If you own a paper folding machine, or would like to know how one works, you have come to the right spot. I have 11 years experience using folding machines, both friction and air-suction styles. About a week ago I got an opportunity to use an Intelli-Fold DE-172AF and film it. As part of this video demo, I set up an created each of the 6 most common paper folds. This includes the single fold, letter fold, Z fold, double parallel fold, gate fold and half accordion fold.

Creating folds on a paper folding machine is remarkably easy and saves an amazing amount of time. Folds created on a folding machine are far more accurate, aligned and professional. I also appreciate the lack of paper cuts.

Here is a visual representation of each of these folds:

In the video demo, I go through how to set up each of the folding plates for these types of folds. I have found that once you know how to use one paper folding machine, they are all very similar in setup and operation.

This is a video demo of 6 common folds being created on a paper folding machine:

The Intelli-Fold DE-172AF is a manually setup paper folding machine. This means that each of the folding plates have to be set up by hand. This involves loosening the strike plates and sliding them to the appropriate position and re-tightening them. I have found that this only takes about 30-60 seconds. Folds are clearly marked on the folding plates.

Once you know how to use the DE-172AF, you shouldn’t have a problem using other folding machines like the Dahle 10560, MBM 93M, Martin Yale 1217A and any other machine that uses manually adjustable folding plates.

One feature that I really like about the DE-172AF is the powered exit conveyor. This conveyor helps to slow down paper as it leaves the machine and also helps to keep paper neatly organized and stacked. This, in my opinion, is a nice advantage over other machines that simply spit the paper out into a catch tray. This is also nice for keeping paper in alphabetical order.

So who uses a paper folding machine? Many businesses use them for mailing purposes. I have also seen many people use them to fold brochures, booklets, fliers and promotional material.

At ABC Office we currently over 45 different friction-feed machines. You can find our entire selection of paper folding machines here.

Because we literally have over 30 years experience (company was created in 1980), we have some of the best-trained and skilled paper folding specialists available. Please feel free to call one of them at 1-800-658-8788 with any folding machine questions.

Paper folding machines are remarkable pieces of machinery. They have just one task….to fold paper. That almost sounds too simple. While folding machines do fold paper, they are efficient, meticulous, professional and accurate. They literally save you hours of time and untold amounts of money. One heck of a deal, not to mention a customer favorite, is the Intelli-Fold DE-102AF automatic paper folding machine. I recently had a chance to break it out of its box, set it up in our showroom and play around with it.

The DE-102AF is about the best paper folding machine you can buy for folding standard letter-size paper. It can be used to fold invoices, statements, brochures, pamphlets and more. While it really finds its stride with letter-size paper, it is also a great little machine for folding paper anywhere from 3.5″ x 5″ up to 8.5″ x 14″. As far as paper thickness is concerned, it can handle 16# up to 24#, which is about the thickness of copy paper.

What really impresses me about this machine is the build quality. The fold plates and the bulk majority of the components are made out of metal. The silicon rollers are designed to hold up with continued use and the electronics do a great job. It is easy to maintain, clean and takes just minutes to set up.

This is a video demo of the Intelli-Fold DE-102AF in use:

I can safely say that the Intelli-Fold DE-102AF (formerly known as the Dynafold DE-102AF) will impress you as long as you are aware of the machine’s capabilities. We also offer a great selection of other folding machines (found here) if you need something that handles thicker paper or larger sheet sizes.

You will find the DE-102AF used in churches, schools and many other businesses and organizations. It can be used create the most common folds used today such as letter folds, Z folds, half folds, gate folds and much more.  Feel free to call one of our specialists at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions.

The Martin Yale 1217A is a paper folding machine is very near and dear to me. I actually learned how to use a paper folding machine by practicing on a Martin Yale 1217A and a CV7 (aka 1501x). While the time has flown by quickly over the past few years, that was over 10 years ago. While there have been a few tweaks and modifications, the 1217A is pretty much the same machine it was a decade ago.

There are a lot of reasons the 1217A continues to be a popular machine. For one, it can handle sheet sizes ranging from 4” x 4” all the way up to 12″ x 18″. It also has the ability to handle paper thicknesses ranging from 16# up to 135#. This is just about as much range as you need in most paper folding machines.

Another benefit of the 1217A AutoFolder, especially years ago, is the inclusion of a powered exit conveyor. The conveyor is designed to lay down folded material and organize it. Sheets of paper, as the near the end of the conveyor, are neatly stacked. This is perfect if you are folding invoices, bank statements and other alphanumeric material.

The 1217A folding machine is big enough to handle low to medium-volume jobs, yet is compact enough to sit on most tabletops and desktops. I have to admit this video is now a few years old, but this video still does a good job demonstrating the Martin Yale 1217A in action:

Why should you consider the 1217A? For one, it has been around for years. This means Service Technicians, should the need arise, are very familiar with this machine. Parts and accessories are also readily available. There are also a lot of manuals, videos and other supportive material available online.

The only downside, which can be frustrating at times, is the fact that you have to pre-fan the paper prior to placing it in the feed tray. It isn’t too difficult, but I have been spoiled over the past few years with all the drop-in machines that require no special tweaking or fanning of the paper. You also have to adjust the retarder wheel on this machine to properly feed in paper, depending on the thickness.

You can find the Martin Yale 1217A AutoFolder paper folding machine here.

If you’re not certain this is the machine you need, I also highly recommend the following paper folding machines:

• Intelli-Fold DE-102AF
• Intelli-Fold DE-112AF
• Intelli-Fold DE-202AF
• Intelli-Fold DE-172AF

I hope this video and article has been helpful to you. Please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions. We are more than happy to help. You can find our entire selection of paper folding machines here.

Are you looking for an effective and efficient way to speed up your in-house paper folding operations? One great way to do this is to use a paper folding machine. These machines can be used to fold letters, brochures, pamphlets and much more. One paper folding machine that has been around for some time, that you may want to consider buying, is the Martin Yale 1217A AutoFolder folding machine. I have used this machine personally on many occasions and had the chance to film a video demo.

To begin with, the Martin Yale 1217A is an automated folding machine that requires manual setup. Manual setup? Don’t let that scare you off. It literally takes minutes to set up and no additional adjustments are required unless you need to create a different type of fold. Let me explain.

While a motor and multiple silicon wheels are used in the folding process, a total of two folding plates play one of the most critical roles in the process. As the paper passes through the machine, it literally bounces off these two plates, deflecting the paper back into the machine for folding by the silicon rollers.

The length of these plates determines the fold. You can manually adjust the length of the plates by sliding a bar forward or backward. This bar, located on the plates, can be locked into place by use of a thumb screw. These plates will allow you to create a letter fold, half fold, Z-fold, double parallel fold, right angle fold and baronial fold. The 1217A AutoFolder can also create several custom folds.

This is a video demo of me using the Martin Yale 1217A folding machine:

Overall I like the 1217A. The build quality is nice, it deals nicely with statically-charged paper and the end results look great. My only quibble with this machine is the feed rollers. You have to pre-fan the paper prior to placing it in the machine. Non-fanned paper will cause the machine to jam. Most modern paper folding machines actually require that the paper not be fanned prior to placement in the feed tray. That’s nice.

A great affordable alternative to the Martin Yale 1217A is the Intelli-Fold DE-172AF (no pre-fanning required). If you don’t need to fold 11″ x 17″ paper, the Intelli-Fold DE-102AF and Intelli-Fold DE-112AF are also great alternatives.

You can find the Martin Yale 1217A AutoFolder folding machine here and our entire selection of paper folding machines here.