Digital printing does not only mean investments in the prepress stage and in printing, but in most cases also in the postpress stage. This is due to the fact that the traditional separation between the print and postpress sectors is vanishing. What has been printed within a short time must also be delivered quickly. This means that very often there is no time to leave print finishing to a bookbinder. 

The handling before and after folding is becoming increasingly important because the appropriate technology at this point has a direct influence on the efficiency of the machines and the production costs of printed material. The capability of the peripheral technology determines how many machine operators are needed and whether specific processes can be integrated into the workflow. If the folding machine is used for certain products, a direct online connection to the digital printing machine is often the most advantageous solution, but in the past this meant some limitations as far as the jobs to be handled were concerned.

With the new flat pile feeder FSA 52-Online from MB Bäuerle, folding systems can now be equipped with particularly flexible feeding options. The feeder makes it possible to load the online folding system with either cut sheet or continuous forms from the roll. This means that the folding machine can be integrated completely into the workflow of a continuous digital printing system, but it can also be used for all other traditional folding jobs. The feeder is adapted to the respective application within a very short time and thus offers a maximum flexibility for the user. A high stacking capacity and as well as simple operation are other advantages of the system.