Letter Folding Machines
Letter folding takes up valuable time when it is done manually, and it can become tedious. By taking over the task for you, letter folding machines do it more quickly and also save you time and energy.
Once you have decided to buy a letter folding machine, you will need to assess your needs before buying. The amount of letter folding you or your staff do each day will be a factor in your decision, as you will want to make the right selection from the various letter folding machines available. Your paper folding machine may have a lot of work to do, so you need one with the capacity and features that can carry out the work without any problems.
When you are shopping for letter folding machines, check to ensure that any folding machine you are considering will be able to handle the type of paper you use most frequently. The various types of letter folding machines have different capacities for letter folding, depending on whether you use paper that is thick or thin. The glossiness of the paper to be used is also a factor when buying letter folding machines.
The expected volume of use should also be a consideration when you are considering various types of letter folding machines. Some can handle a large amount of letter folding, while others are not built for heavy use. If your letter folding occurs only once a week, you may not need the most sophisticated folding machine on the market, but if your letter folding machine will be in regular use, you should make sure it has the strength and capacity to suit your requirements.
Letter folding soon becomes a time-consuming and ultimately boring task when it is done by hand. The constant work, involving the same movements repeatedly, can also lead to strain and injuries, such as repetitive strain injury. Such injuries can cause people to take time off work and may even result in workers’ compensation claims. If there is a large amount of letter folding to be done in your office on a regular basis, therefore, a folding machine could make life much easier for you and your staff.
Easy to operate, a paper folding machine will increase your productivity as well as save time and stress. With the ability to fold thousands of sheets per hour, letter folding machines can cope with a much greater volume of letter folding work than a paid employee would be able to handle in the same time. This frees your employees for other, more interesting work, resulting in a happier workforce.
There is also a great diversity to the letter folding tasks that can be done by a paper folding machine. Letter folding machines can usually handle several sheets of paper at a time, thereby stepping up productivity. Another of the many advantages of letter folding machines is the fact that annoying and often painful paper cuts will no longer plague staff who have previously had to do the letter folding by hand.
When investigating the various letter folding machines available, you will notice that you can choose from various types of feeders, depending on the folding machine model you decide to buy. You can, for example, buy a manual setup auto-feed paper folding machine that is suitable for either medium or high density letter folding. The manual setup requires the person using the paper folding machine to adjust the folding plates, but after that the process is automatic. Friction rollers in this type of letter folding machine draw the paper in from the feed tray for folding.
The friction feed paper folding machine is the most popular with buyers of letter folding machines. Friction rollers are also features of the manual semi-automatic setup auto-feed type of folding machine. The semi-automatic paper folding machine also requires a manual process for setting the folder up, but this is done by turning dials rather than by hand. This folding machine too is suitable for medium to high density letter folding, as is the auto-setup auto-feed paper folding machine. It also uses friction rollers, but unlike the other two, this folding machine involves no manual process to adjust the folder. Instead, the folder in the letter folding machine adjusts itself automatically to produce the type of fold required.
If you plan to use mainly glossy paper in your letter folding machine, an air or suction-feed paper folding machine will be the best choice for your requirements. Suitable for medium to high volume letter folding, this type of folding machine uses air to take a sheet of paper into the letter folding machine. While the friction rollers on other types of letter folding machine experience problems with glossy paper, the air or suction-feed paper folders are designed to cope with it. This type of paper folding machine can also be used with a wide variety of paper stocks.
When your main reason for buying a letter folding machine is to help with mailings, a suitable choice from the available letter folding machines would be the paper folding/envelope inserter type. The inserter does the work of letter folding and follows up by inserting the letter into an envelope. This type of paper folding machine is completely automatic and therefore easy to use.
Letter folding machines known as folder sealers are used for folding special pressure sensitive documents into self-mailing forms. This type of folding machine is useful for advertisements and flyers, as well as invoices. Like other letter folding machines, the folder sealer type of paper folding machine is designed for ease of operation as well as speed and efficiency.
As well as varying in the type of feeders they have, letter folding machines also come in a diversity of sizes. Before making a selection, you should make sure that you have a place for your new letter folding machine in your office. There is no point buying a machine that will be in the way because of its size, if a smaller one would be just as suitable for the job. On the other hand, don’t pinch pennies if you feel there is a need for a large-size folding machine in your office, rather than a smaller model that costs less. You will benefit long term from buying a paper folding machine that has the capacity for the work you want it to do. The alternative is to buy a folding machine that will be overworked and overloaded, and will need replacing sooner than you intended. Buying the best now will pay off in the future.
If you will be doing your letter folding yourself, you may prefer the type of folding machine that is small enough to place on your desk. Otherwise, you may find it more convenient to have a larger paper folding machine that can have a permanent place on a counter. Check the dimensions of your letter folding machine before buying, so you can plan to locate it in the most suitable position.
Once you start looking at letter folding machines with a view to buying one, you will realize there are a number of features you may want to consider to make your letter folding work even easier. Some types of folding machine, for example, offer Optical Mark Recognition (OMR), to ensure that the right forms go into the right envelopes. Even if you don’t want this feature now, you can buy paper folding machines that can be upgraded to OMR in case you decide you need it in the future.
Another feature you can consider when choosing from the letter folding machines available is a batch counter, a useful device that indicates how many pages have been folded. You can also obtain batch counters that make sure the folding machine will not deal with more sheets than you want it to. Once the letter folding machine has completed the total quantity of letter folding you want it to do, the batch counter acts automatically to stop the folding.
Paper jams can be easy to clear if you know how to do it, but frustrating and time-consuming if you don’t know how to handle them. Before buying a letter folding machine, find out if a paper jam could cause a problem with its operation. Look for release rollers and easy access, as well as clear instructions, to make it easy for the operator to reach and release any problem documents in the paper folding machine.
A letter folding machine represents an important and, depending on the type you buy, often expensive piece of equipment for your business. The investment is well worthwhile, because of the time you will start saving immediately once the folding machine is up and running, as well as the increased productivity that will result from its purchase. It is not, however, a minor purchase, so it is essential that you investigate the various types of letter folding machines to find the best one for your needs. Establishing a good relationship with your paper folding machine dealer is one of the best ways to gain knowledge of the letter folding machine you are considering and to establish that it will meet your letter folding needs.
If you are not sure whether the paper folding machine you are considering will be suitable for your needs, ask the dealer if you can test it with the type of letter folding you want it to do, before making the purchase. This is a much better alternative than getting the letter folding machine to your office and only then finding out that it can’t handle your documents. If you are able to check its letter folding capabilities with the types of letters and envelopes you need it to fold, you can finalize the purchase without any worries.
An important question to ask yourself when you are shopping for a letter folding machine is how often you will use it once it is installed in your office. The amount of letter folding you require, how many times a day or a week you want this done, and the number of documents per hour you need your paper folding machine to complete when it is operating, are all factors that should influence your choice. Ask if the letter folding machines on your short list are designed for light or heavy volume usage. If you have mass mailing needs, for example, one paper folding machine may be suitable for this purpose, while another one may not be designed to stand up to such constant use.
In relation to this question of the frequency of the letter folding you will want your paper folding machine to handle, ask the dealer about its monthly duty rating. While establishing its strength, don’t forget to ask about the versatility of the folding machine you are thinking of buying. There are various letter folding terms, including C Fold or standard letter fold, single fold, double fold, and accordion fold. As well as knowing how often you will use your paper folding machine, therefore, you should ascertain before buying that it can do the type of letter folding your business will require.
Your new letter folding machine will be working with the paper and envelopes you provide, so you should make sure before buying that they will be right for the folding machine you select. The type and thickness of the paper you want to use will have to be considered. You should also check that the paper folding machine is suited to the size of the paper you usually use. Letter folding machines vary in the size of paper they can handle. Another factor to consider is that your letter folding needs may change in the future. If you buy a folding machine now that can accommodate both your present and anticipated future needs, you could find you have saved yourself time and money when those needs eventuate.
Just as important as the paper is the size and the type of the envelopes your letter folding machine will have to handle. The size of the envelopes that can be used by a particular folding machine may be limited, so check this before buying. The letter folding machine you buy will probably need machine quality envelopes, so you should follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on this. Make sure, too, that your dealer has a good reputation for products and service. This will help ensure you are buying a quality letter folding machine and can rely on good follow-up service, if required.