What is the difference between a foil fuser and a foil stamper? They both create a foiled metallic logos or text. The end results look very similar. So it’s no surprise that many people get confused between the two. Be aware, however, that foil fusers and foil stampers are two very different machines. Be sure you get the right machine for the right job.

Foil fusers are designed almost exclusively to work with paper and cardstock alone. They cannot be used to put foiled lettering on photographs, pencils, matchbooks and other objects. Foil fusers use a special type of foil that literally fuses to toner. Toner is what copy machines and laser printers use. This means everywhere text or images are printed, the foil will stick. Foil fusers will not work with ink or ink jet printers.

Foil stampers, sometimes referred to as hot stamping machines, use a heated aluminum alloy die to stamp text and logos onto leather, cards, photographs, napkins and other solid objects. The foil stamper has a type holder that holds the lettering, the logo or both, after which the machine heats up. The heated lettering, along with pressure from the machine, transfers foil from a roll (usually attached to the machine) to the surface of a different object.

The end results of both foil fusers and foil stampers looks very similar. It is pretty safe to say that if you want foil on paper or card stock, to use a foil fuser. If you need foil on a book, napkin, photograph or other object, use a foil stamper. Be aware that the supplies for foil fusers and stampers are not interchangeable.

You can find our foil fusers and stampers by going here. Have more questions about foil stampers or fusers? Write a comment and I will post an answer.

Are you creating booklets on a daily basis, perhaps by folding and manually stapling paper? There is a much more effective way to create booklets. This is done by using a booklet maker.

If you haven’t used a booklet maker, you should really give one a try. It is amazing how fast they operate. Booklet makers will literally save you hours of time and frustration. Booklet makers can be used to create manuals, reports, short stories, recipe books and more.

We have just added two highly effective and very affordable booklet makers to our site. These are the Formax FD-160 and FD-180 booklet makers. Both of these booklet makers are very easy to set up and use. The stapling on the model FD-160 is manual and the folding is motorized. The FD-180 staples and folds the paper by use of a motor.

You can view both of these booklet makers by going here. You can also view these booklet makers in action by visiting the following links:

Formax FD-160 in action:

Formax FD-180 in action:

The name “paper jogger” brings some pretty funny images to one’s mind who is not familiar with the equipment. The concept is simple, but it saves you so much time. A paper jogger, simply put, is a machine that squares up and organizes jumbled stacks of paper. Why use a paper jogger? Because paper needs to be properly aligned before being bound, folded, cut and more.

We are very happy to announce the addition of the Formax FD 402A1. This paper jogger is made to handle some heavy-duty stuff. You could say the FD 402A1 is a commercial (industrial) paper jogger. Not only does it jog paper, but it also uses air to more quickly jog paper and dry out ink.

This jogger has its own base, which means it doesn’t need to be set on a table or other surface. This helps free up space, especially for print shops where space is limited. A few of the features this jogger has are variable speed control, foot pedal operation and casters for easy movement.

Stop by our site and take a look at the new Formax FD 402A1 paper jogger today!

We get some pretty good questions from our customers. I just received one yesterday from a customer who had gotten fed up with their GBC comb binding machine. Here is their question along with my answer:

QUESTION: I am fed up with my GBC C400e comb-binding machine. We have had it repaired 3 times now and I’ve had enough. Do you know of a good replacement for a GBC comb binder? I want to stay with comb binding and it needs to be electric.

ANSWER: I personally recommend Akiles hands down. Akiles, in my opinion, runs circles around low-end GBC machines. You have a couple of options here, much of it depending on your binding volume.

If you have low to medium-volume binding needs, the Akiles AlphaBind-CE is a great choice. It still has an electric punch, like the GBC C400e, and is very easy to use. Unlike the GBC C400e, the Akiles model is made from durable metal construction. A foot pedal is great for hands-free operation.

If you have high-volume binding needs, you really can’t go wrong with the Akiles CombMac 24E. This comb-binding machine is a beast, capable of punching 25 sheets of paper at a time with an electric-powered motor. This machine is designed for more use and output than the GBC C400e, but could be a good choice if you expect your binding needs to increase in the future.

Regardless of which machine you go with, manual or electric, Akiles has risen to the top and can be considered one of the best brands available today. You can see our entire selection of Akiles binding machines here.

Have more questions about comb binding machines? Post your comments here!

Rotatrim has made a significant name for themselves over the years with their line of rotary paper cutters. Photographers, copy shops, scrap bookers and more consider Rotatrim cutters the Holy Grail of rotary paper cutters. Why is it that these British-Made cutters are so popular? Are they really as good as everyone says they are?

There are a couple of reasons the Rotatrim line is popular. Most of this boils down to quality and build. Rotatrim cutters are heavy and made from solid components. If you ever have the chance to handle a Rotatrim next to another cutter, you will be amazed at the difference in quality. In many instances, the difference is as stark as comparing a bicycle to a Porsche.

The Rotatrim Professional Series of cutters are considered to be some of the best cutters made by Rotatrim. The cutting wheel is large, making cutting effortless, and the cutting head itself rests on two support bars. These two bars keep the cutting head solidly in place, preventing movement. This means cuts are very accurate and very straight every time.

While Rotatrim rotary cutters cost more up front, chances are pretty good that they will last for years. Many have reported their Rotatrim cutters lasting up to 10+ years. Now compare that to a Fiskars cutter, which you may be replacing every few months. The costs makes itself up quickly.

You can find our line of Rotatrim Professional Cutters here. If you need a rotary cutter, but the Rotatrim is a little much for you, here are five great high-quality alternatives.

Great Rotatrim Alternatives:

• Akiles Roll-@-Blade
• Carl MR Series Rotary Cutters
• Dahle 550 Series Cutters
• Dahle 440 Series Rotary Cutters
• Foster Keencut Classic

Why use a paper counter? Is it really that hard to count paper? These are a few of the questions that come up with the topic of paper counters is brought up to those unfamiliar with the printing industry. I can understand why these questions are asked.

What many people don’t realize is that the printing industry deals with thousands of sheets of paper on a daily basis. The slightest inconsistency or inaccuracy, even being off just a few percentage points, can cost a business a lot of money. Paper counters not only save time, but are extremely accurate too.

We have a created a paper counter guide designed not just to help the general public, but printers as well. This guide covers common questions such as “Why should I consider investing money in a paper counter?” and “Can your paper counters batch tab, and if so, how fast?” Answers to these questions, and more, will help you determine if you can benefit from using a paper counter.

You can find our new paper counter and batch tabber guide here. You can also find our entire selection of paper counters here.

Did you know you can create your own notepads from the comfort of your own office, school or home? It really isn’t that hard. All you need is a padding press, some glue, a brush, some paper and about 15-20 minutes of your time. The end result is a notepad or scratch pad that you can use for note taking, drawings and more.

Padding presses are designed to pad a large volume of paper at once. This can often involve (but does not require) 1,000 plus pages. Once the pages have been placed in the padding press, the paper is clamped and the glue can be applied. Once the glue dries, the clamp is released and the large stack can be cut down into smaller, more usable note pads.

Padding presses are considered “green” in that used paper can be recycled into notepads. All you need is one clean side, even if the other side has been printed on.

Padding glue is available in white or red, depending on your preference of color. Accessories such as quick-as-a-wink paper counters and padding knives are optional, but not required. You can find step-by-step instructions on exactly how to create a pad of paper here.

You can view our entire selection of padding presses here.

You would be amazed just how much round corners can affect the look of a document. Why is this? In part, it is because square corners are so common. Almost any sheet of paper, including magazine and newspapers, has square corners.

A round corner adds just enough of an aesthetic change to improve the appearance of a document. Sometimes it is so subtle that people feel the document they are handling is of higher quality, but the don’t know why.

What are some common documents to have their corners rounded? What I have seen, from our customers, is that many people like to round the corners of their business cards. A 1/8-inch corner is the most popular corner diameter. Photographs are also popular for corner rounding. So what should you look for in a corner rounder?

Be sure your corner rounder has interchangeable blades. For one, this allows you to swap out different diameter cuts. With this ability, you can use a 1/8-inch diameter on a business card and a ¼-inch diameter on a photograph. Most importantly, this allows you to replace a dull blade.

The handle length will determine how easy it is to cut through paper and material. The longer the handle, the more leverage you have and the easier it will be to cut through paper. Most of the corner rounders we sell at ABC Office can cut through at least a half-inch of paper.

Most corner rounders can cut through laminated material as well, however, laminated paper will dull the blade more quickly. Some of our higher end corner rounders can even cut up to .080 aluminum.

You will find our entire selection of corner rounders here.

Check signers are used to sign checks, documents and other papers. Why are they so nice to have? Speed. They are fast. They get the job done quickly and for a business, time is money. They are commonly used for payroll, mailers and more. Set a stack of paper in the machine and let it do the rest.

Check signers use signature plates. A signature plate is a metal plate that contains the signature. The plate itself is usually curved and it is attached to a round bar that spins a full 360 degrees. As paper runs through the machine, the signature plate is inked and rolls over the paper, thus signing it.

There are two main types of check signers. The first type is a continuous forms check signer and the other is a cut sheet check signer. The model you use will depend on the type of paper you use.

Definitions:

Cut Sheet – A cut sheet check signer uses standard individual sheets of paper. These sheets can still contain perforations, but must be individual sheets in a stack. The cut sheet check signer will peel off one sheet at a time and sign it. Xerox copy machines use a cut sheet design.

Continuous Forms – Continuous forms check signers use continuous forms paper (surprise). This is the type of paper that used to be found in the old dot matrix printers. This type of paper is usually all connected and packaged in an accordion-like fashion. There are usually perforated sides with tiny holes used for feeding the paper through the check signer.

Check signers are usually built with security measures in place. This is to prevent a rogue employee or criminal from using it to print their own checks. Security measures usually include a key lock to access the signature plate and a pass code that has to be entered before the machine can be used.

Once checks are printed, they usually have to be torn apart. Since most pre-printed check paper is pre-perforated, a forms burster is perfect to do this job. Many check signers can be interfaced directly with a burster. The burster quickly tears the paper apart. Bursters are also usually available in continuous forms and cut sheet designs.

You can view our entire selection of check signers here.

Business cards make an impression. It’s not just about the free lunch. Business cards are perfect for trade shows, meetings and much more. Did you know making business cards is actually pretty easy? It is. Simply print out your business cards, using your own printer, and cut them down to size. A great way to cut them down is by using the CardMate.

From start to finish, you can literally create several business cards in less than a minute. The CardMate makes this possible. Simply place the printed cards in the cutter and turn the handle. The machine will do the rest. Although the CardMate is manually operated, it is remarkably fast. I have used this little machine myself. It even works with card stock.

Here is a video demo of the CardMate in action:

You can find the CardMate business card cutter here.