Hand Gluing Services

In the print finishing industry there are many different types of gluing jobs and jobs involving adhesive materials. A great many of these are done automatically, in-line but there are still a great many which call for hand gluing. One age-old example is the creation of pockets in information folders. Flat pockets are often glued automatically but pockets with a capacity are done by hand. The folders will be supplied flat, cut and creased by the printer and we will add a strip of double-sided adhesive tape to each of the “glue flaps”. We then fold along the creases and neatly fasten the pocket, usually to the inside back cover of the folder, before packing into suitable boxes.

Peelable Adhesive Might Offer Best Results

Another regular print finishing job is affixing “extras” to leaflets, folders, letters or booklets. These “extras” are variously referred to as cover mounts, tip-ins, add-ons and tip-ons and often take the form of membership cards, vouchers and coupons. Once again, if circumstances are favourable, this job is done automatically but often it is left to the print finisher to come up with a hand gluing solution. The choice of adhesive can be crucial to the success of the job. Cover mounts are affixed using a peelable adhesive, usually a product called a glue dot, so that the cover mount can be removed with damage to either itself or to the printed page. However, in certain instances a customer may dictate that a spot of permanent adhesive is required for the hand gluing operation and so Polyvinyl Acetate glue (PVA) might provide the solution.

PVA Glue May Not Be Suitable

Greeting card insets are another example where a permanent adhesive is required to hold the centrefold greeting firmly within the 4-page card outer. Hand gluing in this instance could once again involve PVA but it could be that a strip of double-sided adhesive tape might be more suitable. When supplied as glue, PVA is an emulsion in water and as such it can leave a visible “scar” due to shrinkage when the water dries out. This effect should always be considered when specifying PVA adhesive for use on paper or board.

Hot Melt Adhesives

When a hand gluing job entails working with more robust materials such as corrugated board or heavy box board, for example, it is often advisable to work with adhesives that offer the hand gluing operative more specific control. Hot melt adhesives are a case in point. The construction of certain items might demand that hot melt glue is applied to, say, 5 areas before they can be folded and fastened. The choice of hot melt glue is critical, ensuring that it has sufficient “open time” to allow time for the application of the adhesive and to ensure that it gives instant, strong adhesion when “closed”.

Our popupmailers website features more on how we use hot melt in the manufacture of certain promotional products. To see some examples of these products please click on automatic pop-ups and pen holders.

Special Applications

There are other instances of hand gluing where none of the above is suitable. Window posters offer one example where the end user has to be able to affix the poster to a shop window for the duration of a special offer but remove it without leaving a line of gunk on his window. Special adhesive tapes are available for such applications with a permanent adhesive for the poster side and a peelable adhesive for the window side. The shape of an add-on might make it awkward for regular adhesives to be employed – a pencil, for instance, might be best affixed using a self-adhesive foam pad.

Laminated Finishes and UV Varnish can Create Hand Gluing Problems

In all instances it is a good idea to discuss your hand gluing job thoroughly with our estimators to ensure that the correct job spec is arrived at before asking for a quote. We have had countless occasions when a printer has asked for a price to spot-glue a slip of paper onto a folder using a small drop of PVA. When the job has arrived it might transpire that the folders and the add-on have been matt laminated. The choice of PVA glue in this instance is not at all suitable. The correct choice might well prove to be more expensive and the printer is suddenly left out-of-pocket. Another area to watch out for is when a client has specified the use of UV varnish on a folder with a pocket. Never ever put UV on “glue flaps” as the double-sided adhesive tape sticks only to the UV and not to the board and the pocket will detach form the folder just as soon any literature is inserted into the pocket.

So remember, discuss the full spec of the job when asking for hand gluing prices.