Ah, the business card. Still a valuable business tool after all these years. If you’re a full-service shop, you’re likely printing business cards for clients that use your other services. If you’re not, you may be missing out. It’s a nice little revenue stream that requires very little work, and even less up-front investment. That is… if you’ve chosen the right business card slitter.

But how do you do that?

When it comes to business cards, you must consider volume and automation. The more volume you expect, the more automated you probably want to be. Automated business card slitters like the HS-3000 will cut and stack 1,000 cards in five minutes ready to box and deliver. When you’re doing cards for an entire company that’s just gotten a new logo or street address, the speed and accuracy of a machine like this comes in handy.

Manual models are still efficient and are certainly not slow, and they have the advantage of being extremely economical. Lloyd’s has a great selection of both manual and automatic card slitters.

The thing to consider when buying either model is the format in which you’ll print the cards in the first place. 8-up, 10-up, 12-up, gutter, or no gutter are all options. Just remember, the flexibility and speed your print shop has in cutting business cards may just keep your customers from exploring purchasing one of these machines on their own. These machines are so easy to operate, they’re also sold as “ideal for the office.”

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• Why Perfect Binding May Be the Perfect Print Finishing Option

What are you cutting at the office? Yes, I know someone has to cut the cake for the secretary’s birthday, but that’s not what I mean. It seems we all end up doing some sort of paper crafts once and a while. Trimming down those photos for the traveling exhibit, cutting out stacks of pamphlets to fill the marketing rack in the reception area, slicing up that spreadsheet that mistakenly printed on the ginormous paper in the bottom drawer.

Every office needs a paper cutter, the only question is, which one?

Paper cutters basically come in two flavors these days – Guillotine and Rotary. Like many other items in this series of posts, you need to consider volume and speed. But, you also need to take into consideration the safety of your staff and how accurate cuts need to be.

Guillotine paper cutters are commonly found in offices. They’re sharp, can cut through multiple sheets with ease, and there are some great measurement guides on the working surface. Multiple sheets at a time speaks to the volume necessity, but often works against accuracy. The clamps and lockable gauges of the Kutrimmer tabletop trimmer assist with accuracy, but its most impressive additions are safety features. Different models of guillotine cutters basically allow for larger sheets and more working space.

The most accurate cuts will always be made with Rotary cutters. My personal fav is sold at Lloyd’s. The Roll-Blade rotary trimmer not only has great measurement guides and a self-sharpening tungsten blade, but it also cuts through cardboard and some plastic with just as much accuracy a it does with paper. And, unless you’re really trying, it’s virtually impossible to cut yourself with this rotary.

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How is it Used?

If you’re mainly interested in the business card function, the BC-12 Tabletop Card Cutter will cut 12 standard size business cards per page (up to 60 cards per minute) – which is pretty fast. However, you’ll also find 10 other pre-set cutting modes and quick-change cartridges to switch out easily (without tools) for different cutting formats. Like other MBM models, this one is quiet and compact. It will soon become your favorite machine in the office.

And How Much Does it Cost

The BC-12 Tabletop Card Cutter is $5,350 at Lloyd’s. We’ll throw in free shipping and a gift with your purchase.

For more information on MBM BC-12 Tabletop Card Cutter or to place an order, please visit the Lloyd’s website.

Related Posts from The Print Finish Blog

• MBM BC-10 Tabletop Business Card Cutter
• HS-2000-M Manual 12-Up Handi-Slitter
• HS-2000-M Manual 10-Up Handi-Slitter

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How is it Used?

Print out your business cards on your in-house printer on the stock of your choice and load them into the BC-10 Tabletop Card Cutter for trimming and cut 10-up. This little powerhouse will give you an accurate cut every time. It’s got quick and easy set-up and adjustment, and the control panel features a LED 4 digit counter with addition and preset subtraction functions. It’s compact and quiet enough to run in your office’s common work area. I would put it next to the copy machine.

And How Much Does it Cost

MBM BC-10 Tabletop Business Card Cutter is $4,229 at Lloyd’s. We’ll throw in free shipping and a gift with your purchase.

For more information on MBM BC-10 Tabletop Business Card Cutter or to place an order, please visit the Lloyd’s website.

Related Posts from The Print Finish Blog

• MBM BC-12 Tabletop Card Cutter
• HS-2000-M Manual 12-Up Handi-Slitter
• HS-2000-M Manual 10-Up Handi-Slitter

• UV Coaters. Adding a UV Coater will give you the capability to apply hi-gloss, satin or matte coating almost on any printed sheet. There are many configurations to the available coaters on the market. Sizes range from 18” to 30” with a modular design to allow for added components like automatic feeders. This is also an environmentally friendly way to apply a finish to your printing. There’s even one line of UV coating that is 99.9% VOC free – exceeding all environmental air quality regulations. Add that to your marketing and get some new green-minded customers.
• Binding Machinery. Whether it’s low volume presentation binding or high volume commercial applications, binding machinery is a low-cost, yet crucial component to a successful shop. Prepare a presentations or proposals, books or newsletters with the look and feel your customers desire by having available comb, coil, wire or perfect binding. If you bind it, they will come.
• Letter Folders. Add fulfillment services to your shop. Every office needs to send mailed statements, invoices and other marketing material. If it’s going out in a traditional envelope style, there’s a folder to automate the process. These machines fold thousands of sheets per hour. There are tabletop models for low volume or floor models for high volume, but they’re all easy to setup and operate.
• Document Mailing Equipment. While you’re folding some projects, you might as well run an inserter for others. Save time and money by speeding up your mail processing. Inserters and pressure sealers keep your jobs in a neat sequential order so they’re ready for outgoing mail bins. Some inserters can fold and stuff up to five different sheets and BRE’s at 4,000 sheets per hour. Plus, a pressure sealer adds a whole new product type to your offerings.
• Laminators. Laminating adds durability and professionalism to any printing project. Toner, ink jet and UV inks alone are not very durable, but by adding even a thin laminate coating you can prevent ink cracking and insures a long handling life to a piece. Lamination also adds to the look and feel of your work You can impress customers and upsell projects like printing for photos, charts, posters and signage.

Improve your profits by adding to your catalog of finishing services. Lloyds of Indiana has competitive prices and a variety of models in each of these categories.

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• How Print Shops Can Add Direct Mail to Their Service Offerings
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If you need a membership card embedded inside a welcome letter, a perforated coupon on a sales letter, or even want to print your own checks and receipts, this is the machine for you.

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How is it Used?

The Formax FD 572 has 6 pre-programmed paper cutting sizes, including: 8.5” into 1, 2, 3 or 4 even cuts 11” into 1, 2, 3 or 4 even cuts; 14” into 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 even cuts. This is ideal for use with checks, coupons, tickets, notices, membership cards and labels. There are 100 memory selections available for custom cutting operations.

And How Much Does it Cost

The Formax FD 572 Cut-Sheet Cutter is $6,650 at Lloyd’s. We’ll throw in free shipping and a gift with your purchase.

For more information on the Formax FD 572 Cut-Sheet Cutter or to place an order, please visit the Lloyd’s website.

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• How Do I Choose the Right Paper Cutter for My Office?
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Roll With It

You’re investing in this hobby, right? Printing quality pictures, buying different paper and accessories, special pens, and those little thingies that hold the pictures to the paper. The last thing you want is to ruin a picture of Great Aunt Ruth with a dull paper cutter. And, you would hate to waste a piece of that pricey acid-free paper with a mis-measured cut.

I’ve seen the cutters you can get through the scrapbooking club. They’re tiny! There are others available at hobby stores that use a little razor like blade, that dull after just one creative session. To do this right, and to save money, you need a rotary cutter.

Good rotary cutters slide effortlessly on a rail system. The blade depth is adjustable and it’s sharp enough to cut through not just paper, but newsprint, cardboard, plastic films, vellum, aluminum foil, vinyl, and whatever else your creative brain comes up with. And, you don’t just need a sharp blade, you need one that stays sharp (without costly replacements), yet safe enough to have in a house with kids. Plus, your rotary cutter needs to be big enough to hold your project, and should include measurement guides to reference.

You’re creating something to be enjoyed by generations of people in your family. Don’t waste money on something that won’t last, and may ruin parts of your project. Invest in a quality rotary cutter from Lloyds of Indiana to get the job done right every time.

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• Which Cutter is Best?
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• How Do I Choose the Right Paper Cutter for My Office?

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How is it Used?

Take your 12-up cards, the ones you printed on 8-1/2″ x 11″ or A4-size stock, and load them into the HS-2000-M Manual 12-Up Handi-Slitter. It won’t matter if they’re laser printed, foil printed, color copied, thermographed, flat printed, ink jet or computer generated. This compact model will take sheets printed in numerous forms. The HS-2000-M will quickly convert them into standard size 2″ x 3-1/2″ cards and remove the trim.

And How Much Does it Cost?

The HS-2000-M Manual 12-Up Handi-Slitter is $1,095 at Lloyd’s. Plus, we’ll throw in free shipping and a gift with your purchase.

For more information on the HS-2000-M Manual 12-Up Handi-Slitter or to place an order, please visit the Lloyd’s website.

Related Posts from The Print Finish Blog

• MBM BC-12 Tabletop Card Cutter
• MBM BC-10 Tabletop Business Card Cutter
• HS-2000-M Manual 10-Up Handi-Slitter

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How is it Used?

Take your 10-up cards, the ones you printed on 8-1/2″ x 11″ or A4-size stock, and load them into this compact tabletop unit. The HS-2000-M Manual 10-Up Handi-Slitter will take sheets printed in numerous forms. It won’t matter if they’re laser printed, foil printed, color copied, thermographed, flat printed, ink jet or computer generated. The HS-2000-M will quickly convert them into standard size 2″ x 3-1/2″ cards and remove the trim.

And How Much Does it Cost?

The HS-2000-M Manual 10-Up Handi-Slitter is $1,095 at Lloyd’s. Plus, we’ll throw in free shipping and a gift with your purchase.

For more information on the HS-2000-M Manual 10-Up Handi-Slitter or to place an order, please visit the Lloyd’s website.

Related Posts from The Print Finish Blog

• MBM BC-12 Tabletop Card Cutter
• MBM BC-10 Tabletop Business Card Cutter
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How is it Used?

The HS-2000-B will take your 3-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ card stock with the reliable bottom friction feeder and cut your 4-up cards with semi self-sharpening blades with ease. With amazing accuracy, it will deliver up to 600 cards per minute into bins that hold 1000 cards, ready to box. You can even adjust the guide to save an off register job, and there’s no routine maintenance required with the HS-2000-B Handi-Slitter 4-Up. How Handi is that?!

And How Much Does it Cost?

The HS-2000-B 4-Up Business Card Slitter is $1,395 at Lloyd’s. Plus, we’ll throw in free shipping and a gift with your purchase.

For more information on the HS-2000-B 4-Up Business Card Slitter or to place an order, please visit the Lloyd’s website.

Related Posts from The Print Finish Blog

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• MBM BC-10 Tabletop Business Card Cutter
• HS-2000-M Manual 12-Up Handi-Slitter