Are you looking for an energy efficient roll laminator that not only does a good job, but also uses less electricity? One model you may want to look at is the Banner American Easy-Lam Green roll laminator. This is my review.

To begin with, Banner America is known for making some of the most reliable roll and pouch laminators today. They make a wide variety of Easy-Lam roll laminators and PL series pouch laminators. The company has been around for well over a decade and has developed a great reputation.

The Easy-Lam Green is Banner American’s energy efficient model and is designed to save you money in operating cost. The Easy-Lam Green does this in two ways:

Energy Saving Features

1. While in standby mode, the Easy-Lam Green drops the temperature down from 300 degrees to 150 degrees. Most laminators maintain the maximum temperature the entire time. It only takes seven minutes for the Easy-Lam to go from 150 back to a 300-degree operating temperature.
2. The Easy-Lam Green is designed to shut off after one hour of inactivity. This is a very convenient feature to have on hand. Most laminators will continuously run until they are manually shut off.

Not only does the Easy-Lam green include these energy-saving measures, it is also very easy to use. It is designed to laminate posters, maps, signs, banners and much more. The Easy-Lam Green can be used in schools, print shops, copy shops, churches and more.

The Easy-Lam green is 27-inches wide, which allows it to laminate most common materials. The core size is one-inch in diameter, which is the most common size used today. It comes pre-loaded with two rolls of 1.5-mil thick film and can be used with laminating film up to 3 mils thick.

One thing I really like about the Easy-Lam Green is the built-in LCD readout. It is really easy to see exactly what the temperature is. Many other laminators feature an analog temperature gauge, which I personally find hard to precisely read.

While the Easy-Lam Green is a 110-120 volt machine, it is available in a 220-volt version up on request.

Overall I find the Easy-Lam Green to be right up there in quality when it comes to similar 3 mil laminators in its class and width. If you need something that can use 5 or 10-mil film, you will need something a little heavier duty.

You can find the Banner American Easy-Lam Green roll laminator here. You can find our entire selection of roll laminators here.

Are you in need of a machine for the occasional paper folding project? One model you may want to consider looking at is the Martin Yale Premier RapidFold P7200 paper folding machine. I have had a chance to use this folding machine and this is my review.

The RapidFold 7200 is a compact paper folding machine that is designed to be used on a table or desk. It is designed for light-volume use. It can be used to create letter folds, single folds and several custom folds and is capable of handling paper up to 28# thick.

Assembly is very easy. Once pulled out of the box, you will need to insert the folding plates and assemble the exit tray, but this doesn’t take long to do. I had the paper folder out of the box and running in about 20 minutes.

The RapidFold 7200 is set up by adjusting two folding plates. Adjusting the plates isn’t hard to do. Simply loosen the folding plate and slide them to the appropriate fold. These folds are clearly marked on the plate.

As previously mentioned, the P7200 is designed for light-volume use.  This means it can be used every day, but not all day long. I wouldn’t fold more than a few hundred sheets a day. If you need to do more folding, you may want to consider upgrading to a Dynafold paper folding machine or an equivalent.

One of my favorite features found in the P7200 is the multi-sheet bypass slot. This slot, located on the top of the machine, allows the operator to manually feed up to three sheets of stapled paper at a time. While not fully automatic, this saves a lot of time over manually folding up to three sheets of paper at a time.

Complaints on this folder are few and far between. The majority of the complaints come from people that are using it for more folding volume than it was designed to do. Remember, the P7200 is designed for light-volume use.

Be aware that the Premier RapidFold P7200 uses friction wheels to feed paper. This means glossy paper may not work. This is because the friction wheels can potentially slip on the slick surface and cause a paper jam. This is the case with most friction-feed paper folding machines.

Overall I really like the RapidFold P7200, taking into account what it is designed to do. It gets the job done and saves a lot of time over manually folding paper. This type of paper folder is ideal for use in schools, churches and businesses that have occasional to light-duty folding needs.

You can find the Martin Yale Premier RapidFold P2000 folding machine here. You can find our entire selection of paper folding machines here.

Do you need to add your business card to the front or inside of a report cover or a proposal? One clever way of doing this is by using the Card-It business card insert cutter. I have had the opportunity to use it and this is my review.

Business cards provide a great way to get your name out there. The contact information can prove to be invaluable and is a great marketing tool. One problem that occurs with business cards is that they can get lost.

One way to make sure your business card is seen and presentable is by adding it to literature, handouts and proposals. What you need is the Card-It business card insert cutter. The concept is simple, but the end results are professional, effective and convenient.

The Card-It itself is very portable. It only weighs a few pounds and can easily be put in a suitcase or bag. It is especially nice to have at tradeshows, making it possible to put your business card into not only your literature, but other literature as well.

The Card-It essentially cuts two diagonal slits into paper. You can then insert two apposing corners of a business card into these slots. The result is a business card holder. The Card-It can be used to punch slots in card stock, brochures and more. The throat is deep enough to place a business card in the center of an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper.

While the machine is fairly simple in design, it is very good at what it does. I have used this to place business cards in cardstock and have never had a problem with it.

You can find the Card-It business card insert cutter / slitter here.

Combination and multi-format binding machines are extremely useful to have on hand and do the work of two separate machines. If you are in the market for a comb and coil binding machine, the Akiles DuoMac C41 and C51 comb / coil binding machines may be just what you need. This is my review.

Akiles makes some of the best binding machines available today. They are well rounded, the build quality is excellent and they are very easy to use. The DuoMac line is one of the most recent additions to the Akiles lineup. These machines are designed to bind in multiple formats. I am reviewing the C41 and the C51.

Both the DuoMac C41 an the C51 can bind in both coil and comb. The only difference between the two models is that the C41 can bind in 4:1 pitch coil and the C51 can bind in 5:1 pitch coil. The pitch is the hole pattern. The C41 punches coil in four holes per inch and the C51 is five holes per inch. Both punch holes for 19-ring comb.

At first view the DuoMac C41 and C51 machines look a little overwhelming. In use, however, they are very easy to set up and use. Both machines feature independent punching dies for both the coil and the comb. Both versions also include a comb opener and coil crimping pliers.

Both the comb and the coil paper punches are open ended. This means you can punch longer paper by sliding the paper and punching again. Both the comb and coil punches can punch up to 20 sheets of standard 20# paper. Some of the punching pins can be disengaged to help prevent half-punched holes.

Everything on these machines is manually operated. I would love to see an electric version of the DuoMac, but those aren’t around yet. I imagine Akiles will eventually release a line of DuoMac-E binding machines. For the price though, the manual version is great.

Overall the Akiles DuoMac C41 and C51 is solid binding machines. These machines can be found in copy shops, print shops, schools, offices and more. The DuoMac series is also available in comb-wire, coil-wire and coil-coil versions. You can see all versions of the Akiles DuoMac binding machines here.

You can find the Akiles DuoMac C41 and C51 comb / coil binding machines here. You can find our entire selection of book binding machines here.