Creating business cards in-house is a fast growing trend. Many businesses, home businesses and entrepreneurs are realizing how much money they can save by creating business cards by using a business card cutter. Which business card cutter is the best deal for the dollar though?

The business card cutter you go with will depend a lot on what you intend to cut and the template you decide to use. Ten-up and 12-up patterns are still the most popular used today, but if you want to create business cards with full edge-to-edge color, you may need what is known as a gutter cut. This article will focus on non gutter cut machines.

If you are creating standard business cards, I highly recommend these two models. Option one is manually operated (and very affordable), while option two is electric:

Option 1: Cardmate Business Card Cutter

Option 2: Martin Yale BCS210 & BCS220

I have personally used both of these machines and can recommend them both. As far as manual business card cutters go, the Cardmate is in a league of its own. Nothing else out there (manually operated) even comes close.

You may find our entire selection of business card cutters here.

We just put a Tamerica TPF-42 paper folder out in our showroom last week and I got a chance to play around with it. Taking this paper folder from the box, assembling it and getting it to work is pretty easy. There are a couple of rubber rollers that have to be inserted prior to using the machine, but they aren’t too difficult to install.

One thing I immediately noticed, while assembling and using the machine, was how similar it was to the MBM 207M. The installation of the rubber rollers, the folding plates and the user interface are almost identical, if not the same. The folding plates even utilize a sliding method for setup that is the same as the MBM 207M. The case, digital readout and colors are a little different.

Having used both the Tamerica TPF-42 and the MBM 207M, I would have to say they are equally comparable in both quality and functionality. Along with the Dynafold paper folders we sell, the TPF-42 and 207M are both in my top 10 list of paper folders.

As far as the manual setup of a paper folder is concerned, the pinch-and-slide method the MBM and Tamerica folders use is probably the easiest on the market. Simply press a bracket on the fold plate and the plate slides back and forth. The skew ends up being very precise and the fold looks great.

You may view and compare both the Tamerica and MBM folders here:

Tamerica TPF-42 Paper Folder
MBM 207M Paper Folder

We are proud to announce the addition of the Fargo DTC550 ID card printer. This printer comes in nine different variations. This includes single sided, double sided, printers capable of encoding magnetic stripes and models that include a lamination cartridge.

Fargo has been around for well over a decade and makes some of the most renowned ID card printer available today. The color and image sharpness looks lifelike, allowing for edge to edge printing without any issues.

Fargo ID card printers can be used to create ID cards, badges, novelty cards and much more. ID card software is so easy to use now that creating an ID badge template can be done by just about anyone.

You can view the new Fargo DTC-Series printers by going to these following links:

• Fargo DTC550 Single Sided
• Fargo DTC550 Single Sided with Lamination Cartridge
• Fargo DTC550 Double Sided
• Fargo DTC550 Double Sided with Lamination Cartridge

I have been asked by several customers what my recommendations are on creating stapled booklets. These are the booklets that are typically anywhere from 4-80 pages thick, typically used to create instruction booklets, reports, short stories and other literature. There are two options on creating these types of booklets.

Before purchasing any booklet making equipment, you should ask yourself how many booklets you are creating per day and what your budget will be. One option, which I will discuss, is slower but sometimes less expensive.

These are my two booklet making recommendations:

Option 1 – The fastest and most effective way to create booklets is by using a booklet maker. These machines vary from semi to fully automatic. They take paper, staple it along the center and then fold it in half. These machines vary on the amount of paper they can fold and staple. You may find our entire selection of booklet makers here.

Option 2 – Your second, and sometimes less expensive option, is to use two separate machines like a paper folder and a saddle stapler. You can create the same effect of a booklet maker by single folding paper and then manually saddle stapling it using something like the Skrebba W115 or the Rapid 106. If you already have a paper folder, or a saddle stapler on hand, this may be the route you want to go.

Buying a paper folder and a saddle stapler used to be much less expensive than getting a booklet maker, but with booklet makers like the BookletMate and Formax FD 160, it is now often less expensive to simply go with a booklet maker.

Feel free to e-mail us, post a comment or call us at 1-800-658-8788 with your booklet making questions.

Question: I am looking for a cutter capable of cutting Plexiglas and Acrylic. The sizes I am cutting will vary throughout the day, so I need something that is easy to adjust. Every so often I get a special request to cut glass, so that would be a nice option as well. What do you suggest?

Answer: While there are many good cutters out there capable of doing what you require, one of our most versatile cutters is the Keencut SteelTrak cutter from Foster. This cutter includes scoring blade capable of cutting through Plexiglas and acrylic and another scoring blade capable of cutting glass.

One nice thing about the Keencut SteelTrak is that the cutting blades and scoring wheels are built into the cutter. This means you can cut acrylic, rotate the cutting head to the glass-scoring wheel, and begin cutting glass. This cutter also features a blade (built into the rotating cutting head) that can cut through ½-inc thick materials.

Stop by and check out the Foster Keencut SteelTrak here.

We have been busy here at ABC Office adding new products to our site. We have just added several new side tables to our site. These are made by Wooden Mallet and are branded under the name Dakota Wave.

These tables are designed for high traffic areas where they will be used on a frequent basis, such as lobbies, entryways and waiting rooms.

These Four New Models Are:

• Wooden Mallet DT-1 End Table
• Wooden Mallet DT-2 Coffee Table
• Wooden Mallet DM-1 Magazine End Table
• Wooden Mallet DM-2 Magazine Coffee Table

Feel free to stop by and take a look.

We are proud to announce the addition of the Banner American Green roll laminator to our site. This new laminator is not only green in appearance, but is also green in the way it works. This roll laminator includes several energy-saving features that will save you money and cut down on electricity use.

Energy Saving Features:

Standby Temperature: This laminator will cut the temperature from 300 degrees down to 150 degrees when it isn’t being used. Most roll laminators will maintain the operating temperature when not in use, wasting energy. When needed again, the Easy-Lam Green will warm back up to 300 degrees in only seven minutes. This is a great way to cut down on energy use.

Automatic Shutoff: The Easy-Lam Green will shut off after one hour of inactivity. This is a rare feature that will also save you additional money in energy costs.

If you are concerned about energy savings, your carbon footprint or your impact on the environment, you should consider looking into the Banner American Easy-Lam Green found here.

We are proud to announce the addition of the Minipack Cyclone series of external vacuum sealers. This includes the Cyclone 30, 40 and 50. All three of these new sealers are very similar in functionality, with the biggest difference being the sealing width. The Minipack Cyclone vacuum sealers can be used to package food and other products.

Minipack is well known for their line of shrink-wrap machines. Their line of vacuum sealers are just as well designed and manufactured.

The Cyclone series of sealers are designed to not only last the test of time, but are also designed to be very easy to set up and use. Nobody likes having to tinker around with a machine to get it to work properly. The Cyclone vacuum sealers work well right out of the box.

You may find these three new sealers here:

• Minipack Cyclone 30
• Minipack Cyclone 40
• Minipack Cyclone 50

We are excited to announce the addition of over two-dozen different models of Ameri-Shred paper shredders to our site. This includes pharmacy shredders, office shredders and high-end commercial shredders.

While we sell a variety of similar shredders online, Ameri-Shred is the only line of paper shredders that are 100% American made. This is very unusual for almost any office equipment manufacturer today.

Not only are Ameri-Shred paper shredders made in the USA, they are also made from solid metal components. Just look at a picture of one. There is not a single plastic piece visible, except for the buttons and casters. The guts of these shredders are metal constructed as well.

You may find our entire selection of Ameri-Shred paper shredders here.

This could be one of the most unusual posts I have written in some time, but with all the natural disasters and earthquakes we seem to be having in the world, it is always a good idea to keep emergency preparedness in mind.

It’s a great idea for you to keep your office prepared for an emergency as well. After all, you’re at the office eight hours of the day.

We sell a wide variety of office emergency kits that come with toiletries, sanitation equipment, food, shelter and more to keep you going for at least 72 hours. Our kits range in size from individual 72 hour kits to complete office preparedness kits capable of sustaining up to 15-30 people.

The reason for the funny headline is because our sanitation porta potty is essentially a storage bucket with a toilet seat attached. Although it is a funny design, it works well and is even easier to keep clean.

You may view our entire selection of office emergency kits here.