Are you searching for a compact, simple and easy-to-use paper folding machine? One model you may have stumbled across is the Martin Yale 1601 AutoFolder paper folding machine. Is it the right machine for you? I have used this folding machine and this is my review.

Paper folding machines are invaluable to have around when folding letters, brochures, pamphlets and other material. Martin Yale has been manufacturing folding machines and makes some of the best known models available today.

The Martin Yale 1601 Ease-Of-Use AutoFolder is a compact folding machine designed for low to medium-volume jobs. It is designed to be used with paper up to 8 ½ x 14 in size and can be used to create letter folds (C Fold), accordion folds (Z Fold), half fold, double parallel fold and a right angle fold (French Fold).

The folding trays on the 1601 AutoFolder are very easy to set up, taking just seconds. The folds are clearly marked on the tray. Simply pull out one tray, adjust it, put it back in and repeat with the second tray.

The 1601 AutoFolder has a built-in jam detection system that shuts the machine off in the event of a jam. Why is this nice? Folding machines that don’t utilize this technology will continue to run, even with the jam in place. If you aren’t around, this can potentially ruin a folding machine’s motor or cause other damage.

One really nice feature is the multi-sheet bypass slot. This slot allows you to fold up to 5 stapled sheets of paper at a time. Simply gather the paper together and manually feed it into the slot.

This folding machine is one of the most affordable available with a conveyor exit table. Conveyor exit tables keep folded paper in order. This is especially nice when folding documents that are numerically or alphabetically in order. This is a huge improvement over the exit bin that other folding machines use.

The Martin Yale 1601 AutoFolder is made in the USA, which is a rarity now days. The build quality seems to be nice and the design is compact enough to sit on just about any table or desk.

Overall I consider the 1601 to be a great folding machine for low to medium-volume use. It can be used every day and shouldn’t cause any issues.

You can find the Martin Yale 1601 AutoFolder paper folding machine here. You can find our entire selection of paper folding machines here.

Folding paper is a critical part of many business’ operations. It is used for mailers, brochures, pamphlets and much more. Finding the right machine is a difficult process. One model you may have looked at is the Martin Yale 1217A paper folding machine. I have had the opportunity to use this machine and this is my review.

Martin Yale has been making paper folding machines for years. Machines like the 959, the CV7 (1501X) and the 1217A AutoFolder have been around for well over a decade. Little has changed with these machines. One of the reasons few changes have accompanied these folding machines over the years is because Martin Yale has determined that these machines have hit the mark.

The 1217A AutoFolder  is certainly a time proven machine. Even 10 years ago, when I started working for ABC Office, we had a 1217A on our showroom floor. Back then few automatic folding machines existed and almost everything involved manually adjusting folding plates.

The 1217A has a total of two folding plates. As the paper enters the machine, it bounces off one plate, creating the first fold, and then bounces of the second plate, creating the second fold. The folding plates on the 1217A are very easy to set up. Common folds are clearly marked on the plates for adjustment purposes.

The 1217A can easily create letter folds, zig-zag folds, single folds and much more. Because the folding plates are adjustable, custom folds can be easily done. It may take a little trial and error, but once your custom fold has been established, you can either write the settings down on paper or mark the folding plate with a marker.

The 1217A is a basic paper folding machine designed for medium-volume jobs. There isn’t much to it, which can be a good thing. I don’t hear about many issues with the 1217A.

A few features I would like to see in the 1217A include a paper counter and batch counting capabilities. While not critical for everyone, many people have batch folding needs.

I would also like Martin Yale to add more friction wheels to the paper feed tray. Right now the 1217A only has one and it’s fairly narrow. Many modern folding machines feature three friction wheels, which helps better pull paper into the machine.

Some big benefits include the ability to fold up to 90# paper. Another beneficial feature of the 1217A is the ability to fold paper as large as 11 ¾ x 18-inches big.

Overall I would consider the Martin Yale 1217A to be a solid machine. It has certainly been time tested and many people really like it. Remember that it is primarily designed for medium-volume use.

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

Symptoms of a failing or broken paper folding machine are sometimes subtle and other times dramatic. Issues can result from worn-out rollers, severe paper jams, misaligned folding plates and much more. Don’t give up on your folding machine. You may be able to fix it.

To begin with, we have a Service Department here at ABC Office that specializes in fixing and repairing folding machines. They can often help you diagnose issues over the phone and help you get the parts you need to get the folding machine up and running. You can contact our Service Department by calling 1-800-658-8788 x129 or by filling out this form.

In cases where you are unable to replace the parts yourself, our Service Department offers a couple of options. Your first option is to send the machine in to our service department for repair. Your second option is to have our Service Department find someone in your local area.

Here are a few preventative maintenance tips you may want to consider using:

Roller Cleaner Rejuvenator (found here) – This is a type of cleaner that you can use to clean off paper dust and ink from the folding machine’s rollers. It also helps moisturize them, preventing cracks that tend to occur over time. Paper dust and leftover ink are two of the biggest causes of folding issues.

Static Eliminator (found here) – Static eliminator can be used on a folding machine to help cut down on static electricity. Static electricity also causes a lot of paper jams by causing misfeeds.

Unfortunately sometimes repairs are either cost prohibitive or repairs are simply not an option. We carry a great selection of both air and friction-feed folding machines found here.

In need of a quality paper folder that can create all the folds you need all in one compact machine? There are a lot of folding machines out there. So which model should you go with? One model you may want to consider is the Tamerica TPF-42 paper folding machine. I have set up and used this folding machine and this is my review.

To begin with, the Tamerica TPF-42 is clone or twin of the MBM 207M. I won’t say evil twin, because it is pretty “good” to use. I suspect they both come out of the same factory, although I can’t confirm this with 100% certainty. They are the only two paper folding machines that I am aware of that use a manually sliding folding plate. Even the batch counting and start buttons look the same. The folding plates even have the same stickers on them. Need I say more?

OK, now back to the Tamerica TPF-42. As previously mentioned, it uses a sliding folding plate. You essentially pinch a clip on the plate and slide it up or down, selecting the fold you want. I REALLY like this folding plate setup. It takes about ¼ the time of a normal folding plate and the registry (fold alignment) is dead on.

The TPF-42 can handle all common folds such as a letter fold (C fold), accordion fold (Z fold) and the single fold. It can also do uncommon folds such as a double parallel and a gate fold. I have even seen people do a cross fold on this machine. Due to the nature of the folding plates, it can also easily handle custom folds.

It is designed to fold standard copy paper, but can also easily handle card stock up to 60#. The only problem you will have with the TPF-42 is folding glossy paper. While it may be able to handle some types of glossy paper, this can’t be guaranteed. This is because friction folding machines, like the TPF-42, use rubber wheels to pull in paper. These wheels can potentially slip on glossy paper, causing a jam.

The hopper tray can hold up to 500 sheets of paper. While I don’t like to recommend leaving machines unattended, you can probably set 500 sheets in and leave it without any problems. The exit tray uses a conveyor system that keeps paper aligned and in order as it exits the machine. This is pretty nice to have, especially if you are folding invoices and alphabetized material.

The TPF-42 has a built-in paper counter and can do batch counting (if so desired). It also includes a test button, which will only pull in a few sheets. This is especially nice if you are setting up custom folds. Once you are ready, hit the start button and the machine will do the rest.

I have to say that I am VERY impressed with the Tamerica TPF-42. It gets the job done and seems to be a high-quality machine. So far I haven’t heard any complaints from customers. The price is certainly right.

You can find the Tamerica TPF-42 paper folding machine here. You can find our entire selection of paper folding machines here.

There are so many different types of paper folding machines out there, it can often be confusing and difficult to understand exactly what differentiates them. Paper folders are categorized as desktop, manually operated and fully automatic. Why is this? What makes one paper folding machine manual and the other automatic? Here is a quick breakdown on the biggest differences between paper folding machines.

Paper Folding Machine Designs:

Desktop Paper Folders – Desktop paper folders are typically compact and designed to do just one or two fold types and that’s it, with one usually being a letter fold. They are designed to be used a few dozen times a day maximum. An example of this type of paper folder is the Martin Yale P6200 found here.

Manual Paper Folding Machine – These paper folders are designed to take a stack of paper, often 100 plus sheets, and quickly fold them. These paper folders are electric, but still require that the folding plates be manually adjusted. This usually involves loosening thumbscrews, sliding a plate and tightening the screws. These types of paper folders are ideal if you will only be creating a few types of folds per day. The Dynafold DE-102AF is a prime example of a manually set up paper folding machine.

Automatic Paper Folding Machine – These paper folders are the easiest to set up. They usually have a control panel that can be used to select a fold type. Once selected, automatic paper folders will automatically adjusting the folding plates without any manual involvement. These types of paper folders may still run at the same speed as a manual folding machine, but are faster to set up. These are ideal if you will be creating a wide range of fold types throughout the day. The Intimus 2051 paper folding machine is a good example of an automatic paper folder.

Feed Types:

Friction Feed Paper Folding Machines – These paper folders use a rubber wheel, often more than one, to pull paper into the machine. This system is very effective, but does not work as well with paper that is glossy because the friction wheels can slip on the paper. This is the most common paper folder used. You can find our friction-feed paper folders here.

Pneumatic (Air Feed) Paper Folders – These paper folders can be manually or automatically set up. The advantage of a pneumatic paper folding machine is that they can be used with glossy paper. They are also commonly used for commercial and industrial paper folding. You can find our air-feed paper folders here.

Still have questions? Post your comments here and I will quickly answer them. Have a great day!

So what are the most common fold types used today? Can you expect your folding machine to create them all? I will go over some of the most common folds used by paper folders and answer a few common paper folder questions. Let’s start with the most common fold types.

The two most common fold types used today are the letter fold and accordion fold. These two fold styles are also commonly called the C fold (letter) and Z fold (accordion). Both of these fold types are used for sending mailers and letters. The letter fold (C fold) is the most common.

The next most common fold is the half fold, sometimes referred to as the single or “V” fold. This basically involves folding a single sheet of paper in half. This is commonly used for creating programs for concerts, plays and other events.

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Single (Half, V) fold

Letter (C) fold

Z (Accordion) fold

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A few other less common, but standard folds, are the double parallel fold, French fold (aka cross fold), half accordion fold (aka engineering fold) and gate fold. You will see an example of theses folds below.

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Double Parallel fold	Cross Fold (French, Right) fold	Half Accordion (Fold-out, Engineering) fold
Gate fold

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Most paper folders can create the folds mentioned, with the French fold probably being the exception. While the French fold is pretty common with paper folders, not all are capable of creating it.

Can paper folders create custom folds? Most paper folders will give you the option of tweaking the fold plates and creating your own custom folds.

You may view our entire line of paper folding machines here. We also have a very informative paper folding guide found 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

Paper folders play an important role in many aspects of a business’ daily operations. They are used to fold mailers, bills, invoices and much more. Although many of these paper folders are beasts, able to withstand a lot of use, all paper shredders require some type of maintenance.

Here is a list of some of the most common maintenance steps you should be taking and a list of the most common problems associated with paper folders.

Clean the rollers - The rubber rollers found in a paper folder get very dirty after a while. Why is this? It is because paper dust and ink from the folded paper start to stick to the rubber rollers. This causes paper to slip on the rollers, causing paper jams.

Use rubber cleaner rejuvenator to clean the rollers. Not only does this clean, but it also re-hydrates the rollers. Many people have asked me if they can use rubbing alcohol to achieve the same results. The answer is a huge no. Rubbing alcohol will dry out the rollers and cause them to crack.

Turn off the motor – If your paper folder doesn’t have an “auto off” function, be sure to turn off the motor after the job is done. This will help prevent unnecessary motor wear.

Surge protector - After having suffered some electronics losses myself as a result of power surges, it isn’t a bad idea to put your mid to high-end paper folder on a surge protector.

Folding plates – Make sure the folding plates are securely in place. A lot of paper jams result from incorrectly seated folding plates.

Static electricity – Static electricity can cause sheets of paper to stick together, resulting in paper jams. Some paper folders have built in components to channel away the static electricity. If static electricity continues to be a problem for you, we do sell static eliminator spray that will eliminate this problem.

Paper Jams – What should you do if you get a paper jam? If the paper is easily accessible, try pulling out the paper. NEVER use scissors or sharp objects to “fish” out the paper. This could very likely cause damage to the rubber rollers. Replacing the rubber rollers is no easy task.

If you cannot access the paper, you can try to open the case of the machine (at your own risk) to access the jammed paper. Very rarely does a paper folder have to be opened. If you aren’t mechanically inclined, or are nervous about operating on a paper folder, you can always call our service technicians at 1-800-658-8788 and ask them for tips and advice. You can also send in your machines to us for repair, should the need arise.

You can find our entire line of paper folders here.