the paper, print and coat the covers, print the text, bind, and do any kitting and assembly that may be required. In that scenario, customers can coordinate all aspects of a change in schedule or specification with one phone call. And, since the folks at Courier Stoughton manage the job from beginning to end, they have the means (as well as the inclination) to make it happen.

Proof Perfect

“We’ll correct that on press.” If your cover printer has ever said that to you, it might be time to move that job to Courier Stoughton.

A color printing press is a very expensive piece of equipment to tie up doing color correction, particularly when you consider that you may spend several frustrating hours fixing a color problem only to discover that you have created new problems. It makes much more sense to make corrections to the file in the proofing stage — you get what you want, and it’s much more economical.

Then why do many printers continue to do color correction on press? It’s because they have yet to take advantage of process improvements and new equipment that would allow them to tune their proofer and press to match exactly. On every job they run, they must make costly adjustments on press in an often painful attempt to match the proof.

In contrast, Courier Stoughton manages and maintains both their proofing and plating/printing processes so that they are “repeatable,” meaning the image produced from a given file is exactly the same, day after day. And they follow rigorous procedures to ensure that their outputs always match exactly. They match the dot size of the press and the proofer, match the printing inks and the proofer’s pigments, and continually calibrate so they stay in tune. In addition, they produce proofs on the actual stock and apply lamination or coating per the job specs.

The result: cover proofs that are virtually indistinguishable from the printed product. At Courier Stoughton you can correct your file in the proofing stage, and rest assured that each one of your covers will be a perfect match to the proof.

Packaging and Assembly
Another Leg Up on the Competition

Do your books stand out in the crowded competitive marketplace?

With the intent of doing just that, an increasing number of publishers are packaging their books with media and other materials. In the education market and others you find books packaged and sold with CDs, DVDs, videotapes, audio tapes, and access codes to companion websites. Publishers are finding that by combining books with other media, they can add value with minimal additional cost, realize new revenue streams, and curb used book sales.

Wendy Kilborn is the Estimating and Procurement Specialist in Courier’s Kitting and Assembly Department in Stoughton. Wendy helps Courier customers develop creative, attractive, and cost-effective ways to incorporate other media with books. Prior to coming to Courier, Wendy worked for a publisher buying textbooks and multimedia educational kits. And for the past five years, she has been a tremendous resource for customers who want to add value to their product. She has a world of experience and a full quiver of reliable suppliers for everything from simple CD mailers to high-end, four-color product boxes.

So if your books go into kits or if you would like to combine your books with other media so they stand out in the crowded competitive marketplace, please keep this special expertise of Courier Stoughton in mind and contact your Courier Sales Representative.