Local Print Shop Field Trip

I went on a field trip last week...kind of.  As many of you know, I have Beau Graphics, a local print shop, do much of my printing needs.  They are incredibly helpful and have assisted me in multiple random projects.  One of those being a small book that they arranged in such a way that I was able to bind it and create a custom cover for it.  Being a printing press, they have these awesome huge tools that I would never have room for even if I could afford them.  One part of the book making process that is often overlooked is prepping the paper for the inside.  They come in large sheets and each piece has to be cut multiple times and folded.  Here is how I do much of that:

Beau Graphics has some much bigger equiment that do the same thing without all the work.  Their equipment is old enough that it is still all manual; however, the machine cuts the paper rather than it being all the work of your arm and shoulder.  I can't begin to explain just how much paper I have to cut.  I have cut so much at a time that I've had blisters on my hand from moving that lever up and down.  This is why my trip to Beau Graphics last week was so amazing.  Check out their old school monster cutter:

and paper folder:

I still use my studio paper cutter every day and finish off each signature that goes in the journal with a cut from it.  The machine folder is also a bit moody and only likes certain sizes and types of paper.  Much of the paper is still individually hand-folded.  However, it helps quite a bit to have access to these machines and to be able to use them for part of the process. Speaking of paper, I had some help yesterday with sorting and doing the final cut.

Sierra offered her assistance and became a pro at prepping those signatures.  It was amazing how much she accomplished in her short time in the studio.  Cady, the little sheltie, also made her way into the photo, but she mostly just tried to distract us.  See all those piles of paper?  That is how all the books begin.