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Advantage

The Nation's Leader in Quality Book Binding
& Post Press Services Since 1985

410-760-0008
2 Nashua Court, Baltimore, MD 21221

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Graduation Gift Book Ideas

Graduation season is almost upon us, and soon our favorite graduates will be going off to make their way in the world. Can’t seem to find the perfect gift for this momentous occasion? Why not one of our many gift book offerings? Gift books are a fantastic way to commemorate a graduation, and to give your graduate something they can treasure forever and that will bring them fond memories of this time in their life.

Graduation Gift Book Ideas

For the English Major

There are tons of great gift book options for the graduating English major. One thing they’re sure to treasure is a custom book box. If your graduate did their thesis on a favorite novel, a custom book box is a great way to preserve the book indefinitely. Or, see if you can find an early edition or a signed copy for the custom box. This is a gift that is sure to hold a special place in your graduate’s heart.

For the Journalism Major

Is your graduate heading off into the world of journalism? Send them off with a special volume binding. If they wrote for the school newspaper or on-campus magazine, collect the editions and we’ll put them together in a beautiful volume binding. This ensures they won’t get lost or damaged, and keeps them all together in a convenient and stylish binding.

For the Foreign Language Major

Volume bindings and custom book boxes also make great gifts for the foreign language major. Use a volume binding to assemble a few editions of their favorite foreign language publication, or a custom book box to house that hefty copy of Don Quixote.

For Any Graduate

Even if your graduate isn’t involved in a literary field, we have gift ideas for them. We can put together handsome photo albums to hold their favorite photos from their college days. Shadowboxes with sports mementos from their university also make great gifts for die hard sports fans.

graduation gift book

Advantage Book Binding has been in the book binding business since 1985, when we were founded on the principle “we do a quality book on time.” Since then we’ve seen plenty of changes both in and out of the industry. While some have sounded the death knell for books and other physical media, we believe that the fact that we continue to be an industry leader into the 21st century is a testament not only to our longevity as a company but to that of our craft. We think it’s important to keep books and physical media on the shelves, which is why we dedicate ourselves to providing you with the highest quality book binding and post press services available.

Keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.

 

New Book Binding Equipment at Advantage

Here at Advantage, we’re always looking for ways to keep our edge in the book binding industry. That’s why we’ve added several new tools to our binding equipment line that will allow us to serve you faster and better than ever.

High Speed Film Laminator

film laminator

 

Want to add luster and style to your book or product? Let Advantage Book Binding do it with the introduction of our new high speed Cosmo GBC 7580 film laminator.

If you are adding protection to a cover, dust jacket or just adding that bling, the options of gloss, matte, and velvet finishes, gives you the flexibility that you and your customers demand.

Our new laminator can provide numerous options such as single or double sided lamination. We can laminate a sheet as small as 8.5” x 11” to 32” x 40”. At speeds of 200ft/min we can produce your product in the constraints of your schedules.

The installation of this new laminator will continue to give you the edge Advantage always does, a quality product on time.

High Speed Inline Drill

high speed drill

 

Have you looked into some of our new capabilities? Advantage Book Binding has just installed a Corta high speed inline drill. Now we have the abilities to drill one , two, three, four and even five holes faster than ever before. Speeds can range up to 2000 books/hour(based on bulk). Hole sizes range from 1/8” to ½”. Catalogues, school textbooks, and legal books are just a few items that are being manufactured on our new equipment.

Automation for Faster Binding

Our automation with wire on our Bielomatic, plastic spiral mechanical binding on our Gateway system, dust jacketing on our Amita, and high speed stamping on our Kolbus PE312 allow your products to be produced in such a timely manner than ever before with some of the highest quality available.

 

Advantage Book Binding has been in the book binding business since 1985, when we were founded on the principle “we do a quality book on time.” Since then we’ve seen plenty of changes both in and out of the industry. While some have sounded the death knell for books and other physical media, we believe that the fact that we continue to be an industry leader into the 21st century is a testament not only to our longevity as a company but to that of our craft. We think it’s important to keep books and physical media on the shelves, which is why we dedicate ourselves to providing you with the highest quality book binding and post press services available.

Keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Library Limelight: The Library of Congress

You don’t have to look any further than our nation’s capital to find the largest library in the world. The Library of Congress lays claim to that title, housing more than 158 million items altogether. Among its collection are more than 36 million cataloged books and other print materials in 460 languages and 69 million manuscripts. The library also holds 3.5 million sound recordings, 13.7 million photographs, 5.5 million maps, and 6.7 million pieces of sheet music. Amazingly, the library adds approximately 12,000 items to its collection every working day.

But perhaps even more impressive is the fact that the Library of Congress started way back in 1800 with just 3,000 volumes. Housed in the Capitol, the library was destroyed by British troops during the War or 1812. In 1815 the library was begun anew with Congress’ purchase of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library, containing 6,487 books. The price? $23,950.

After the implementation of copyright law in 1870 required all copyright applicants to send the Library of Congress two copies of their work, space at the Capitol stated to grow tight. Congress authorized the construction of a separate building to house the library in 1873, but it wasn’t until 1897 that the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building first opened its doors. As the library continued to grow over the years, two addition buildings were added: the John Adams Building in 1038, and the James Madison Memorial Building in 1981.

Today, the Library of Congress is open to the public, generally during business hours on weekdays, though the hours vary slightly between the three buildings. If you go you can see, among countless other book novelties:

  • The largest rare-book collection in North America, which includes the first book printed on the continent, the Bay Psalm Book.
  • The Gutenberg Bible
  • A 5 by 7 foot book featuring color images of Bhutan
  • A book entitled “Old King Cole” which is a mere 1/25th by 1/25th of an inch in size.

For more information, check out the Library of Congress’ official website.

Library of Congress

Advantage Book Binding has been in the book binding business since 1985, when we were founded on the principle “we do a quality book on time.” Since then we’ve seen plenty of changes both in and out of the industry. While some have sounded the death knell for books and other physical media, we believe that the fact that we continue to be an industry leader into the 21st century is a testament not only to our longevity as a company but to that of our craft. We think it’s important to keep books and physical media on the shelves, which is why we dedicate ourselves to providing you with the highest quality book binding and post press services available.

Keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.

 

Keeping Bookstores Relevant in the Digital Age

Bookstores have taken a hit in recent years, as big-box retailers like Borders have closed their doors and small independent bookstores too are finding it hard to make ends meet. Still, bookstores are finding ways to remain relevant as consumers are realizing that even though we live in the information age, there is still great value to information that’s imparted on a tangible medium.

In a recent opinion discussion on The New York Times’ website, writers, bookstore owners, and publishers each offered their own unique perspectives on bookstores and what they can do to stay relevant. All of the opinion pieces are worth the read, but perhaps the most profound point made in the discussion of physical vs. digital media comes from Emily Powell, the president of Powell’s books, which is “one of the largest family-owned independent booksellers in the world.”

“Our goal has always been to create a space, online and in person, that embodies our respect for the written word and its consumers. Book lover or not, we all want places to go where our needs are met and we fell spoken to as unique, interesting, valuable humans. We crave places that enrich and nourish us. The best independent bookstores are creating these spaces on a daily basis. No algorithm can succeed at doing that. The threat of online competition just reminds me that bigger is not always better; better is better.”

 

bookstores relevant

 

Advantage Book Binding has been in the book binding business since 1985, when we were founded on the principle “we do a quality book on time.” Since then we’ve seen plenty of changes both in and out of the industry. While some have sounded the death knell for books and other physical media, we believe that the fact that we continue to be an industry leader into the 21st century is a testament not only to our longevity as a company but to that of our craft. We think it’s important to keep books and physical media on the shelves, which is why we dedicate ourselves to providing you with the highest quality book binding and post press services available.

Keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Paper Companies Seek To Turn Over New Leaf

If you would have told most people 25 years ago that in the not-so-distant future they would be able to file their taxes without putting a pen to paper, they would have thought you were crazy. But the Internet celebrated its 25th birthday just earlier this month, and with less than a month left in tax season, many of us are going paperless and filing our taxes online. Not only that, but people and corporations are doing plenty of other things without paper that used to require large volumes of it. Email, taxes, reading the news, annual returns: all can be taken care of without a single sheet of paper.

This has left paper companies in a bind, as demand for paper fell sharply with the rise of the computer and the Internet. However, new innovations are bringing paper companies back out of the red, and turning paper from a commodity into a keepsake, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Mohawk Paper, for example, took a gamble by investing heavily in the high-quality stationary market. While the Internet may have brought down the demand for more utilitarian uses of paper, it has increased the demand for more creative and design oriented uses that require higher quality and non-standard sized paper. For example, personalized stationary, greeting, and holiday cards which can be designed online with user-submitted photos. Mohawk, which was already in possession of a machine that cut non-standard sized paper, bought several high quality stationary firms and made a bet that the digital printing industry would take off. It did. According to the Journal, “In 1998 sales of paper to digital companies comprised $10 million in revenue, Mohawk officials said. In 2012, sales to digital customers reached $100 million in sales, about 40% of company revenue.”

 

stationary

 

 

Advantage Book Binding has been in the book binding business since 1985, when we were founded on the principle “we do a quality book on time.” Since then we’ve seen plenty of changes both in and out of the industry. While some have sounded the death knell for books and other physical media, we believe that the fact that we continue to be an industry leader into the 21st century is a testament not only to our longevity as a company but to that of our craft. We think it’s important to keep books and physical media on the shelves, which is why we dedicate ourselves to providing you with the highest quality book binding and post press services available.

 

Keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Source

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304703804579385470794476470

 

Bookstore Spotlight: El Ateneo Grand Splendid

El Ateneo Grand Splendid (El Ateneo for short) is one of the most famous bookstore’s world, and also one of the most visually stunning. Found in Buenos Aires, Argentina, El Ateneo houses 120,000 books in a nearly 100 year old former theater built by Argentine immigrant and phonographic and film pioneer Max Glücksmann.

After arriving in Buenos Aires in 1890, Glücksmann contracted architects Peró and Torres Armengol to design the theater, which he used to put on tango shows as well as the home of his radio station. An interest in the burgeoning film industry prompted Glücksmann to convert the theater into a movie theater, which showed silent films with live tango orchestras. In 1929, the first film with sound shown in Buenos Aires, La Divina Dama, debuted at El Ateneo, known then as Teatro Grand Splendid.

In the 1970’s the theater was briefly reverted to a live performance theater, and then again to a movie theater until 1991, when it closed due to a stagnant Argentine economy. The theater was scheduled for demolition until the Ilhsa Group, which owns Argentina’s Ateneo bookstore chain, stepped in and bought it, reopening it in its current form at the end of 2000.

More than 3,000 people visit El Ateneo every day to marvel at its architectural beauty. The stage from the theater is still intact, and is home to a small cafe with live music. A few theater boxes still remain as a reading area for patrons, and the ceiling features a stunning Romantic-style fresco, painted by Italian Nazareno Orlandi, in celebration of the end of World War I.

 

El Ateneo Buenos Aires

 

Advantage Book Binding has been in the book binding business since 1985, when we were founded on the principle “we do a quality book on time.” Since then we’ve seen plenty of changes both in and out of the industry. While some have sounded the death knell for books and other physical media, we believe that the fact that we continue to be an industry leader into the 21st century is a testament not only to our longevity as a company but to that of our craft. We think it’s important to keep books and physical media on the shelves, which is why we dedicate ourselves to providing you with the highest quality book binding and post press services available.

Keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Source

http://wander-argentina.com/el-ateneo-grand-splendid/

Mother’s and Father’s Day Gift Book Ideas

Always forgetting about Mother’s and Father’s day until the last minute? Don’t wait until the day of to get your mom or dad a card, get your gift early this year and make it something from the heart. Gift books are a great personal gift for your mom or dad on Mother’s and Father’s Day, and they’re also great for graduations, first communions, and bat and bar mitzvahs.

A great idea for a Mother’s or Father’s Day gift is a family tree book. You provide the documents and photos, and we’ll create a beautiful living documentation of your family’s history that you can share with relatives and friends. Great for the family historian.

Another popular gift is a volume binding. Volume binding involves taking several volumes of a magazine and binding them together into a handsome case bound book. This is a great way to preserve old magazine collections as well as personalize them with a binding material and name stamp. Volume bindings also protect the magazines from being damaged. A great gift for the mother or father with a treasured old collection of National Geographic’s or Sports Illustrated’s.

Custom book boxes are another popular gift for those with a favorite book that they want to stand out in their collection. These are great for rare first editions or signed copies of books, and can also be personalized in style. We also do custom shadowboxes and photo albums, which are great not only for Mother’s and Father’s Day, but also to celebrate graduations and bar and bat mitzvahs.

This year, give your mom or dad a unique gift that they’ll treasure forever. Custom gift books from Advantage Book Binding!

 

magazine volume binding

 

Advantage Book Binding has been in the book binding business since 1985, when we were founded on the principle “we do a quality book on time.” Since then we’ve seen plenty of changes both in and out of the industry. While some have sounded the death knell for books and other physical media, we believe that the fact that we continue to be an industry leader into the 21st century is a testament not only to our longevity as a company but to that of our craft. We think it’s important to keep books and physical media on the shelves, which is why we dedicate ourselves to providing you with the highest quality book binding and post press services available.

Keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.

The Multiple Stories Told by Print Books

Everyone thinks about the story a book tells, but did you ever stop and think that print books tell more than just one story? While the text may tell “the” story, the physical book itself tells other stories, writes Anna Holmes in the New York Times’ Bookends section:

“Anyone who owns and enjoys books understands that the volumes we keep on our shelves – and in our hands on a busy subway – tell several stories. There’s the author’s story, which is the actual text; there’s the publisher’s story, which has to do with the choice of format and design; and. Finally, there’s the reader’s story – what a particular book telegraphs about one’s education and tastes. Who or what we choose to read can be as telling as the clothes we wear…”

Holmes’ comments highlight a distinction that many other readers are finding between e-books and physical books. While both tell a story, a physical book can tell many other stories and reveal an aspect of the personality of the person who reads it. To read more about how technology is affecting how we read, check out the full article, which features Holmes’ as well as Mohsin Hamid.

 

ebook vs book

 

Advantage Book Binding has been in the book binding business since 1985, when we were founded on the principle “we do a quality book on time.” Since then we’ve seen plenty of changes both in and out of the industry. While some have sounded the death knell for books and other physical media, we believe that the fact that we continue to be an industry leader into the 21st century is a testament not only to our longevity as a company but to that of our craft. We think it’s important to keep books and physical media on the shelves, which is why we dedicate ourselves to providing you with the highest quality book binding and post press services available.

 

Keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Source

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/05/books/review/how-do-e-books-change-the-reading-experience.html?_r=0

Custom Book Products from The Book Boutique

From parent company Advantage Book Binding comes The Book Boutique, specializing in custom books and custom book products. The book boutique combines the nearly 30 years of Advantage Book Binding’s experience as a trade bindery with its skills in book specialization and finish to create custom books that are unique works of art in their own right.

 

The Book Boutique does everything from custom leather books to commemorative books to art and magazine book collections. Commemorate a wedding with a custom wedding book, or compile your prized magazine collection with volume binding. Create a custom book box to hold a loved one’s favorite book or Bible, or let your own creative vision design the book cover you always wanted to have. If you’re a self-publisher, let the creative control of your project extend into the binding of your completed work. Whether you’re doing a small or large run, The Book Boutique can accommodate your wishes and use our professional book finishing skills to deliver the product that you first envisioned.

 

Whether it’s a gift for a loved one, a commemorative token, or just a little something for yourself, a custom book is sure to become a prized possession. In today’s world where so much text is valued only for the amount of time it can hold your attention on a screen, buck the trend and celebrate the value of the printed word by pairing it with a binding that’s as elegant as its contents.

 

custom book binding

 

 

Advantage Book Binding has been in the book binding business since 1985, when we were founded on the principle “we do a quality book on time.” Since then we’ve seen plenty of changes both in and out of the industry. While some have sounded the death knell for books and other physical media, we believe that the fact that we continue to be an industry leader into the 21st century is a testament not only to our longevity as a company but to that of our craft. We think it’s important to keep books and physical media on the shelves, which is why we dedicate ourselves to providing you with the highest quality book binding and post press services available.

 

Keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.

 

Judge a Book By Its Cover

Don’t judge a book by its cover is probably one of the first refrains many children ever hear. It’s a useful phrase, as it inspires kids to look beyond the cover of a book to what’s inside and hopefully instill in them a love for reading. Also it can be more widely applied in a metaphorical sense to encourage not judging something based on its outward appearance. But the fact is that people do judge books by their covers, so it’s important to keep this in mind if you’re in the business of selling books. This quote from Paper Because sums it up pretty nicely:

“It’s a simple fact that many people do judge a book by its cover. No one reads a book before buying it and authors/publishers have just seconds to grab the reader, so it’s crucial that the cover and back cover texts be compelling. An eye-catching and skillfully printed dust jacket can actually mean the difference between success and obscurity for an author.”

While plenty of people buy a book after reading a review or hearing about it from a friend, just as many buy books on a whim, not knowing what they’re getting into. The reason for this lies fully in the design of the cover of the book. You’re not going to be inspired to buy a book on a whim if it has a bland cover that blends in with the rest of the books on the shelf. Books distinguish themselves by standing out with unique jacket art that prompts a browsing reader to take a second look. And, as the quote above states, that second look might just be the difference between success and obscurity. Check out the full post from Paper Because on why print is an art form here.

 judge a book by its cover

Advantage Book Binding has been in the book binding business since 1985, when we were founded on the principle “we do a quality book on time.” Since then we’ve seen plenty of changes both in and out of the industry. While some have sounded the death knell for books and other physical media, we believe that the fact that we continue to be an industry leader into the 21st century is a testament not only to our longevity as a company but to that of our craft. We think it’s important to keep books and physical media on the shelves, which is why we dedicate ourselves to providing you with the highest quality book binding and post press services available.

Keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.