Paper folding machines are commonly used by all types of organizations. You might a paper folder in a corporate mail room, a government office, a school, a church or a print shop. All of these organizations process large numbers of documents and can greatly benefit from the assistance of a folding machine. However, each of these types of organizations has a special set of needs that need to be considered when choosing a paper folding machine. This article is designed to provide a list of five things that Churches need to consider when choosing a paper folding machine.
1. What types of folds do you need to produce? This is the first and most important question that you need to consider when choosing a paper folding machine. In general, most churches will need to fold their church bulletin and letters to congregation members. Generally, this means that they need to choose a paper folder that can do a z fold and half fold. However, some churches fold large format documents, legal sized church bulletins, tri-fold brochures or other materials. It is important that before you go shopping for a folding machine that you know what types of folds that you will need it to do.
2. How much folding are you going to need to do? This is an important question to ask when choosing a paper folder. More than likely the paper folder will be used to fold Church bulletins more than any other type of document. Ask yourself, ?how many bulletins do we print each week?? If you are going to need to fold hundreds of bulletins every week you are going to want to make sure that you buy a paper folder that will hold up over time.
3. How often are you going to need to change folds? I know a lot of churches that very rarely ever change the settings on their folding machine. They use the folder for their weekly bulletins and nothing else. For these churches, a heavy duty paper folder with folding plates that are adjusted manually is ideal. However, other churches are constantly changing the settings on their folder to produce different types of documents (think back to question one). If you plan on folding lots of different types of documents or are going to need to change the fold settings more than once a week it would be a really good idea to get a folder that has either easy to adjust fold plates or is completely digital.
4. What types of papers are you going to need to fold? If you are going to need to fold heavy duty card stocks or glossy papers with your folding machine you are going to want to make sure that the folder can handle it. Many paper folders are not capable of handling heavy or coated paper stocks. In fact, even expensive folders often require card stock to be pre scored before being run. It is always a good idea to have your special papers tested in the paperfolder of your choice before you make your purchase. That way you will know for sure if they will work or not.
5. What sizes of papers are you going to need to fold? Again, it is important to try to anticipate the different types of documents that you are going to need to fold. If you think that you will need to make brochures out of 11? x 17? paper it is important to choose a folding machine that can handle this size of paper. Likewise, if the Church uses legal sized bulletins you will need a paper folder that can handle legal sized paper. Generally if you choose a folder that can handle 11? x 17? or larger paper then it will be able to handle all of the smaller sizes as well.
By asking yourself these five questions you should be able to focus your search for the right paper folding machine. Unfortunately, most churches end up settling on a paper folder that is not adequate for their needs and they usually regret it. Keep in mind that most paper folders that will stand up to the volume of folding that churches do will cost between $1200 - $3000 depending on the features that you require.
Overview:
The Martin Yale 1701 Autofolder is a high quality auto setup paper folder that is ideal for churches, small copy shops, mailrooms, or corporate departments that have numerous users and/or have a need for multiple types of folds.
It is an automatic setup folder which simply means that you can press a button or two on the machine in order to choose the desired paper size and folding style. The fold plates move into position automatically.
This makes the Martin Yale 1701 easy to setup and easy to use even for users who don't have any training or experience using a paper folding machine.
Strengths / Features:
One of the best things about the 1701 Martin Yale Autofolder is the cost. It is the lowest cost auto setup folder available on the market. With a selling price of around $1500 it is priced similarly to manual setup paper folder from other manufacturers but is much easier to use.
The auto setup features of the 1701 make it incredibly simple to operate. You simply choose the size of paper that you want to fold and the folding pattern that you want to use. In just a couple of seconds, the machine will move the folding plates into position and you are ready to begin folding. This makes the 1701 an excellent choice for organizations that use multiple folding patterns or who have users who struggle to set up complicated mechanical equipment.
The Martin Yale 1701 is capable of handling letter size, legal size and A4 paper. It can create be set to six different folding patterns including: letter fold, half fold, z-fold, double parallet, right angle and baronial. Or if you have a custom fold or need to fold a sheet as small as 3-1/2" x 5", it can be manually adjusted to handle these as well.
The 1701 can fold stapled sets of up to 5 sheets through its manual bypass. These have to be fed into the machine one set a time.
The 1701 has a feed tray that is capable of handling up to 150 sheets of 20lb paper. This helps to improve productivity without having to worry about reloading the folder every few seconds.
Weaknesses / Limitations:
The 1701 does not have an adjustable speed setting. This means that the speed of the folder cannot be reduced for folding specialty papers or thicker stocks. The Martin Yale 1701 is an excellent choice for folding 20lb, 24lb and 28lb paper. However, it is not designed for folding heavy card stocks, slick glossy papers or papers with special coatings. These types of stocks will most likely cause paper jams inside the 1701 folder.
Although the 1701 is capable of folding letter, legal and A4 paper it is not capable of handling 11" x 17" or A3 sized papers. If you are looking for an automatic setup folder that can handle these larger sizes of paper you will need to check out the Intimus 2051 or a similar commercial grade folding machine.
Although the 1701 paper folder is an automatic setup folder it is still necessary in some cases and for some folding patterns to adjust the output stacker wheel manually. Only the largest automatic setup folders adjust the stacker wheel automatically.
The 1701 requires removal of the side covers and the top roller safety cover to clean the rollers. Once these parts are removed the rollers can be easily cleaned, but the process of gaining access to the rollers takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Most users will only need to do this about every 6 months.
Recommendation:
The Martin Yale 1701 is best suited for organizations that have numerous users who may not know how to manually set up a folding machine, or for organizations that frequently change fold types and don't want to hassle with constant set-ups.
This paper folding machine makes changing paper sizes and folding patterns simple and is ideal for users who will only use the folding machine on an occasional basis, and may not remember how to set up the machine every time.
However, organizations that need to fold sheets larger than legal size or heavier paper stocks will most likely find that the 1701 folder will not meet their needs. These users should consider a larger automatic setup folding machine such as the Intimus 2051 or the Formax FD380.
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