The SPEED NIP™ speeds up the process of compressing or "smashing" the swell in the folded signatures of sewn book blocks or the glue buildup in adhesive bound book blocks to yield a flat and square binding edge. The flattened book blocks make it possible to trim larger piles with greater accuracy and improve rounding and backing, thereby reducing production costs as well as improving the quality of the product. Processes intermixed sizes, thickness and types of paper with no make-ready or set-up.