Spiel Associates Celebrates 50 years of The Print/Graph Expo Show

LBJ was President, Apollo 8 was preparing to orbit the moon, and The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” was still in theaters. The year was 1968 and The Graph Expo show was in Chicago, which shows why Norton Spiel, shown above, was dressed like Sonny from “The Sonny and Cher Show.”

“As other shows have foundered, Print/Graph Expo has been the one and only must exhibit show for us for the past 50 years,” says David Spiel co-owner of Spiel Associates, “other shows have come and gone but The Chicago show, as we have come to call it, is the only show that we have consistently exhibited at.”

In 1968, Norton Spiel Associates only sold a few machines, including The Sterling S64 tipper, shown in the photo. Believe it or not, one was just sold at auction and Spiel still has one in stock which is “still running fine. These Italian Tec Graf machines were built like tanks, along with The S59 collator, the finest collator ever built; we still sell them all the time,” states Michael Spiel, “Those in the know understand their versatility and durability. The first machine we ever sold in 1968 is on its fifth owner and is still going strong.”

Founded by Norton Spiel in 1963, Spiel Associates has been solving bindery problems, manufacturing and distributing binding machines for sale worldwide. The business has since been passed onto Norton’s sons: Michael, Saul, and David. “We celebrated our fiftieth anniversary as a company five years ago, at, of course, Graph Expo, where we served champagne to our customers. We will be duplicating this celebration this year at PRINT 18,” declares Saul Spiel. 

After having invented the world's first automatic plastic coil binder, the first automatic plastic coil binder and former, they introduced the first table top, automatic plastic coil binder. The table top Coilmaster Jr. TS has made its way into binderies, commercial printers, quick printers, in-plants and government agencies.

This year, Spiel Associates will be introducing their new, Sterling DigiPunchmaster. “It’s a Punchmaster high speed punch, with a touch screen. Everyone wants digital and the only way a binding machine can be digital is in its set up process,” says David Spiel. 

In addition, Spiel Associates will be demonstrating their new line of Digibinder PUR perfect binders. The Sterling Digibinder PUR is an entry level PUR binder which can bind up to 200 books per hour. The innovative closed gluing system includes a pressurized tank with a slot applicator and a cleaner tank which cleans the glue pot automatically. Bind up to 200 BPH up to 2” (50mm) thick. The Sterling Digibinder PUR Plus adds a cover feeder and outfeed conveyor. The machine can bind up to 500 BPH. Both PUR machines are affordably priced. 

This adds to their most successful line of The Sterling Digibinder automatic perfect binders which can bind books from as little as two sheets up to 2.25” thick. Full roughing ensures the strong binding of books printed on digital, glossy, UV coated, oil infused stock. 

There is no doubt that the marketplace has changed from their beginnings 50 years ago. Spiel Associates has been able to withstand changes in the economy and marketplace because as the marketplace continues to evolve, Spiel has been able to adapt their marketing strategies to those changes. “One thing that will never change is our commitment to The Chicago show, “declares Michael Spiel, “it is the best place to demonstrate new technology for the industry.”