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How Do I Choose the Right Paper Cutter for My Office?
In this series of posts, “How do I choose?”, we will help you take a little of the guesswork out of selecting the best print finish product for your shop or office. It’s sometimes difficult to find the right machine to fit your needs when there are so many models.
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.
How Do I Choose the Right Shredder for My Office?
In this series of posts, “How do I choose?”, we will help you take a little of the guesswork out of selecting the best print finish product for your shop or office. It’s sometimes difficult to find the right machine to fit your needs when there are so many models.
“We live in the digital age. The paperless corporation is upon us…” Yeah, I’ve heard that for a few years. There are still stacks of invoices, printed emails, memos, notifications from human resources, and project files ALL over my office. We live in the digital age, that’s true, but we also live in the age of HIPPA regulations, corporate espionage, invasive audits, and big brother. There’s simply a lot on paper that needs to be destroyed before the wrong person sees it.
But, which paper shredder should I get for the office? Does it matter that there are 50 employees on this floor? Or that bank account numbers are often on the forms that I shred? What about those boxes of old accounting files in the basement we plan on having the intern take care of?
Choosing a shredder is all about quantity and level of security. A strip-cut shredder like the Formax FD8600 will accept your feed quickly, but it won’t be as secure and the container will fill up quickly. Cross-cut models like the Formax FD8500 will chop up your documents into a fine dust, but they simply take longer because they’re working harder. Consider that feed speed. When there’s a lot of archives to shred, you don’t want to feed your machine ten sheets at a time. You don’t want your employees spending all day away from their desk.
Then look at the extras. These days we don’t just need to destroy paper. Consider a shredder with the ability to shred compact discs, credit cards and the occasional file that still has a paper clip attached. You want a shredder with the ability to do that without damaging the blades, auto cleaning and reverse functions are important features to include.
Lloyd’s carries a line of Formax Office Shredders that each have great features and come in both strip-cut and cross-cut models. They all have a warranty on the cutting blades and can accept a varying number of pages. Use the compare feature in the list view to find the shredder for your office. The garbage disposal in the break room is just not going to work anymore.
How Do I Choose the Right Corner Rounder for My Print Shop?
In this series of posts, “How do I choose?”, we will help you take a little of the guesswork out of selecting the best print finish product for your shop or office. It’s sometimes difficult to find the right machine to fit your needs when there are so many models.
For example, Lloyd’s has nine different round corner machines. There are options and add-ons for some, and others are simply manual. In each purchase you make, you should consider the following as it relates to your business’s operation.
Corner rounders are pretty simple machines. They basically make measured cuts on the corner of your printed sheets. This finishing method has always been popular, but more-so in recent years as print products mimic the style of online communications. It’s not often that you see an icon or a photo online with squared-off corners.
So, let’s look at application first. Are you printing posters or business cards? Are you printing on heavy or standard stock? The size alone may rule out a manual table-top rounder, so be sure to look at the table dimensions. And, heavy stock may require the power an automatic can provide – which also puts you over $1,000. If you’d like the option to cut through metal for signage production, you’ll need a specific machine.
For rounders I think quantity and speed necessary can be measured by the capacity of sheets you can feed the machine at one time (in inches). A rounder in the hobby category may only accept a few sheets at a time with a .04″ clearance, but commercial medium and heavy-duty rounders will allow an inch or more to be cut. Thicker cut, means you’ll be moving through projects faster. Do you think your capacity will grow or remain the same? Choose a model for 2 years down the road, rather than one you need today, because your needs will hopefully grow once you add this machine.
The frequency of your use will require replacement cutting dies, so the availability and cost of these parts should also be a consideration. You’ll also want to investigate the variety of blade sizes and designs available for a particular model as well. A wide variety of cutting options will also add to your flexibility and options for the customer.
Finally, consider maintenance. All Lloyd’s corner rounders come with a year warranty, but looking beyond this time frame consider your potential frequency of use and the availability of replacement parts.
To check out Lloyd’s selection of corner rounders and compare models, visit our website.
MBM Bookletmaker Jr. Semi-Automatic Bookletmaker
This is not your average semi-automatic weapon. The MBM Bookletmaker Jr. has a deadly combination of features combined with a nice price. If you’re often making booklets 40 pages or less in your office and you’re looking for a quick way to process in-house rather than outsourcing, this little guy is for you.
How is it Used?
The Bookletmaker Jr. Semi-Automatic Bookletmaker is an entry-level machine with space saving, compact design. The automatic paper centering, dual staple heads and fold rollers add to the speed of use, helping you crank out up to 250 sets an hour. It takes standard sizes (8 1/2″ x 11″ to 11″ x 17″) and you don’t have to go to the shooting range to practice.?
And How Much Does it Cost
The MBM Bookletmaker Jr. Semi-Automatic Bookletmaker is $809 at Lloyd’s. We’ll throw in free shipping and a gift with your purchase.
MBM Binderymate 2 Wire Stitcher
I like the option of the Binderymate 2 Wire Stitcher has to switch from a saddle stitch to flat so easily. And, you can’t help but being impressed by the ISP wire-fed magnetic stitching head. It’s patented. If it’s worth a patent, it probably works well.
How is it Used?
The Binderymate 2 is operated by a foot pedal and will mount easily to most work tables. You’ll be able to stitch 60 pages at a time (depending on the stock you’re using), and the transparent guard will keep you safe without getting in your way. I like that its also flexible enough to accommodate sizes as small as 2″ x 2″ to 11″ x 17″. If you’re looking for a dual head stitcher, this Binderymate Wire Stitcher can be easily converted to connect a twin machine.
And How Much Does it Cost
The MBM Binderymate 2 Wire Sticher is $2,195 at Lloyd’s. We’ll throw in free shipping and a gift with your purchase.