Have you decided that you’ve had enough of paper cuts, crooked folds and mind numbing hours of folding paper by hand? If so, you may need to upgrade to a paper folding machine. Paper folders are wonderful machine. They save money, create professional folds and get folding jobs done quickly.

So what should you look for when shopping for a paper folding machine? The machine you get will depend on a lot of factors. What kind of fold do you need to create? How much paper will you fold per day? These questions and more will help influence your decision.

I have spoken with literally hundreds of different customers that were shopping for a paper folding machine and I have a pretty good idea as to the questions you should ask yourself prior to making a purchase. Here are a few questions and tips that may help you out.

• What kind of fold do you need to create? Determine exactly what style of fold you need to create, including other folds you may need down the road. Different folding machines are capable of creating different styles of folds. Most paper folders will specify on the product page the types of folds they can create.
• What type of paper are you folding? Are you folding standard paper, coated paper or glossy paper? Be aware that friction-feed paper folders, which constitute 80% of the machines out there, cannot fold glossy paper. The slick surface causes paper jams. If you need to fold slick paper, you will need an air feed (pneumatic) paper folder.
• How large is the paper you will be folding? Paper folding machines typically have a minimum and maximum paper size they can handle. Be sure the machine you get can handle your paper size.
• How thick is the paper you are folding? One of the biggest limiting factors with paper folding machines is the thickness of the paper. While most can handle standard 20# copy paper, not all can handle card stock. Be sure the machine you get can handle the paper thickness you are folding.
• How many sheets do you need to fold in a day? The amount of paper you are folding will determine the machine you need. While the paper folding speed is a good determining factor in how much paper a machine can fold, ultimately you will want to determine the machine’s monthly duty cycle. Typically the more a machine costs, the more paper it will fold. This isn’t always the case, but it is a good rule of thumb.
• Do you expect your folding volume to increase? Don’t shortchange yourself. There’s nothing worse than getting a machine that is woefully unequipped to handle the volume you need to fold.
• Do you need any special features? Some paper folding machines come with features such as batch folding. Other machines have the ability to store custom folds or display total paper counted. Be sure to check out the “features” of the machine prior to making a purchase. Also, some paper folding machines are completely automatic, where others require some manual setup.
• Where will you be using your paper folder? Be sure you have ample space for your folding machine. Check the weight and the dimensions of the machine prior to making a purchase. This way you won’t be surprised when you get a 100 pound machine that doesn’t fit anywhere.
• Be aware that paper folding machines make noise. If you will be making long runs on a paper folder, you may want to consider using it in a different room from employees.

Hopefully these questions have helped you in your quest for a paper folding machine. You can find our entire selection of paper folding machines here. If you still have questions or would like some assistance placing an order, feel free to call one of our paper folding experts at 1-800-658-8788.

Are you in the market for an affordable automatic paper folding machine? There are several models out there, many of which may break the bank. One affordable alternative you should take a good look at is the Martin Yale 1711 Electronic Ease-of-Use AutoFolder. This is my review.

For the past few years Martin Yale has been re-designing many of their paper folding machines. Their latest upgrades are the 1611 and 1711 paper folding machines. The 1611 replaces the 1601 and the 1711 replaces the 1701. These newly revamped folding machines now have a similar look to the Martin Yale 2051 SmartFold.

The 1711 has a smooth black housing that really makes this machine stand out. I personally like the look of the 1711 a lot more than the older 1701. Much of the functionality between the 1701 and the 1711 remain the same.

The Martin Yale 1711 is a fully automatic paper folding machine. That means that there is little manual effort required to get this machine set up. This machine comes pre-programmed with 6 of the most common folds used today. This includes the letter fold, half fold, Z fold, double parallel fold, right angle fold and the baronial fold.

Simply select the fold you want to create and the 1711 will automatically adjust itself. After a few seconds the folding plates are set and the machine is ready to start folding paper. This is extremely convenient. Custom modifications can be made to the fold plates from the control panel in the event you want to create a custom fold.

The 1711 can be used with paper of various sizes, up to 8 ½” x 14″ large. While many machines out their struggle with folding legal-size documents, the 1711 handles them without any issues. This machine can handle paper thicknesses ranging from 16 lb. bond to 70 lb. index.

No pre-fanning of the paper is required with this paper folder. Simply take your paper, up to 150 sheets, and place them in the feed tray. While you don’t need to fan the paper, it is still a good idea to keep the paper jogged prior to folding.

A powered exit conveyor helps to keep paper aligned, versus other folding machines that simply spit the folded paper out into a tray. This is especially nice for folding documents that need to be kept in order.

Overall I really like the 1711. I would consider this to be a great option for medium-volume paper folding. The machine is compact enough to be used on most desks and tables and should be a great addition to any office.

You can find the Martin Yale 1711 Electronic Ease-of-Use AutoFolder here. You can find our entire selection of paper folding machines here.

Do you need to quickly seal up balloons, small gift bags or other novelties? One great way to do this is by using a handheld bag sealer. One model you may want to consider is the 6″ Traco THC-150 handheld crimp-style bag sealer. This is my review.

Traco is one of the largest manufactures of shrink wrap equipment, supplies, heat sealers and bag sealers in the United States. Their products have developed a great reputation and are considered to be an affordable alternative to other more expensive products on the market.

The THC-150 is designed to seal bags up to 6″ wide. As mentioned earlier, this may include balloons, gift bags, small retail bags and more. It can be used with materials like polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, foil, surlyn, Mylar and bubble packaging. It is a very versatile sealer.

Sealing is done via a constant-heat Teflon sealing surface. This means that it can be used for repeat sealing and is great for keeping up with a wide variety of projects. I would rate this sealer as a light to medium-volume sealer.

The THC-150 only weighs in at 1 pound, so it is extremely portable. It is also fairly compact, which means it can be placed in most drawers and cupboards for storage purposes.

The housing of the THC-150 is made out of plastic. Once plugged in, it takes about 10-15 minutes before it is fully warmed up and ready to use. Sealing only takes a few seconds. It can seal bags up to 0.010″ thick.

While the THC-150 isn’t the best bag sealer Traco has to offer (no slitter or impulse sealing), it is an affordable alternative that is capable of keeping up with most jobs. The build quality is great for what it is and it should hold up well.

You can find the Traco THC-150 handheld crimp-style bag sealer here. You can find our entire selection of heat and bag sealers here.

If you have a waiting room or a lobby, chances are pretty good that your customers are going to need a place to sit. There are several factors to take into consideration when furnishing a waiting room or a lobby.

At ABC Office we offer:

• Office Chairs
• Stackable Chairs
• Linked Chairs
• Lobby Chairs
• Padded Benches
• Bariatric Chairs

Here are a few of the most common questions you will want to ask yourself prior to making a purchase.

How Long Will People Be Waiting?

• The amount of time people will be waiting may determine whether or not you need padded furniture or not. If people will only be waiting for 5-10 minutes, a simple plastic or non-padded chair may be fine. If a customer will be sitting in excess of 15 minutes, you may want to consider a padded chair. You don’t want your customers grumpy from discomfort when you see them.

How Many People Will Be Waiting?

• If you have a dozen or more people waiting in a room at any given time, you may want to consider a sled-style bench, linked chairs or heavier wooden seating. This will help keep furniture from falling into disarray.

Is The Floor Carpeted Or Smooth?

• If the floor is carpeted, chairs should be able to stay in place without much movement. If the floor is smooth, you may need a heavier chair or a chair with floor pads to keep it from sliding around the floor.

Will Children Be Around?

• Children by nature can be very messy. If there is a chance of food or other messy products being around furniture, you may want a plastic non-fabric chair that is easy to wipe down and clean up.

What Type Of Existing Furniture Do You Own?

• If you already have furniture in your lobby or waiting room, you will probably want a chair that matches or blends in. Wooden chairs typically blend in well with existing furniture.

Is Space An Issue?

• If space is an issue, you may want to consider using stackable chairs. This makes putting chairs away easy and can make cleanup easier as well.

Answers to these questions should help point you in the right direction. In the meantime, you can find our entire selection of waiting room and lobby seating here.

When shopping around for a paper folding machine, you have probably seen under the specifications the various types of folds the machine can create. While this information is extremely useful, many of you may not be aware of or familiar with what these folds are. I have put together a list of the 8 most common folds used today.

Keep in mind that not all paper folding machines can create all types of folds. Some are limited to a couple of common fold types, while others are limited to specific sizes of paper. Most paper folding machines can handle what’s known as a letter fold (C Fold) and an accordion fold (Z Fold). Be aware that many of these common folds go by multiple names.

Top 8 Most Common Types Of Paper Folds

Letter Fold (C Fold)

Accordion Fold (Z Fold)

Single Fold (V Fold)

Double Parallel Fold

Engineering Fold (Half Accordion)

Cross Fold (French Fold)

Baronial Fold

Gate Fold

So there you have the most common types of folds done by paper folding machines. While these are the most common folds performed by machines today, most paper folding machines can be set up for other non-traditional and custom folds.

You can find our entire selection of paper folding machines here.

Do you need to speed up your paper folding operations? One great way to do this is to use an automated paper folder. One machine you may want to consider is the MBM 93M paper folding machine. This is my review.

If you are a fan of the MBM 87M paper folding machine, you’re probably going to love the 93M. This is because the 93M is the replacement for the now discontinued 87M. While the MBM 93M has made a few improvements, the quality and functionality is very similar.

The MBM 93M is a tabletop paper folder designed for low to medium-volume paper folding. Weighing in at 46 pounds shipped, the 93M is light enough to be used on most desks and tables. Setup only takes a few minutes.

The 93M utilizes two manually adjusted folding plates. This means you will have to adjust both of these plates by loosening a thumb screw and sliding the plates into the correct position. While this may sound a little intimidating, it is really easy. Settings are clearly marked (color coded) on both plates.

The MBM 93M can be used to create most common folds. This includes the letter fold, accordion fold and single fold. Because the folding plates are manually adjusted, it is possible to create custom folds.  The 93M is also able to handle 16 to 80 lbs thick paper.

The feed tray on this machine holds up to 150 sheets of paper. The 93M can fold all 150 sheets in just a few minutes. Unlike many folding machines in this price range, the exit tray on the 93M is powered. This means paper is kept organized the entire time. The powered conveyor system makes keeping paper in numerical and alphabetical order easy.

One feature I really like is the auto-stop. When the machine has finished folding the paper placed in the tray, it will automatically stop. This save wear and tear on the motor and makes it possible to leave the machine while it is folding paper.

The control panel is very easy to use. It includes a digital display that provides a paper count. Batch paper folding is built into the 93M.

For the price, few paper folding machines come close in features and quality. I would easily recommend the MBM 93M for small office, church and school paper folding operations.

You can find the MBM 93M paper folding machine here and our entire selection of paper folding machines here.

I had a customer ask me a while back how long laminating pouches and lamination rolls lasted before they stopped working. I honestly didn’t know a definitive answer at the time. I just sent this question over to TJ with Banner American and he provided me with a detailed answer to this question, “Does Laminating Film Expire?” This is his answer.

Does Laminating Film Expire? Answered by TJ McCarthy with Banner American:

Thermal laminating films are made by coating a film such as polyester, polypropylene, nylon, etc.. with a thermal polymer based plastic adhesive.  During the extrusion coating process the adhesive is treated to increase its surface energy to a specific level which enhances the adhesives’ ability to wet-out as it is laminated onto the print which improves the ability to the adhesive to stick to the item being laminated.

The measurement of the surface energy is called dyne level.  Banner American’s premium HMR grade laminating films for traditionally printed output are treated to a range of 44-52 dynes. Digikote laminates for inkjet prints are treated to a range of 52-54 dynes.  BANLAM DLF laminates for fuser oil based color copier output are treated to a range of 52-56 dynes.  Digikote and BANLAM DLF films have a higher dyne levels because inkjet and fuser oil based prints are much more difficult to adhere to than traditionally printed output. Over time the dyne treatment slowly decays and as the dyne level drops the adhesive loses some of its adhesion.

The industry standard recommended shelf life for all types of thermal laminating films is 1 year.  This does not mean that film older than 1 year is no good it only means the film’s adhesion level has dropped below its ideal level and therefore the manufacturer no longer stands behind its performance.  It really depends on what is being laminated.

Old film probably won’t adhere to inkjet or fuser oil based output because they are the most difficult types of output to stick to.  Most traditionally printed output is much easier to stick to so old film may work fine on it for several years.  I still use Glenroy pouches, which are at least 8 years old, and they work fine on my black & white laser printer output, newspaper articles and even traditional photographs.

Recommended shelf life for cold pressure sensitive laminating films and mounting adhesives vary by manufacturer and product and range from 6 months to 5 years and are always based upon storage in ideal conditions.  Banner American’s cold laminating and mounting films have a maximum shelf life of 3 years under ideal storage conditions – 60 to 80° F; 40 – 65% relative humidity.

BANTAC Exhibit 5 has only a 1 year maximum shelf life under ideal storage conditions – 60 to 80° F; 40 – 65% relative humidity.  Exceeding shelf life on cold films can cause the adhesive to dry out which can result in bond failure and release liner removal difficulty.  Also, PVC (vinyl) films lose plasticizers over time, which can cause the film to shrink and lose flexibility.

———————————————–

So there you have it! That is a great answer to a very common question. You can find our entire selection of Banner American laminators here and our entire selection of laminating film here.

Are you looking for the perfect scrapbook cutter, but don’t have a huge budget to spend? There are a lot of inexpensive paper trimmers out there, but one model that has increasingly grown in popularity is the Tamerica TM-20 (5 in 1) paper trimmer. I’ll explain why in this review.

Tamerica has been manufacturing affordable paper cutters, binding machines and laminators for years. Tamerica is known for making affordable mid-range products that are typically ideal for low to medium-volume use.

The Tamerica TM-20 is a scrapbooking paper cutter for many reasons. To begin with, it has a 12.6″ cutting length. This is idea for cutting photographs, decorative card stock, printed material and much more. It has a 5 sheet cutting capacity with a straight blade.

Not only does the TM-20 come with a straight blade, but it also includes a variety of patterned blades. This includes a perforated blade, a wave blade and a scoring wheel. It even has a built-in corner rounder blade. Swapping the cutting heads / wheels is quick and easy, taking just seconds.

The cutting head slides along a rectangular-shaped bar. This helps keep the head steady, which subsequently improves accuracy. The style of the TM-20 is very modern and fits right in with existing office equipment and supplies.

The base of the Tamerica TM-20 is screen printed with a variety of guides designed to help with common cuts and measurements. The guide is white, screen-printed on the black base. The TM-20 weighs in at 20 pounds shipped, which means it is hefty enough to be durable yet light enough to be easily moved around.

While the TM-20 is by no means a heavy-duty paper cutter, it is excellent for use in the home and for occasional cutting jobs in the office.

I would personally feel comfortable giving this cutter to my wife for all her scrapbooking operations. Considering it comes with a variety of patterned interchangeable wheels, it really is a great value for the price.

You can find the Tamerica TM-20 (5 in 1) paper trimmer here. You can find our entire selection of rotary paper cutters here.

Are you in the market for a high quality rotary paper cutter? If you are, you have probably discovered that there are literally dozens of different models and brands out there. One model you should consider is the Dahle 440 premium 14″ rolling paper trimmer. This is my review.

The premium series of rolling paper cutters from Dahle includes the 440, 442, 444, 446 and 448. These cutters are al very similar in design and quality with the biggest differentiating factor being the cutting length. While Dahle calls these rolling paper trimmers, most people know them as rotary paper trimmers.

The Dahle 440 premium trimmer is capable of cutting paper up to 14 ¼” long. The base of this cutter is made out of folded sheet metal, with a grid pattern screen printed on the surface to help assist with paper alignment. While there is a ruler on the side of the cutter in inches, the grid is in centimeters.

The blade on the Dahle 440 is able to retain its sharp edge for some time. This is due in part to the self-sharpening blade. Each time the cutting head is moved, the circular cutting blade slides against a metal base, which helps maintain an edge. The cutting wheel on the Dahle 440 is capable of cutting in both directions.

Unlike many cheap rotary trimmers out there, the Dahle 440 is German engineered and German made. A cleverly designed clamping mechanism helps keep paper in place during the cutting process.

You will also notice by looking at the picture that the cutting bar is square, which also helps keep cuts straight and accurate. This square bar helps contribute to the 440’s impressive 30 sheet cutting capacity (based on 20lb copy paper). You can use the Dahle 440 to cut card stock, photos, laminated paper and more. Be aware that the cutting capacity goes down as you cut thicker material.

Overall I have to say that I really like the Dahle 440. It still isn’t up to the quality level of the Rotatrim Professional series, but I think it is a great deal and excellent quality for the price. It should be fine for medium-duty and some heavy-duty cutting.

You can find the Dahle 440 premium 14″ rolling paper trimmer here. You can find our entire selection of rotary paper cutters here.

Whether you need a magazine, literature or brochure rack, you may be wondering if you should go with metal wire, wood or plastic. Each of these styles of racks looks great and each has their benefits. I am going to cover the pros and the cons for owning each one of these display racks.

Wooden Display Racks – Wood display racks and literature holders look great. The wood grain and color has a more traditional looks and fits in well in offices that have a more natural look and feel. Wooden display racks also blend in well with existing furniture.

You will find wooden display racks in doctor’s offices, school lobbies, waiting rooms and more. These racks come in freestanding, wall and desktop designs.

Metal Magazine Racks – Metal magazine racks are some of the most durable racks available and often find their place in retail environments. These racks come in revolving / rotating, wall mounted and desktop designs. You will also frequently find these in libraries and schools. They can be used to hold magazines, books, brochures and other literature.

Plastic Literature Racks – Plastic magazine and literature racks are extremely popular in offices, lobbies, waiting rooms and other locations that need to display magazines, brochures and other material. These racks are especially popular because they are affordable, make literature easy to read and are extremely easy to clean.

Plastic racks are commonly found in buildings with a lot of children. You can find these racks in desktop and wall-mounted designs. These racks developed a bad reputation years ago because they broke so easily. Materials used today are shatter proof, durable and safe (Acrylic & PETG Plastic).

The rack you choose to hold your literature will help mold the ambiance of your waiting room, lobby or store. You can find our entire selection of magazine and literature racks here.