A process for the production of books (22) with digital printing from signatures, in which the book comprises signature groups (33), each formed with basic sheets (34), are parts of respective signature sheets (42). The process employs a manufacturing system (21) which includes a transversal cutting equipment (41) for cutting transversally the signatures sheets, and transversal and longitudinal folding equipment (46) for the formation of respective signatures (48). For a book with at least a sheet section devoid of text and/or figures in a last signature group, the method provides: a) identify a reduced signature group (59) including a number of sheet sections having at least a page with text and/or figures; b) cut the paper strip (23) to separate the reduced signature group as reduced signature group; c) actuate the transversal folding equipment (46) limited to the sheet sections having at least a page with text and/or figures and skipping the actuation of the transversal folding equipment (46) for a single sheet section; and d) actuate the longitudinal folding equipment (47) for folding longitudinally the reduced signature group.

A process for the production of books (22) with digital printing from signatures, in which the book comprises signature groups (33), each formed with basic sheets (34), are parts of respective signature sheets (42). The process employs a manufacturing system (21) which includes a transversal cutting equipment (41) for cutting transversally the signatures sheets, and transversal and longitudinal folding equipment (46) for the formation of respective signatures (48). For a book with at least a sheet section devoid of text and/or figures in a last signature group, the method provides: a) identify a reduced signature group (59) including a number of sheet sections having at least a page with text and/or figures; b) cut the paper strip (23) to separate the reduced signature group as reduced signature group; c) actuate the transversal folding equipment (46) limited to the sheet sections having at least a page with text and/or figures and skipping the actuation of the transversal folding equipment (46) for a single sheet section; and d) actuate the longitudinal folding equipment (47) for folding longitudinally the reduced signature group.

A printing control apparatus according to one aspect of this invention controls to print images on sheets based on image data of a plurality of pages, generate a bookbinding product by executing folding processing for the image-printed sheets, and output the bookbinding product. The printing control apparatus further accepts the position of an insertion sheet to be inserted into the sheets for which the folding processing is executed, and controls to output a plurality of bookbinding products by using, as a reference, the accepted position of the insertion sheet.