Do you need affordable wire binding supplies for your twin loop wire binding machine? Whether you use a GBC, Akiles, Tamerica or SircleBind wire binding machine, they all need supplies to work. I would like to set you up with some great prices on both 2:1 and 3:1 pitch wire.

In case you didn’t know, we stock all our wire binding supplies rather than drop ship them. This is beneficial to you because it means cheaper prices and much faster shipping. We offer our wire binding supplies in 2:1, 3:1 and 19-ring hole patterns. You can find our entire selection of wire binding supplies here.

In case you aren’t familiar with the various hole patterns used in wire binding, perhaps this will help you out:

3:1 Pitch - Three holes per inch. This hole pattern creates a tighter look but at the expense of binding capacity. The 3:1 pitch hole pattern caps out at a 9/16″ hole pattern. Some people call this Wire-O or twin loop wire.

2:1 Pitch – Two holes per inch. This hole pattern is currently the most common used today. It has wider hole spacing than 3:1 and the binding capacity caps out at 1 ¼” of paper.

19-Ring - This wire pattern is sometimes called Spiral-O wire or wire comb. This wire was designed specifically to work with 19-ring comb binding punching patterns. If you have a comb binding machine, and a wire closer, you can use this wire.

Hopefully this helps clarify a few things. With all the different hole patterns, I can completely understand why you may be confused. We offer wire in 11″ lengths in a variety of different diameters and several different colors.

I appreciate you reading through this blog posting. As a reward, please feel free to use coupon code ABCWIRE05 for an additional 5% off our already low wire supply prices. This code can be applied to your shopping cart or may be mentioned over the phone. You will be hard pressed to find a better price, and if you do, please let me know!

You can read more about wire binding and it’s sheet capacities here.

You can find our entire selection of wire binding machines here and wire binding supplies here.

Folding heavy-duty card stock is tricky and you could say there is an art to it. The way you fold card stock will depend entirely on how much folding you plan on doing. I will offer you a few suggestions on folding thick card stock that will produce nice, clean and crisp folds that will look professional for any job.

Have you ever tried folding thick card stock by hand? How did it turn out? Perhaps you’re more talented than me, but when I fold card stock by hand, it usually turns out rough, uneven and the edges have an almost crumpled look. In other words, it looks like I folded it by hand. You probably want those edges straight, crisp and clean.

When it comes to folding heavy-duty card stock, there are three different “volumes” of folding that I like to categorize. You have your light-volume folding (1-10 sheets a day), medium-volume folding (10-200 sheets a day) and high-volume folding (200+ sheets a day).

For light-volume folding of heavy card stock, you can use a ruler as an edge and the dull side of scissors or the dull side of a knife to create a crease. The crease is the trick, once the crease has been established, you can easily manually fold the thick card stock.

For medium-volume folding of thick card stock, I recommend using a manual scoring machine. Scoring machines use a wheel with a blunt edge. This edge rolls along the paper and creases it. Once creased, the paper can be folded. You can see our manual paper scoring machines here.

For high-volume folding of card stock, you can use a paper-folding machine (found here). I have found, however, that heavy card stock (in excess of 110 # bond). Folding extremely thick card stock using a folding machine can create a jagged folded edge. For heavy card stock, I recommend using an automated creasing / scoring machine (found here).

Scoring machines (aka creasing machines) can also be used to fold laminated documents and some thin sheets of plastic. You can find our entire selection of paper scoring machines here. Many scoring machines can also be used to perforate or even slit paper.

If you are folding a unique type of material, or if you simply have some scoring questions, feel free to contact one of our paper handling specialists by calling 1-800-658-8788.

Stack paper cutters offer a great blend of affordability and high-capacity paper cutting. There are a lot of stack paper cutters out there. Having used stack paper cutters for over a decade, I am in a position to provide you with some good shopping advice. I will provide you with some great brand suggestions and will recommend some reliable stack cutter models that you will be happy with.

In case you’re not familiar with manual stack paper cutters, they are special cutters designed to cut hundreds of sheets of paper at a time. They typically have some sort of clamping mechanism that keeps paper in place and usually have a long cutting handle (about 2-3 feet long) that you pull down to cut stacks of paper.

Now that we understand what a stack paper cutter is, let’s start off with some recommended brands. Who do I consider to be best when it comes to manual stack paper cutter manufacturing?  I have to say hands down that Triumph is THE best brand of stack paper cutters. While there are many clones, and other cheap “budget” models out there, nothing comes close to the accuracy and machine finesse.

I would have to say that Intelli-Cut (by Intelli-Zone) and Dahle come in a very close second. Both of these brands offer several manual stack cutter models that are easy to use, are extremely affordable and are very accurate.

These are the stack paper cutters that I consider to be the best in the industry:

Top 10 Best Manual Stack Paper Cutters

1. MBM Triumph 4305 16 7/8″ Manual Stack Paper Cutter
2. MBM Triumph 4705 18 ¾” Manual Stack Paper Cutter
3. Intelli-Cut 530D 17″ Stack Paper Cutter w/ Digital Display
4. Tamerica GuilloMax Plus 18″ Manual Stack Cutter
5. Intelli-Cut 580M 18 7/8″ Manual Stack Cutter
6. Dahle 846 & 848 Stack Paper Cutters
7. Dahle 842 17″ Manually Operated Stack Cutter
8. Intelli-Cut 530M Manual 18 7/8″ Stack Cutter
9. Intelli-Cut 580D 18 7/8″ Stack Cutter w/ Digital Display
10. Dahle 852 17″ Premium Stack Cutter

These 10 paper cutters all have a great track record with our customers, feature high-quality components and should save you time by quickly and accurately cutting hundreds of sheets of paper at a time. You can find our entire selection of stack paper cutters here.

If you’re looking for a book binding machine, you probably want to get one from a manufacturer that has a good reputation. While there is a lot of information out there on the best cars, Blu-ray players and laptops, there is little information regarding the best book binding machines. I have been using, selling and working with binding machines for over a decade. I have compiled a list of the best binding machine brands.

As previously mentioned, I have a lot of experience with book binding machines. This includes comb, wire, coil and many other formats. I have to admit that while I have used some absolute amazing binding machines, I have used a lot of lemons as well. I will explain why these binding machines brands are the best and why you may want to consider using them.

Best Book Binding Machine Brands

1. Akiles Binding Machines – Akiles is probably one of the best and most reputable manufacturers of binding machines. They manufacture the WireMac, CoilMac and MegaBind book binding machines along with several other models. Akiles machines are known for their durable “metal” construction and ability to hold up after years of rigorous use.
2. Intelli-Bind Binding Machines - Intelli-Bind, from Intelli-Zone, has been around for about a year and has developed a reputation for offering extremely affordable machines with many high-end features. Most of Intelli-Bind’s coil binding machines feature electric coil inserters. Other binding formats (coil, comb & wire) often feature disengageable punching pins and much more. These machines have a great track record with customers.
3. Renz Binding Machines – Renz book binding machines feature elegant designs and the ability to handle higher-volume binding operations. They are probably best known for their high quality wire binding machines. Many publishers, copy centers and organizations like to use their machines for commercial wire binding operations.
4. Tamerica Binding Machines - Tamerica (sometimes called Tahsin) offers a great line of comb, wire and coil binding machines. These machines are affordable and generally fall in the range of low to medium-volume book binding.
5. SircleBind Binding Machines - SircleBind offers a great selection of comb, wire and coil binding machines. Having used these machines myself, I have to say that make a good low to medium-volume machine. The only thing I don’t like about their machines is there is a lot of plastic involved in the manufacturing process. That said, they have a good reputation with our customers.
6. GBC Binding Machines – GBC offers a wide range of book binding machines, from coil to VeloBind. I have to say that it is hit and miss with GBC. I really like their VeloBind line of machines and really like their GBC C800 Pro comb binding machine, which is a modification of a very popular Ibico binding machine.

I hope this list helps you find a good machine. You can find our entire line of book binding machines here.

If you have questions, or simply need more information, feel free to speak with one of our binding machine specialists by calling 1-800-658-8788.

You’re probably familiar with envelope stuffing machines, or at least the concept of folding paper, placing it in an envelope and mailing it out. While this is still one of the most common ways to mail out material, another method is quickly gaining in popularity. If you are only mailing out one sheet of paper, perhaps an invoice, check or bill, you may want to consider using a machine like the Formax AutoSeal FD 2030 pressure sealer. I recently had a chance to use this machine and this is my review.

Pressure sealers use a special type of pressure sensitive paper. This paper has tiny pressure-activated glue pockets located in special areas around the paper. This paper (found here) can be easily run through a laser printer, inkjet printer or copy machine. Once it is ready to be mailed, it can be fed in to a pressure sealer where it is folded, subsequently bursting open the pockets of glue and sealing the mailer shut.

The FD 2030 is a great mid-grade pressure-sealing machine. It can be used with paper up to 8 ½” x 14″. I have personally run both 8 ½” x 11″ and 8 ½” x 14″ on this machine and the results turned out great. You simply need to adjust a couple of folding plates prior to operation.

By mid-grade I don’t mean to convey that this is a light volume machine. It is in fact capable of folding and sealing up to 75,000 forms per month and runs at a speed of about 9,000 sheets per hour. By mid-grade I mean that it is neither on the low end nor on the highest-end of the pressure sealer spectrum.

The control panel on the AutoSeal FD 2030 is extremely easy to use. The right side of the control panel features a paper counter and right to the left of it is a reset button that can be used to reset the counter. To the left of the control panel you will find a start button, a stop / reset button and a jog button. The jog button is used to test a few sheets prior to firing up the machine for full-blown use.

Placing paper in the feed tray is extremely easy and works pretty much like any paper folding machine. The hopper holds about 25 sheets of 24# (90gsm) paper. No pre-fanning of the paper is required. Folded and sealed paper exits out the other side of the machine. An optional 18″ conveyor exit tray may be used.

This is a video demo of me using the Formax AutoSeal FD 2030 and should give you a great idea as to how it operates:

The Formax AutoSeal FD 2030 can also be purchased with an optional locking cabinet or with a 4’ high capacity conveyor w/ photo eye. If you need a feature that you aren’t seeing in this machine, call us at 1-800-658-8788. It is possible that we may be able to get some features factory-installed or we can find another machine that meets your needs.

The build quality on the FD 2030 is exceptional. Everything that can be metal is made out of metal. It is a hefty machine, weighing in at 88.5 pounds. I have removed the folding plates, checked out the inner workings of the machine and can safely say that it is solid. Formax products in general have an excellent track record.

In conclusion, I have to say that if the paper size and speed specifications meet your needs, this is definitely the machine for you. I thoroughly enjoyed using it and feel confident in saying you will too.

You can find the Formax AutoSeal FD 2030 pressure sealer here and our entire selection of paper folder pressure sealers here. Please feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions.

Are you the kind of person that likes to make creative cards, produce tickets or are in the business of creating literature? One highly valuable tool is a paper perforator or a paper scorer. Paper scorers are great for creasing card stock and paper perforators can be used for creating tickets, coupons and much more. The Martin Yale SP100 score and perf machine makes scoring and perforating easy. This is my review.

Martin Yale currently manufactures a wide selection of paper cutters, folding machines, business card slitters and more. Their lines of paper handling equipment have a great reputation.

While there are a lot of manual scoring machines and perforating machines out there, they are limited by the speed of the user. One great way to speed things up is by using an electric perforator and scorer like the Martin Yale SP100. The SP100 hits a nice price point. It is electric, so it’s fast, but it won’t cost you several thousand dollars like many higher-end machines.

Using the SP100 is easy. It contains one 14-tooth perforating wheel and one scoring wheel. Both of these wheels are fully adjustable. Simply use the included wrench to loosen the wheels and adjust them where the cuts need to be made. If you only need to perforate, move the scoring wheel out of the way or vice versa. Both the perf wheel and scoring wheel can be used simultaneously.

While this particular machine can’t make multiple perforations or scores in a single pass, paper can be re-fed for multiple perforations or scores. It’s that easy.

The feed tray on the SP100 can be adjusted to accommodate paper ranging from 3 ½” up to 12″ wide and it can handle paper ranging from 20 lb. to 100 lb. cover. This is very impressive, especially considering how affordable the SP100 is.

I have used this machine myself and have to say that while it is pretty simple in construction, the end results are very professional.

This is a video demonstration of me using the Martin Yale SP100.

The build quality on the SP100 is very nice. It features great metal components and seems to hold up well. The machine itself measures in at 8″ x 15″ x 6″ and weighs 23 pounds.

My only problem with this machine is that the friction wheel that pulls the paper in has to be properly adjusted to accommodate the paper being used. Initially I had a few problems getting it set up, but once I figured out how it worked, setting it up became a fairly fast process.

If you need an affordable electric / semi-automatic scoring and perforating machine, the Martin Yale SP100 may fit the bill. It is an affordable alternative and is great for low to medium-volume use.

You can find the Martin Yale SP100 score and perf machine here and our entire selection of perforating machines here and scoring machines here.

MODEL: SP100
UPC Code: 0-11991-00100-6

Do you need a reliable pouch laminating machine for use at home or in a small business environment? If you’re in the shopping process right now, you have probably discovered a huge selection of machines. One model I would recommend you look at is the Fellowes Cosmic 125 12” pouch laminator. This is my review.

Fellowes, although better known for their shredders, also makes a wide variety of pouch laminators. The Cosmic 125 (aka CL-125) pouch laminator is the home / small office version of the heavier-duty Saturn 125. This laminator has been around for some time now and has a great reputation for light to medium-volume jobs.

Let me get down to the basic specs. This laminator has a 12 ½” wide opening that is designed to laminate wider documents or several smaller documents. As far as pouch laminators go, a 12 ½” wide opening is very large. This allows you to use the Cosmic 125 to laminate signs, menus, photos and much more. The Cosmic 125 literally measures in at 3.5625″ x 20.6875″ x 7.875″

Aesthetically, the Fellowes Cosmic 125 is one of the best looking laminators around. It features a calm white and gray color scheme. Rounded edges almost make this laminator look like a piece of home entertainment equipment than a piece of office machinery. It should easily fit in with your existing office products.

This particular laminator is designed to be used both 3 and 5 mil thick pouches. A mil is a thousandth of an inch. The 5-mil thickness is compatible for use with index card size items and smaller. The 3-mil thickness can be used with larger documents. While this is a thermal laminator, capable of heating up in 5 minutes, it can also be used for cold laminating.

If you have ever used a pouch laminator, you may have noticed that they can get pretty hot. Some are extremely hot to the touch. The Cosmic 125 uses special HeatGuard technology that keeps the laminator cool to touch. This is nice when you need to quickly unplug and move (or re-position) the laminator.

Portability is extremely easy with the Cosmic 125. An included carrying handle is located on the back of the laminator. It also features cord storage. This is nice for packing up and moving the laminator.

Have you ever started laminating something only to notice that you fed it in crooked? If not fixed, this can result in a jam. The Cosmic 125 features a release lever that disengages pouches, making them easy to remove or re-position. Once you’re ready, this lever can be re-engaged and laminating can re-commence.

Overall I think the Cosmic 125 is a good value. Just remember that this is not designed for high-volume use. It is best used for low to medium-volume laminating. Also be aware that you cannot use this laminator with 7 or 10-mil thick pouches.

You can find the Fellowes Cosmic 125 12″ pouch laminator here and our entire selection pouch laminators here.

Model: Cosmic 125 Laminator
CRC: 52160
Item Number: 5216001

Coin counters and sorters could potentially be some of the most time-saving products available. Have you ever tried counting a jar of coins by hand? It is slow, boring and riddled with errors. Coin counters can sort and count coins in just minutes, sometimes seconds. Having used coin counters for years, I have a few suggestions on what you may want to look for in a machine.

To begin with, you’ll want to find a good reliable brand. Coin counter brands that I have found to be reliable include Cassida, Magner, Ribao, Klopp and Semacon. I have used coin counters and sorters from all 5 of these manufacturers and they have always proven to be reliable products.

The next thing you’ll need in a coin counter are some specific features. Here are some of the most common features available.

Coin Sorting – A coin counter should be able to sort coins as well, right? That is true, but different coin counters sort coins in different ways. Some machines are able to sort all coins at once, such as the ABC110, where others sort just one denomination at a time, such as the Ribao CS-10. Machines that only sort one denomination at a time are usually designed that way for bagging and coin rolling purposes.

Batch Counting – Do you need to be able to count a specific number of a specific denomination of coin? This is pretty important for coin rolling purposes. If you need a coin roll of $10 in quarters, you’re going to want to set up the batch counting for 40 coins. Make sense?

Continuous Counting – Continuous counting is nice if you are counting a lot of coins in one fell swoop. An example of this would be counting two jars of coins, but using a machine that can only handle one jar of coins at a time. You would place the first jar in the machine, and once finished, pour the second jar of coins into the machine. With continuous counting, the machine will be able to tell you the total number of coins and dollar value of coins for both jars.

Denominations – Be sure the machine you are using can handle the needed coin denominations. Most of our coin counters and sorters can handle pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Some are also able to handle dollar coins, tokens and even Canadian denominations such as Toonies and Loonies. Most machines will state under the specifications what they can handle. Many can be custom built to handle the coins you deal with on a daily basis.

Tubing / Bagging – Many people like to tube or bag coins for storage purposes. This may be a bank, a credit union or even a grocery store. Many of our coin counters have optional coin tubing and bagging attachments.

Speed – If you’re an individual or a small business, speed may not be an issue. If you are a bank or a retail store, counting speeds may be critical. Our coin counters are rated by coins counted per minute. The Semacon S-520, for example, can count and sort up to 450 coins per minute.

Portability – This is a tough call. While you may want your coin counter to be portable, you often loose counting capacity with portability. You’ll need to determine how much counting capacity and portability you need in your machine before making a choice. If your machine will always sit on the same counter or table, portability probably won’t matter.

You can see a video demo of a coin counter in action here:

I hope these tips and suggestions help you in your quest to find a reliable coin counting machine. If you still have questions, and many of you will, please feel free to contact one of our money handling specialists by calling 1-800-658-8788. I work with these people and can attest to the fact that they are knowledgeable, courteous and won’t pressure you into buying something you don’t need.

You can find our entire selection of coin counters and sorters here.

As you may have noticed, word definitions can vary greatly from one person to another. A great example of this is the term “Industrial Paper Shredder.” An industrial paper shredder to you may be something entirely different to me. I deal with office paper shredders, commercial shredders and industrial shredders on a daily basis. This is what I consider an industrial paper shredder to be.

To begin with, I have had customers look an office shredder and ask me if it was an industrial shredder. I can understand. To many people, an over-the-can strip cut shredder is pretty high-end. I can tell you that most industry experts would consider an over-the-can shredder to be very low volume in capabilities and most office shredders to be medium-volume in output capacity.  Industrial shredders are not used at home and seldom in the office.

Here are features I would consider to be “industrial” in a paper shredder:

Sheet Capacity – While many office shredders are capable of shredding 20-40 sheets of paper at a time, most industrial paper shredders can shred in excess of 50 sheets of paper at a time or more. Some can even shred in excess of 500 sheets of paper at once. Pretty impressive….right? As is the case with most shredders, industrial strip cut shredders typically cut a lot more paper per pass than an industrial cross cut shredder.

Continuous Capabilities – An industrial shredder has to be able to run continuously throughout the day, for hours at a time. Many industrial shredders are used in shredding trucks or in warehouses and are literally used “continuously.”

Paper Disposal – While most standard paper shredders have a waste bin, many industrial paper shredders use what’s known as a baler. If you’re shredding 100s of sheets of paper at a time, you’re more than likely not going to want to empty a massive bag of paper. It would require multiple people and would be very cumbersome. Industrial shredders use a special type of compactor that will create a bale of paper much like a farm baler creates a bale of hay. This bale can then be carted of for disposal or recycling.

Dust Extractors – As you might imagine, shredding thousands upon thousands of sheets of paper per day can result in a lot of paper dust. Many of the highest-volume industrial paper shredders use special vacuums called dust extractors. These extractors remove dust during shredding to keep the work area clean. I hear it’s pretty nice for the sinuses as well.

Pre Shredders - Some paper shredders run at such fast speeds and handle so much paper at a time (entire phonebooks, reams of paper) that they need a pre shredder. Pre shredders cut paper down into more manageable pieces of paper before they enter the final shredder. This helps streamline the shredding process and creates less stress on the final shredder motor.

Here is a video of a mid-range industrial paper shredder. This is the MBM Destroyit 4107 industrial paper shredder:

I don’t know if this helps you better understand what an industrial paper shredder is, but I certainly hope you no longer think a shredder purchased at a local department store is an industrial shredder.

At ABC Office we offer a great selection of paper shredders. You can find our entire selection of industrial paper shredders here and all our paper shredders here.

A pouch laminator jam is no fun. The causes and reasons for laminator jams vary a lot. Some are basic enough that you can clear them out manually, where others are so bad that they require the machine to be completely disassembled. There are a few things you can do to help cut down on or completely eliminate laminator jams.

I personally have well over a decade of experience using pouch laminators from GBC, Akiles, Tamerica, Fellowes and many other brands. Each of these brands manufacture machines that are very similar in functionality. These tips should help you prevent laminating jams regardless of the make or model.

Laminator Jam Prevention Tips

Carriers – Most pouch laminators still require the use of a carrier to provide support to laminating film as it runs its course. I personally like to still use carriers, even when the laminators say they are carrier free (unless the laminator specifically says no carriers). If you don’t use a carrier, the laminating film could potentially wrap itself around the internal silicon rollers and create a jam.

Widths – Be careful that the item you laminate fits within the maximum dimensions of your laminator. Many people (let’s use a 12″ laminator as an example) will try to laminate a 12″ wide piece of paper in a 12″ laminator. This isn’t a good idea as there is absolutely no room for error. When laminating something edge to edge in a laminating machine, the chances of a jam are almost guaranteed.

Angles - Make sure you feed your material into the pouch laminator straight and true. If there is any angle, that angle will become progressively worse as the material is pulled inside, ultimately resulting in a jam.

Reverse Button - I love reverse buttons on pouch laminators. If your material is starting to go in at an angle, or even if a jam has already begun, a reverse option makes it extremely easy to clear out material. I can vouch from personal experience that a reverse button will save you some serious headaches.

Motor Speeds – While not always an option, an adjustable motor speed can help when feeding material into a laminator. This is probably the least important feature in my list, but it is still a nice convenience should you find a machine with this feature.

Hopefully these tips help you with your laminator jams. If for any reason your machine has suffered a bad jam, feel free to contact our Service Department at 1-800-658-8788 x129 for advice on getting it back up and running.

If for any reason you need a new pouch laminator, you can find our entire selection of new pouch laminating machines here.